A Vision For South Carolina

Moving past the politics and finally fixing South Carolina

I know you’re frustrated. I am too. South Carolina is full of hardworking families who do things right, play by the rules, and still feel like the system is rigged against them. It doesn’t have to be this way. We can do better. Not with more empty slogans or complacent politicians who are comfortable with the way things are, but with real leadership, discipline, and vision. If we’re willing to expect more from our government and ourselves, we can build something better. That starts by being honest about where we are and bold about where we can go.

Here’s the truth - South Carolina is broken. We are one of the highest-taxed red states in America, yet we rank near the bottom in education, infrastructure, and income. Agencies operate without oversight. Judges are picked by a handful of legislators behind closed doors. Bureaucrats answer to no one. Lawsuit abuse drives up costs for every family and business, and our own financial systems are so broken we lost track of $3.5 billion. Meanwhile, too many politicians look the other way, more focused on protecting the status quo than fixing it. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Imagine a South Carolina where families keep more of what they earn, where schools are strong and steady, and where young people can afford their first home without leaving the communities that raised them. Students graduate into an economy with real opportunity and a clear path to build their lives here. Top companies from around the country choose to relocate not because we hand out incentives but because executives know South Carolina is the most business friendly state in the Union and they want to raise their families here. Local businesses thrive because government does not stand in their way. Roads get built. Agencies do their work without drama or hidden agendas.. The state runs with discipline and transparency, and citizens trust the institutions that serve them. It feels like the South Carolina our forebears imagined when they risked everything for freedom 250 years ago.

South Carolina stands at a unique point in time. Our population is growing faster than almost any state in the country. Prosperity is rising. New families and new businesses are choosing this place because they see stability and promise. And we are reaching this moment just as the world enters an age of rapid technological advancement and emerging artificial intelligence. Few states are prepared for this shift. We can be. This combination of growth and innovation can create a golden era for South Carolina if we choose leadership, discipline, and a clear vision.

This future is not out of reach. It is achievable. It belongs to us if we choose it. South Carolina has the people, the strength, and the momentum to shape its own course. We are not waiting on Washington. We are not dependent on shifting national trends. We can build a government that reflects our priorities and protects our freedom. If we demand clarity, discipline, and accountability, we can create the strongest model of self-governance in the country.

To reach this vision, we must follow a clear path. Each step builds on the others. Together they create a state that is free, well run, and stable.

South Carolina’s Path Forward: An Eight Point Plan

1. Financial TransparencyThe first step is financial transparency. Nothing in government improves until the truth about how money is spent comes into full view. We cannot fix problems we cannot see. When every financial transaction is visible, citizens gain power, agency leaders gain discipline, and the old habit of hiding waste or failure comes to an end. Transparency lets us measure outcomes. Outcomes let us measure efficiency. This is the foundation of everything that comes next.

2. Government Efficiency and ModernizationA clear financial picture gives us the ability to improve efficiency. With honest numbers, we can modernize technology, realign agencies, and build systems that serve citizens instead of bureaucracies. When leaders know their work is measured and visible, performance rises. Accountability becomes real. This is how a government becomes lean, responsive, and trustworthy.

3. Primary and Secondary Education ReformEducation shapes the future of our state. Our primary and secondary schools should be on a path to become top ten in the country, anchored in strong leadership and real accountability. School choice is essential. Families deserve the freedom to select the school that best fits their children, whether public, charter, private, or home based. Choice strengthens students and strengthens communities.

4. Higher Education ReformOur colleges and universities should be the most efficient and least expensive in the nation. They should reflect the conservative values of the taxpayers who fund them and the South Carolina families who entrust their children to them. They must prepare students for productive lives, not ideology or debt. South Carolina should be the first state to break the back of crushing student loans by driving down costs and demanding real accountability. When higher education respects families and students, the entire state grows stronger.

5. Housing Affordability and Family StabilityYoung families are the lifeblood of a healthy society. In South Carolina, young adults should be able to buy a home, build equity, and step into the freedoms and responsibilities of adulthood. Homeownership is the engine of real wealth. When young people cannot afford to stay, the state loses more than talent. It loses its future.

6. Tax Competitiveness and Economic FreedomLow taxes are a hallmark of a disciplined state. South Carolina should compete to have the lowest tax burden in America. That does not happen through slogans. It happens through responsible budgeting, controlled spending, and financial and operational management that protects every dollar a citizen earns. States that trust their people with their own money grow faster and stronger.

7. A Pro-Business Climate Without Special FavorsTop companies should want to move to South Carolina not because we hand out taxpayer funded incentives, but because South Carolina is the most business friendly state in the Union and because executives want to raise their families here. A clean, predictable environment where rules are fair and government is stable attracts good companies and good jobs. Prosperity should be shared with the people who have lived here for generations and built the culture we treasure.

8. A Fair and Independent Judicial SystemSouth Carolina cannot become the best run state in the country without a legal system that is clear, predictable, and independent. Families and businesses must know that judges apply the law evenly and that decisions rest on facts, not political influence. Today too much power over judicial appointments rests with a small group of legislators, blurring the separation of powers and creating the appearance of favoritism. A fair legal system protects rights, strengthens confidence, and gives businesses the stability they need to invest, hire, and grow. If South Carolina wants the strongest business climate in the nation, we need courts that every citizen and every company can trust.

South Carolina can achieve this. We can build a state that becomes the national model for pro-business, conservative families who want stability and opportunity. We can do it while ensuring that the prosperity of tomorrow is shared by the people who have lived here for generations. South Carolina can grow without losing its character.

Our future is bright because we control our destiny. While other states drift toward centralized control and economic stagnation, we can choose a different path. We can choose freedom, order, and transparency. We can be the state that proves a disciplined government and a confident people can outperform the chaos playing out across the country.

This vision is not abstract. It is a governing framework. If I were running for Governor, this is the standard I would hold myself to. Every policy, every reform, every decision would be measured against whether it advances this vision of a freer, stronger, more accountable South Carolina.

That is why repairing the Comptroller General’s office matters so much. It is the first structural reform required to achieve this future. A state cannot promise efficiency when its financial systems are broken. It cannot promise low taxes when it cannot track its own dollars. It cannot promise accountability when no one can trust the books.

Fixing that office is the foundation. It is where discipline begins. It is where transparency becomes real. It is where South Carolina proves that it intends to govern itself with competence and integrity.

A free state.A well run state.A state rising to its promise.

This is the South Carolina we can build. And it starts by fixing the place where the money flows.