Campaign Finances for Local S.C. House Races Can be Challenging
Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
In Tuesday’s primaries, nine Republican and two Democratic candidates are seeking election or re-election to the Anderson County Legislative Delegation. The incumbents to these seats are all Republican, and the financing and financials of these candidates are the focus of this story.
Running for office and serving in the General Assembly of South Carolina is not for the financially faint of heart. Campaigning is expensive for a time-consuming job that pays an annual base salary of $10,400. (Though total compensation is roughly $22,400 annually, if you add the $12,000 district expense allowance paid out at $1,000 per month).
That leaves those seeking office who are not independently wealthy to seek financial donations or take out loans to run for office. You have probably seen mailers suggesting that some candidate in our local races is “in the pocket” of some business or individual, but campaign filing reports dispute those charges.
Most end up spending most of their donations on yard signs, social media ads and other printed/mailed materials.
A chart at the bottom of this story offers a look at how that breaks down for the primary.
You can find lists of all donors at this site, including dates and amounts. None of the candidates in Tuesday’s primaries received significant donations from any individual or group (same holds true for all candidates seeking election/reelection to Anderson County Council).
Aside from donations, those seeking/holding office are also required to file a Statement of Economic Interest report on any business interests, especially those which might connect a member of the General Assembly or their family to contracts and other business relationships with the state.
There are no laws preventing such business relationships if they are disclosed, but it is mandatory they are reported.
None of the challengers noted any business dealings with state agencies. Of the incumbents,
None of the incumbents reported any income from contractors associated with governmental entities, though some questions raised in the last election cycle surfaced again for S.C. Rep. April Crome, Dist. 6. Cromer who reported her private income coming from Cromer Food Services, Inc., as her husband Brent Cromer as a shareholder in Cromer Food Services, she did not report two contracts, one for $ 517,500 at Tri-County Technical College and a $23,729 one with the South Carolina Department of Corrections in the filing.
Rep. Cromer said similar charges were made during the last election and she was cleared of any impropriety.
“Somebody filed the same thing saying I didn't report it on my SEI statement,’ said Cromer. “And it was cleared” (by the South Carolina Ethics Commission).
Cromer said the charges of impropriety were not valid because I don't receive funding directly from them (Cromer Food Services). “It's the company that receives funding from them, so it doesn't have to be reported there because they don't provide my income,” said Cromer.
When asked about the understanding of family members income, she said the contracts did not constitute family income.
“You don't you have to report family income from that stuff that’s not family income,” said Cromer. “Our company does business with them, and it has nothing to do with it, and they don't pay me directly. And so that's why it's not on my income or on my statement
“I was cleared because when I ran the first time, and I wanted to be very clear about what we needed to report,” said Cromer. “I'm not hiding anything or contracts with our company.”
Tuesday’s primaries bring challengers to four of the county’s six seats in the S.C. House of Representatives: Rep. Cromer will face Kyle White in the race for Dist. 6; S.C. Rep. Don Chapman faces challengers Sherry Hodges and Patrick Orr in Dist. 8; S.C. Rep. Thomas Beach’s opponent in Dist. 10 is Stewart Watson; and S.C. Rep. Craig Gagnon is being challenged by Jesse Turner.
Polls will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. for Tuesday’s primaries. To see a sample ballot visit scvotes.org.
