Candidates for two South Carolina House seats and one Kershaw County Council race made their cases to voters May 3 during a Stump Speech Rally hosted by the Kershaw County Republican Women’s Club. The candidates who participated are running in Republican primary races that will appear on the June 9 ballot.
The outdoor forum, held at the Camden Shrine Club, featured candidates for S.C. House District 45, S.C. House District 65 and Kershaw County Council District 4. Each candidate was given 10 minutes to speak and answer questions from the audience.
In the House District 45 race, Kershaw County Councilman Russell Brazell challenged incumbent Rep. Brandon Newton, with both candidates focusing on taxes, government spending and conservative policy priorities.
Brazell, who serves as vice chairman of Kershaw County Council and represents District 1, said his time in county government has shaped his view of state mandates and local tax burdens. He said he wants to expand the homestead exemption for older residents, beginning at age 60, and said he would support broader efforts to reduce or eliminate taxes on primary residences.
“I personally want to protect seniors,” Brazell said, adding that he would also commit to serving no more than eight years in the House if elected.
Brazell also criticized state incentives for large outside companies and said South Carolina should do more to help existing small businesses and manufacturers. He said the state should reduce red tape and lower manufacturing-related tax burdens. On social issues, Brazell said he would support restrictions on sexually explicit materials in schools, oppose transgender students using bathrooms or playing sports inconsistent with their sex at birth, and support anti-abortion legislation with consideration for the life and safety of the mother.
Newton, who represents House District 45, highlighted his work on tax policy, education and infrastructure. He said lawmakers passed a $300 million income tax cut and said South Carolina’s top income tax rate is being reduced over time.
Newton said the state should continue moving toward eliminating the income tax and rely more on revenue from tourism and sales taxes rather than taxing labor. He also pointed to legislation on school bathrooms, girls’ sports, parental rights and restrictions on foreign adversaries buying farmland or contributing to public universities.
Newton said rural districts need continued investment in roads, water, sewer and broadband. He said his seat on the House Ways and Means Committee gives Kershaw and Lancaster counties a voice in state budgeting decisions.
“Rural areas like ours have seats at the table,” Newton said.
In the House District 65 race, challenger Barbara Arthur and incumbent Rep. Cody Mitchell offered sharply different views on state government, foreign influence and solar development.
Arthur, a Hartsville business owner, said her family’s experience leaving Cuba shaped her political views. She said she became more politically active after 2020 and has spent recent years speaking to conservative groups about what she described as Marxist and socialist agendas.
Arthur criticized Mitchell’s voting record, saying he had supported budget items and judicial candidates she considered insufficiently conservative. She also criticized his law firm’s connection to solar farm projects in Darlington County, saying large solar developments threaten farmland, local communities and food security.
“Our food supply is critical,” Arthur said.
Arthur said she is running as a citizen, not as a politician, and said public office should be public service.
Mitchell, who represents House District 65, defended his record and responded directly to criticism involving his law firm. He said the South Carolina House does not approve solar farms and said those decisions are handled through local county governments, zoning and planning boards.
Mitchell said he personally does not like solar farms but said private property rights must be respected.
“It is not my job to tell someone else what they can do with their land,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell said the district’s more immediate challenge is growth. He said South Carolina’s rapid population growth is putting pressure on roads, water, sewer and other infrastructure. He pointed to state and federal infrastructure funding that helped local water and sewer systems prepare for future demand, including projects around Lake Wateree, Cassatt, Camden, Bethune and Hartsville.
In the Kershaw County Council District 4 race, Jonathan Proctor and Marc Wood spoke about growth, planning, business development and county finances. The seat is being vacated by longtime Councilman Jimmy Jones, who was recognized during the event.
Proctor, a Lugoff native, said he graduated from Lugoff-Elgin High School, earned a business management degree from Coastal Carolina University and returned home to build his career and family. He works at Powers Funeral Home and owns Peaceful Paws, a pet crematory.
Proctor said his service on the Kershaw County Planning and Zoning Commission and Smart Growth Committee has shown him the importance of managing development. He said Kershaw County cannot stop growth but must slow it to a reasonable pace and require better development standards.
“We don’t want cookie-cutter homes here in Kershaw County,” Proctor said.
Proctor also said the county needs more economic development to expand the tax base. He said the county should reduce unnecessary red tape for small businesses and ensure planning and zoning decisions are handled with common sense.
Wood, a partner with the Camden CPA firm Shaheen, Hancock & Godwin, said his experience in governmental auditing and budgeting would bring needed financial expertise to County Council. He said he has worked with counties, towns, cities and school districts across South Carolina on audits, budgets, millage rates and financial management.
Wood said he decided to run because few local governments have council members with deep governmental accounting experience. He said Kershaw County needs transparency, fiscal responsibility and decisions grounded in what is best for taxpayers.
Wood also addressed growth, saying he agreed the county has a problem but was concerned that some proposed restrictions could hurt small builders, contractors and property owners.
“We can’t fix a problem by hurting tax-paying citizens,” Wood said.
