Adam Williamson

Ralph Norman jumps to 2nd, and he just started spending money! I can hear the screams from the Columbia swamp!

For those who still don’t grasp the seedy underbelly of South Carolina’s political swamp, let me lay it out plain and ugly, what Governor Henry McMaster and his hand-picked successor Pamela Evette just pulled off isn’t “deal-making.” It’s a textbook case of raw, self-serving corruption that should make every decent South Carolinian’s blood boil. President Trump reached out to McMaster about fixing the congressional maps. The Senate said no. Fine. But instead of accepting that like a grown-up public servant, McMaster saw an opening to play kingmaker. He deliberately dragged his feet, engineered a dramatic special session for the free headlines, and then cut the sleaziest backroom bargain you’ll ever see. He told Trump: I’ll play ball on the maps… but only if you endorse Pam Evette for governor and ram my longtime security-detail driver through as U.S. Marshal for South Carolina. Oh, and in return, Evette will tap McMaster’s own son as her running mate. A three-way family-and-favor swap dressed up as “the art of the deal.” Meanwhile, a 45-year law-enforcement veteran, one of the most respected, battle-tested officers in the state, had done everything right. Year-long background check? Completed. Interviews? Done. Mountains of paperwork? Finished. He’d even announced his retirement to his family, confident the Biden holdover (the one Jim Clyburn had propped up) was finally on the way out and the President’s signature was sitting on the desk. Then, at the eleventh hour, McMaster and Evette yanked the rug out from under him. He became human collateral in their little power auction. His future, his family’s plans, his legacy, trashed so Pam could get the Trump endorsement and Henry could keep the throne warm for his kid. That’s not leadership. That’s prostitution of public office. And let’s talk about Pam Evette, the woman who now wants you to trust her with the keys to the state. Since 2017 she’s done exactly nothing except show up for horse races, ribbon-cuttings, and donor dinners. Actual governance? Forget it. There was a time McMaster himself reportedly hauled her into his office and read her the riot act, so thoroughly that she turned around and fired her closest political confidant just to save her own skin. That’s the depth of her character, throw your own people under the bus the second the boss gets annoyed. This isn’t a “fresh start” or “new generation” candidate. This is a political parasite who has spent years feeding off McMaster’s machine and is now willing to auction off a career lawman’s appointment like it’s a used car on Facebook Marketplace, all for the shiny Trump endorsement sticker on her campaign signs. Henry McMaster, the guy who loves to lecture everyone about “law and order” and “conservative values,” just proved he values his family’s continued grip on power more than merit, more than loyalty, more than basic human decency. He looked a 45-year public servant in the eye (metaphorically) and said, “Sorry, pal, my driver and my son need this more than you do.” South Carolinians, this is who they are. Pam Evette cares about Pam Evette. Henry McMaster cares about the McMaster dynasty. If they’ll casually destroy the life of a decorated officer who spent nearly half a century protecting this state, just to grease their own political skids, do you honestly believe they’ll lose a minute of sleep when it’s your job, your business, your family, or your community on the chopping block? They showed us exactly who they are. Believe them. And when you vote, remember the face of that 45-year veteran and his family whose futures were collateral damage in the McMaster-Evette favor bank. That’s the real legacy of this “deal.” It’s disgusting. It’s disqualifying. And every South Carolinian who values integrity over ambition should reject it with both hands.

Ralph Norman is one of the genuinely good people in politics. Send him to Columbia. It will be the best decision South Carolina voters ever make.