David Pascoe: Why S.C. Republicans are Trying to Rig Their Own Primary

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by DAVID PASCOE

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When I left the Democratic Party, I believed I was leaving behind a system that rigged elections, protected insiders, and punished anyone who threatened the power structure. I watched it happen firsthand in Charleston County when Democratic Party leaders manipulated the sheriff’s race by kicking a more qualified candidate off the ballot to protect a disastrous incumbent. It was a raw abuse of power. Fortunately, it backfired. Voters saw through it and a Republican won.

That episode was one of the clearest reasons I cited when I became a Republican. I believed the Republican Party stood for open debate, accountability, and trusting voters to decide who should lead.

What I’m watching now forces me to believe that the problem isn’t Democrats versus Republicans. The problem is insiders versus the people.

Two bills are being debated in the General Assembly regarding primary elections. One closes primaries outright. The other, H. 3643, goes much further. It doesn’t just regulate how primaries operate. It tells voters who is allowed to run for office and who is not unless party insiders grant permission.

That is not election integrity. That is political control.

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Let me be clear because there has been some confusion on social media. This bill has existed for years with little movement or chance of becoming law. The real question is why it’s being pushed so aggressively right now.

Why the urgency? Why the pressure campaign? Why the threats? Why the scorched-earth tactics?

That answer is simple. It’s because of me.

For years, this bill sat quietly. No panic. No crisis. No public campaign. No threats of lawsuits. Then I entered this race and SCGOP Chairman Drew McKissick lost his damn mind. Grassroots Republicans rallied around our message. Momentum built.

And suddenly, the bill became an emergency. That tells you everything you need to know.

We saw this fear on full display last month in Beaufort County. Right before Christmas, party insiders rushed through a resolution attempting to ban me from Republican events altogether. It was a blatant attempt to silence a candidate rather than debate him.

What happened next should give every Republican hope.

Grassroots Patriots in Beaufort stood up. They called it exactly what it was: a desperate move to protect a liberal RINO establishment. Despite objections from local GOP leadership, Patriots invited me to forums anyway and made it clear that no executive committee gets to decide who voters are allowed to hear from.

That moment mattered. Because it proved this isn’t about rules. It’s about fear of open debate.

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RELATED | SCGOP RIGGED VOTE?

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I was recruited by the Dorchester County Republican Party to change parties. When I did, I expected professionalism. I expected leadership. I expected at least a phone call from Drew welcoming me to the party.

I got silence. No statement. No call. No courtesy.

That childishness matters because it reveals motive. This isn’t about protecting the party. It’s about protecting control.

I’ve seen this movie before. As a Democrat Solicitor, I watched national Democrats try to force me to abandon my positions on life, justice, and the death penalty. I refused. My values mattered more than party approval. That refusal is one of the reasons I ultimately left.

Now I’m watching Republican insiders attempt the same thing through legislation. McKissick is now spending Party funds sending negative text messages into the districts of sitting Republican legislators. He is threatening to sue a Republican-controlled General Assembly. He is attacking members of his own party for refusing to kneel.

That is not his job. His job is to elect Republicans. His job is to grow the party. His job is to persuade Democrats to become Republicans. His job is to build coalitions and win elections.

His job is not to threaten Republicans. This is a complete dereliction of duty driven by fear and personal resentment.

Under the logic behind H. 3643, Drew McKissick would get to decide who is “Republican enough” to run for office. By that standard, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wouldn’t be allowed to run. Tulsi Gabbard wouldn’t be allowed to run. Donald Trump himself likely wouldn’t have been allowed to run.

Trump was a Democrat. He donated to Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris. He didn’t ask party insiders for permission. He didn’t beg for waivers. He took his case directly to the voters.

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Apparently, Drew McKissick doesn’t think that should be allowed anymore. Maybe that mindset explains why Donald Trump kicked Drew’s ass out of Washington.

I left a party that rigged elections to protect insiders. I will not quietly accept the same tactics wearing a different jersey.

South Carolinians should ask themselves a simple question. If this bill is about principle, why is it only being weaponized now? If it’s about integrity, why does it require permission slips? If it’s about trust, why are insiders so desperate to keep voters from deciding?

The truth is they know what’s coming. They know I will turn this system upside down. They know I will expose corruption no matter the party. They know I do not owe anyone favors. They know I loathe insider politics in both parties.  They know the toleration of their corrupt ways is over ends when I am Attorney General.

They also know something else. The Patriots of the Republican Party now outnumber them. The voters can’t be controlled.

The Republican Party does not belong to Drew McKissick. It does not belong to an executive committee. It belongs to you.

This fight isn’t about me. It’s about whether South Carolina Republicans still believe in free speech, open competition, and trusting voters.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

David Pascoe is solicitor for South Carolina’s first judicial circuit, which includes Calhoun, Dorchester and Orangeburg counties. He is a Republican candidate for attorney general of the Palmetto State.

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