Unsolicited ‘Dick Pic’: SC Young Republican Leader Resigns Amid Scandal

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South Carolina Young Republican (SCYR) chairman Joe Bowers resigned from his leadership position with the party after being accused of publicly displaying an unsolicited “dick pic.” In a letter sent to national Young Republican chairman Hayden Padgett, a Palmetto State GOP official named Christen Norman accused Bowers of showing her a nude photograph of himself at a public event – despite her stating beforehand that she did not wish to see the racy image.

In the letter, Norman alleged Bowers showed her a “naked chest-to-thigh photo” in public while the pair were campaigning for Republican candidates in Arizona in October 2024.

“While recounting a bad date experience he’d had, Bowers began bragging about the size of his penis,” Norman wrote, before alleging Bowers “glanced down at his phone and stated he had a ‘dick pic’ he wanted to share.”

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Norman insists she told Bowers “no thanks” – but that “he ignored my refusal and showed me a picture of his penis.”

According to Norman, the image was displayed in such a way as to be visible to other members of the public in who happened to be standing nearby.

While Bowers denied the allegations in a conversation with FITSNews, shortly thereafter he told reporter Nick Reynolds of The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier that he intended to resign his position and would later be releasing a statement.

The Post and Courier previously reported on comments made by Bowers during his time as a Charleston County District One constituent commissioner which drew ire after he suggested on Facebook there might be “more to this than meets the eye” to an alleged sexual assault of a sixteen-year-old student resulted in the arrest of a Goose Creek principal.

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Bowers’ resignation comes amid accusations of financial mismanagement and organizational disfunction within the SCYR that had rankled some members of the organization. Charleston County Young Republican chairman Garrett Lacy tendered his resignation earlier this week, citing organizational dysfunction.

Norman’s letter claims Bowers attempted to blackmail Lacy, demanding he vote for the removal of two other SCYR members, or face the publication of an embarrassing photo.

Prior to Bowers’ announcement at least one witness named by Norman came to Bowers’ defense. Arizona Young Republican official Katie Ward didn’t dispute that Bowers displayed his genitals on his cell phone in public, but characterized the interaction as “a discussion between two consenting adults.”

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FITSNews spoke with numerous SCYR officials under the condition of anonymity. Two individuals familiar with the matter told this news outlet that Bowers was recorded in an executive meeting admitting that he had, in fact, displayed the image. SCYR leadership allegedly declined to remove Bowers from his position despite his admission.

SCGOP Chairman Drew McKissick called the SCYR “an outstanding organization” in a statement delivered to multiple media outlets, noting “its leadership at every level should reflect the values of our Party.”

“The reported behavior falls far short of that standard and current leadership should step aside so that the group can get back to the business of growing our party,” McKissick said.

McKissick’s call for Bowers’ resignation comes after an election cycle that saw organizations like Charlie Kirk‘s Turning Point USA supplant the GOP’s own young voter organizations in on-the-groud roles typically handled by ground-game experts within the Republican party.

FITSNews’ numerous attempts to reach Bowers following his announcement of his intent to resign have gone unanswered to this point. Should he release a statement to this news outlet we will append it to this coverage, and intend to continue our coverage of all of the Palmetto State’s GOP internecine warfare.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

(Via: Travis Bell)

Dylan Nolan is the director of special projects at FITSNews. He graduated from the Darla Moore school of business in 2021 with an accounting degree. Got a tip or story idea for Dylan? Email him here. You can also engage him socially @DNolan2000.

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