COLUMBIA, S.C. — The race for South Carolina lieutenant governor rarely gets the spotlight, but the candidates on the Nov. 3 ballot are offering very different ideas about what the No. 2 job should actually do.
Republican state Sen. Mike Reichenbach is the running mate of Alan Wilson. Democrat Sam Skardon is paired with Jermaine Johnson, and Green Party nominee Arnold Karr runs with Walid Hakim. Candace Brewer, the United Citizens Party pick alongside Michael Addison, did not answer the same set of 10 issue questions the others completed this week.
Reichenbach argues the office should carry real duties with results that can be measured. His signature idea, called the Families First Audit Initiative, would use performance audits and data tools to hunt for wasteful spending across state agencies, school districts and city and county governments. He also wants more apprenticeships and job training, points to a Florence workforce program he started in 2019, and backs the Wilson plan to phase out the state income tax.
Skardon says Johnson has asked him to take the lead on economic issues such as small business help and access to capital, drawing on his background running community loan funds. Public schools are his personal focus: he wants children starting school earlier, a longer school year and smaller classes.
Karr puts criminal justice first. He wants to abolish the death penalty, end solitary confinement as punishment, do away with life sentences that rule out parole and let people in prison vote. On jobs, he leans toward workers, backing the right to organize and bargain and support for worker-owned businesses.
The lieutenant governor runs on a joint ticket with the governor, so the choice comes down to the pairing voters pick. Election Day polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and voters need a valid photo ID.
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