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South Carolina’s Freedom Caucus is facing yet another well-funded special interest attack ahead of the upcoming 2026 election cycle – revealing (once again) the extent to which “Republican” leaders will go to eliminate the conservative wing of their own party.
The party purporting to stand for lower taxes and less government seems intent on ousting the handful of lawmakers who actually vote in accordance with those principles… even after their last attempt to do so failed miserably.
S.C. speaker Murrell Smith and his uni-party allies have concocted a new creation – the S.C. Growth and Freedom Alliance – and tasked it with targeting Freedom Caucus members ahead of the upcoming partisan primary cycle.
Will this front group be more successful than the last one?
It would be hard for it to fare worse, as the 2024 cycle saw every Freedom Caucus member who sought reelection win their seat – while also taking out a pair of “Republican” caucus leaders.
“Conservatives believe in slowing government growth, cutting taxes, and making government more efficient – and it’s completely expected that sometimes, conservatives will have differences of opinion in terms of the ‘hows’ to make that happen,” the group’s advisor, Joel Sawyer, told FITSNews. “That debate is good, healthy, and it’s what ultimately advances conservative reform. But let’s be clear – the South Carolina Freedom Caucus does not represent healthy, good faith debate. They represent performative buffoonery in furtherance of their own profiles. Their antics are counterproductive to moving our state in a more conservative, pro-growth direction, and it’s high time that they’re called out on it.”
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“The South Carolina Freedom Caucus is not a legitimate reform movement – it’s an online clout-chasing brand looking for attention any way they can get it,” Sawyer added.
Sawyer, ironically, was a key staffer to former S.C. governor Mark Sanford. So, in fairness to him, he knows a little something about losing his way.
Sawyer’s group has drawn a bead on the caucus for its flat-footed response to the scandal surrounding its former vice-chairman, R.J. May III – who has been suspended from the group owing to his proximity to an ongoing federal investigation into child sex abuse materials (or CSAM, a.k.a. “child porn”).
“When their founder’s home was raided, the Freedom Caucus went mute,” the group noted in a recent Facebook post.
May has yet to be indicted in connection with the federal probe, but sources familiar with its status say it’s only a matter of time before he faces criminal charges.
Caucus members were previously blasted over their proximity to May, but Sawyer’s new group is putting extensive production value behind the line of attack – including references to our media outlet’s exclusive reporting on May’s raid.
Caucus leaders didn’t seem at all concerned by the new threat – which has not impacted their ability to drive the narrative under the S.C. State House dome.
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RELATED | FREEDOM CAUCUS BLASTS ‘REPUBLICAN’ TAX BILL
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“As long as the special interests have their chosen pets in leadership – furthering their agenda in Columbia rather than the people’s agenda – groups like (insert leadership front group) will always exist,” caucus chairman Jordan Pace told us. “It doesn’t change anything about what the SCFC does. We’ve beaten them once and with the support of the grassroots, we will beat them again. It’s very on-brand for leadership to burn money in foolish attempt to silence conservatives.”
Caucus vice chairwoman April Cromer – who played a starring role during the recent debate over the state budget – told us Sawyer was “good at making claims and calling names” but added “that kind of language usually says more about the speaker than the folks they’re talking about – it’s called projection.”
“We proudly voted against the $1.3 billion woke giveaway to Scout Motors – a corporate welfare deal that lined the pockets of a foreign electric vehicle company pushing Biden’s green agenda, all while working South Carolinians foot the bill,” Cromer told FITSNews. “We were successful in stalling a non-tax cut bill that would’ve grown government without giving a single tax cut to our citizens because I believe families deserve relief, not more burden.”
Cromer said she and her caucus allies have also worked to “defund climate change slush funds, cut wasteful spending, and bring back zero based budgeting,” which she referred to as “the kind of accountability most Republicans say they want, but few actually fight for.”
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My people didn’t elect me to vote for crap budgets that increase wasteful spending of their tax dollars. House Republicans need to remember they switched from Democrats a few years back to get elected, and it’s about time they start voting like the Republicans they claim to be! pic.twitter.com/jAaDWoaxH3
— April Cromer (@AprilCromerSC) March 13, 2025
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“I’ve done what I said I would do: fight to shrink the size and scope of government and put the people (not the politicians) first,” Cromer said. “Meanwhile, we’ve got Democrats in leadership positions in the South Carolina House, and instead of pushing back together, too many Republicans are busy fighting conservatives who are actually doing the job. It’s a sad day when the biggest fight is inside our own party.”
According to Cromer, South Carolina would be in far better shape “if all the House members endorsed by President Trump had a voting record to match.”
“Until then, some of us will keep doing the work, whether it’s popular in the backrooms or not,” she said. “The truth is, the Freedom Caucus is doing what many in the Republican Party won’t; standing up to bureaucrats, lobbyists, and backroom deals.”
Cromer also challenged Sawyer’s group to arrange a public forum to discuss the issues.
“I’d be more than happy to discuss this out in the open face to face, issue by issue,” she said. “Let the people decide who’s fighting for them and who’s just playing politics.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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