Palmetto Political Stock Index: 3/25/2025

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Things have a strange habit of not going as expected in politics. When 2025 began, it was generally believed a string of top-tier and secondary candidates would announce their intentions to run for governor of South Carolina by this point (or at least signal their inevitable entries into the 2026 race).

All that changed once Nancy Mace unleashed jihad against fellow front-runner Alan Wilson last month. As a result, most other contenders are biding their time on the sidelines, waiting to see whether the Lowcountry Congresswoman’s preemptive strike severely cripples the four-term attorney general, or ends up turning into a self-destruct kamikaze dive.

The result: a great deal of “let’s wait and see” among the rest of the potential field. 

While a slew of announcements were anticipated in March, so far we have just one declaration… and that was the formation of an exploratory committee by a second-tier contender.

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In this period of uncertainty, staying abreast of the rising and falling fortunes of those in power – or those seeking it – is more important than ever. That’s why every Monday, we follow the trajectories of national politicos via the ‘FITSNews Political Stock Index.’ And every Tuesday, we publish the ‘Palmetto Political Stock Index’ – which assesses politicos from our home state of South Carolina, host of the quadrennial “First in the Nation” (for Democrats) and “First in the South” (for Republicans) presidential primaries.

Got a hot “stock tip” for either of these indices? Email Will Folks (here) and/or Mark Powell (here).

Where should you invest your Palmetto political capital this week? To the index…

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DOGE SC

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STOCK: RISING

There are two types of organizations in Palmetto political circles: those that “talk the talk” and those that “walk the walk.” In its few short weeks of existence, DOGE SC is rapidly establishing its bona fides as a member in good standing of the latter group.

Exhibit A: The group’s decision to throw down the gauntlet on lawsuit reform – making it abundantly clear any senator who votes against this critical competitive measure does so at their own political peril.

“Elected officials who fail to stand with the people on this issue should be prepared to face serious primary challenges in the next cycle—and many will not survive them,” its statement noted.

Public and private polling alike shows South Carolinians firmly support a DOGE approach to putting the Palmetto State’s fiscal house in order. While there was initial skepticism that DOGE SC may be a vanity project for Lowcountry businessman Rom Reddy, that is increasingly looking like it’s not the case.

Holding elected legislators’ feet to the fires of accountability is an excellent first step. If DOGE SC does nothing more than that, it’s already accomplished something worthwhile.            

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SC REPUBLICANS

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STOCK: FALLING

Speaking of accountability… If you’ve hung around the State House in Columbia, you know groups love issuing scorecards rating state legislators. And you also know those ratings are often based on votes cast on a handful of important issues.

But here’s the thing: when enough of the scorecards start showing similar results, you’d be wise to start paying attention. Patterns of political behavior have been repeatedly exposed and documented. And for so-called “Republicans” – who proudly boast of having supermajorities in both chambers – the news isn’t just bad, it’s downright disastrous.

The latest data point comes courtesy of the Club for Growth‘s foundation – which recently reviewed the performance of Palmetto State senators and representatives. The pro-free market organization released its evaluation earlier this month, and for some lawmakers the naked truth was as ugly as a baboon’s bottom. 

Just how bad are we talking? The average score for a GOP House member was 40%. It was even worse in the Senate, where Republicans averaged an anemic 34%.

And get this… two senators with Rs beside their names, Larry Grooms and Greg Hembree, scored even lower than that, tied with a mere 20% each.  

The only good news? The tide appears to be slowly turning. Anecdotal evidence suggests rank-and-file Republicans in South Carolina, who tend to be very conservative, are catching on to the fact that they’ve been snowed. For years. By the very people they elected.

Hell hath no fury like a primary voter scorned. Will these abysmal ratings prompt genuinely conservative challengers to emerge? Stay tuned. 

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EDWARD SIMMER

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STOCK: FALLING

Here’s a helpful rule of thumb: When you walk into a room and see folks displaying stickers showing your face crossed out, there’s trouble ahead.

That was the scene that greeted acting state health director Dr. Edward Simmer at his state Senate committee hearing last week. Set aside for a moment the fact that Simmer’s hairstyle pays homage to Moe Howard of The Three Stooges. (Sorry, we couldn’t resist). His approach to his position does pay homage to someone many South Carolinians view as a different — and more dangerous — type of stooge: former COVID czar Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Already facing stiff opposition, Simmer did himself no favors with his bellicosity. He immediately launched into a 14-page opening statement to the Medical Affairs Committee that was not only a thinly veiled pat on the back, but it ate up so much of the hearing’s allotted time there was little left over for Q&A. (You’ve gotta wonder if that was Simmer’s strategy all along.)

Critics say the state’s de facto health czar is all too willing to head down a Fauci-type path in the event of another medical emergency.  

Simmer pushed back by declaring, “these falsehoods and lies not only impact me — they are dangerous.”  

But he won few converts at the hearing. Senator Matt Leber (R-Johns Island) tweeted that the opening statement “was overly aggressive” and “unfortunate.” (Political translation: “You shot yourself in the foot, pal.”)

Governor Henry McMaster, who appointed Simmer to the job, is standing by his man, saying, “He’s not Dr. Fauci,” though he then conceded, “I think Dr. Fauci messed up.” 

Plenty of South Carolinians think McMaster messed up himself by selecting Simmer in the first place. While the governor isn’t included in this week’s stock index, digging in his heels on such an unpopular pick could hurt McMaster’s stock by proxy in the very near future.  
  

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CURTIS LOFTIS

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STOCK: RISING

This news outlet has extensively covered the “now you see it, now you don’t” mysterious $1.8 billion in (allegedly) missing state money. Money that, it’s now looking increasingly likely, was only the figment of an accounting error’s imagination.

We have reported on how an even larger accounting error two years ago forced former Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom from office – and created an opening for Republican Gov. Henry McMaster to appoint Brian Gaines as his replacement.

Sen. Larry Grooms has been front and center every step of the way during this farce. First, he was drooling at the prospect of getting his hands on all that “found money.” Then, when reality made the money mirage vanish, he sensed a political opening. The drama had already cost one elected official his job; why not nail two scalps to the wall?

For more than fourteen years, treasurer Curtis Loftis has promoted the very fiscally responsible values that Grooms gleefully ignores. So, Grooms taped a bullseye to Loftis’ back, painted him as the fall guy, and began making loud rumblings about impeachment.

Despite the long odds, Loftis held firm. He launched a counter-offensive and set about explaining the facts of the matter. (How the treasurer’s office merely cuts the state’s checks; it doesn’t balance its books), and even had the chutzpah to call the situation exactly what it has turned into: an ongoing witch hunt.

As a result, Loftis’ stock is rising – even as Grooms continues to go after him.

If Grooms wants to continue hanging around Columbia, he would be well advised to spend more time worrying about explaining his dismal legislative scores to the folks back home and less time scheming to override the will of voters via a legislative coup d’etat.

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