SC 5th Congressional District: What to know about incumbent Ralph Norman
Editor’s Note: The Herald has reached out to all three candidates and has not yet heard back from Gaither.
Two candidates are challenging U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman for the 5th Congressional District seat in the 2022 midterm elections.
Democrat Evangeline Hundley, from Newberry, came out on top in the state’s June primary and is facing Norman in November. Hundley, a real estate agent, beat challenger Kevin Eckert, a former biological science technician from Sumter.
The Republican incumbent also will face competition from Larry Gaither, a member of the Green Party. Gaither is from Winnsboro.
Norman, from Rock Hill, succeeded then-U.S. Rep. Mick Mulvaney. Norman won the seat in a 2017 special election after Mulvaney joined former President Donald Trump’s administration.
Earlier this year, South Carolina’s congressional districts lines were redrawn as part of the once-a-decade redistricting process. The 5th District, which largely maintained the same boundaries as the previous map, includes York, Lancaster, Chester, Cherokee, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lee, Union counties, and parts of Spartanburg and Sumter counties.
In 2020, Norman won reelection against first-time candidate Moe Brown, a former University of South Carolina football player. During Brown’s campaign, he landed multiple endorsements from U.S. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn and former presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg.
Ultimately, Norman was reelected by about 20 percentage points.
On Nov. 8, polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Between Oct. 24 and Nov. 5, any South Carolina voter can visit an early voting location in their county and cast a ballot ahead of Election Day. Voters can find early voting sites online at scvotes.gov.
The Herald asked all three South Carolina 5th Congressional District candidates the same four questions.
Here are Norman’s responses:
What are you committed to accomplishing during your congressional term?
It’s simple: I’ll continue to do what I was first elected to do.
With Democrats in the majority, you’re paying more for almost everything these days because of their trillions in reckless spending. I voted against this pork in Congress and will continue to do so.
Our border is wide open because President (Joe) Biden has tried to halt every meaningful deterrent to illegal immigration. I’ve opposed him on this issue and will continue to fight for a secure border.
Despite rising violent crime across our country, many Democrats have championed efforts to “defund the police.” I’ve repeatedly said they are wrong and will continue to stand up for our law enforcement officers.
Our national debt is out of control. I’ve made it clear this is going to cripple our future generations and will continue to work for a balanced budget and paying down our debt.
In essence, I’m committed to unraveling the liberal policies that have sent our nation into turmoil over the last two years, while promoting conservative South Carolina values in Washington.
What would you have done differently to try to salvage the failed Panthers-Rock Hill project?
This is not a federal issue, and I’m simply not going to armchair quarterback the efforts of our local and state leaders who worked tirelessly on this project. With respect to David Tepper, I suspect there were more factors driving his decision to cancel construction than have been publicly revealed.
While the Panthers would have been fortunate to have their headquarters and training facility in York County, I’m optimistic that great things are still on the horizon for that site in the not-too-distant future.
Do you believe the 2020 election was fairly decided by voters?
Why is it that when Republicans bring up concerns with the 2020 election, they’re called “election deniers,” yet no such claims were levied against numerous prominent Democrats who loudly questioned the legitimacy of President Trump’s victory in 2016, or President George W. Bush’s victories in 2004 and 2000?
Yes, there were concerns about the way several states conducted their elections in 2020 during COVID, and it is not somehow inappropriate to point that out. Nor does that preclude one from stating, correctly, that Joe Biden is the current President of the United States.
What’s most notable about the 2020 election is that since then, Democrats have been in total control of the House, Senate and White House. And under their leadership, we now have skyrocketing inflation, record levels of illegal immigration, rising violent crime, military recruitment shortages, a fentanyl crisis, a disastrous foreign policy, a wide range of far-left legislation, unsustainable spending and debt, a weakened economy, and a host of other major problems.
The polling is crystal clear: These are the problems that voters care about in 2022, and they blame Democrat policies. Readers can draw their own conclusions about why The Herald is still focused on 2020, and couldn’t bring itself to ask just one question about any of these issues.
The state Senate recently failed to pass a near-total abortion ban. Do you think South Carolina should pass legislation that would restrict abortion access beyond its current six week ban?
Earlier this year, the Supreme Court reversed its own 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, which the Court now admits had wrongly protected abortion as some type of constitutional right. With this correction, abortion policies have now been remanded back to the individual states, where they belong.
In Congress, however, many still want the federal government to allow abortions well into the third trimester, and even some who want abortions to be funded by taxpayers. I simply cannot relate to that mentality, and such efforts will never have my support.
As a Christian with four adult children and 17 grandchildren, I believe all life is a precious gift from God. Yes, there are situations that deserve special consideration, such as when the life of the mother is in jeopardy. I trust and respect the efforts of the South Carolina state legislature to settle this issue.
This story was originally published October 2, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
