The lesson from this election? Be bolder

I’ve been thinking about what last week’s state House election results mean for South Carolina and the work ahead.

I do not believe these losses should be read as a rejection of free market principles. Rather, I believe we have not moved far enough, fast enough to deliver the changes people need, nor done enough to help them understand the progress we have made.

With large legislative majorities comes an understandable expectation of meaningful results. Families want relief from rising costs. Business owners want room to grow and hire. Parents want educational options that meet their children’s needs.

We have made progress. But on tax reform, lawsuit reform, education choice, and energy competition, too often the pace of change has fallen short of the urgency people feel in their daily lives.

I know meaningful reform is difficult. Legislators who champion it face entrenched interests, competing priorities, and the hard work of assembling the votes. We are grateful for those willing to take on those challenges. Their work has already created opportunities that South Carolinians deserve to hear more about.

How many people know that the legislature’s repeal of many Certificate of Need requirements is helping expand healthcare access, with new facilities opening and more underway? Our recent article highlights that progress across South Carolina.

How many know that lawmakers passed regulatory reforms designed to reduce unnecessary burdens on businesses, freeing resources that can support hiring, investment, and more competitive prices?

How many know that the Education Scholarship Trust Fund now provides 15,000 scholarships, giving families the opportunity to find an educational environment where their children can thrive?

And how many connect the state’s income tax cuts with the opportunity to keep more of what they earn?

Most people are busy raising families, working, and serving their communities. They do not follow Statehouse debates closely, and we cannot assume they will connect a new healthcare facility, an educational opportunity, or tax savings with the policy decisions that helped make them possible.

Additionally, South Carolina is one of the country’s leading destinations for new residents, including young adults. We need to help these newcomers connect the opportunities that attracted them here with the free-market policies that help create and sustain them.

Election season brings a barrage of texts and mailers. But explaining the results of good policy requires a conversation that continues throughout the year. At the end of the day, South Carolinians just want to know their legislator cares about them and is working to make their lives better. We need to tell the stories of the people whose lives are improving and explain why those changes matter. We need to give them a reason to get to the polls on election day.

That responsibility belongs to all of us who believe in these principles, including Palmetto Promise.

My hope for the next legislative session is that lawmakers will approach reform with renewed conviction and greater ambition and take the time to communicate the results of their hard work to the people they serve. There is more to do to lower barriers, expand opportunity, and make South Carolina a place where families and businesses can flourish.

At Palmetto Promise, we will keep bringing lawmakers practical solutions, supporting those willing to lead, and helping South Carolinians understand how greater freedom improves their lives.

Thank you for standing with us as we build on the progress already made and press for what comes next.