Wednesday, noon — The departure of Rep. John Scott (who is running for a seat being vacated by a senator who has worked his posterior down to nothing) has opened up a three-way competition in the Democratic primary for S.C. House District 77 in Columbia.
The first of those candidates — indeed, the first candidate of the season — to interview with our editorial board was D.J. Carson, a political newcomer. I mentioned earlier that he was coming in.
Mr. Carson grew up in Columbia and Forest Acres, and graduated from Richland Northeast High School. He lived in Brooklyn while studying law on Long Island, and returned home. He worked as an aide to Rep. Todd Rutherford before becoming an assistant solicitor in the 5th Circuit, starting in August of last year. He has mostly prosecuted drug cases, and cites that experience as valuable in helping him understand critical issues in our state, from lack of education to youth gangs.
Mr. Carson’s platform is pretty straightforward: He says he’s running as an advocate for public education, and to oppose vouchers and tax credits. He would increase state spending on education, to increase teacher pay and turn around the Corridor of Shame.
He talks briefly about other subjects — economic development, health care — but keeps coming back to K-12 education. And when he comes back to education, he usually talks about the need for more funding. He mentioned, for instance, that he’d heard Corrections chief Jon Ozmint had predicted the need for two new prisons, and he said we should spend that $100 million on schools instead.
As we do in these interviews, we had a number of other things we asked him about, such as:
Tax policy: He says he favors increasing the cigarette tax, and vows that he will not advocate for any tax cut: "I’m not an advocate for cutting taxes because I’m not an advocate for cutting services."
Party loyalty: "Like-minded people hang around like-minded people," and he wanted voters in the district that his would be a distinctively Democratic voice. "Party affiliation is important." But he said he could also work across the lines, and that it was "more important to speak to people, not to speak to party."
Home Rule: He said he agreed that the Legislature should not be "micromanaging" local affairs.
Restructuring: He declined to offer an opinion, saying "I don’t want to speculate," and would need to study the issues involved first.
Mr. Carson is facing Benjamin Byrd and Richland County Councilman Joe McEachern in the primary.
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“Tax policy: He says he favors increasing the cigarette tax, and vows that he will not advocate for any tax cut: ‘I’m not an advocate for cutting taxes because I’m not an advocate for cutting services.'”
You sure his name isn’t D.J. Warthen?
Sounds like a great ” unparty ” man. Now for the real enemy:
PATRICK HENRY’S FAMOUS LINES :
The Politically Correct Version:
“ TO LITTLE taxation WITH representation is tryanny! “
“ I know not what course others may take, but as for me give me
HEALTH CARE or give me death.”
Oh, I knew y’all would like Mr. Carson…
Anyway, interviews resume next week. You’ll see all sorts of views presented. And the vote in these primaries will in most cases be the only vote you get; partisan gerrymandering has eliminated interparty competition in most of these seats.