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by MARK POWELL
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To Lowcountry, South Carolina attorney Duke Buckner, the greatest challenging facing the United States can be summed up in one word: socialism. And he says he’s seeking the GOP Senate nomination to try and stop it.
“I’m running for U.S. Senate to warn the American people and the great people of South Carolina about the impending socialist revolution – and to stop the socialist revolution,” Buckner said. “I’m running to make sure everyone understands that there are two revolutions that have to happen before you get to communism. The first is the democratic revolution. That’s when the people rise up against the monarchy, oligarchy, or feudal system. We had that in 1776. The next revolution that has to happen before you get to communism is the socialist revolution. And that’s when the government or the state takes over private property, private enterprise and the means of production.”
The 53-year-old Republican is a Walterboro, S.C. native. He practices law there today. Buckner and his wife have three grown children and are now empty nesters. In an arena where many candidates are often lawyers, he brings an extensive background of job experience over the years.
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“I’ve been practicing law in my own practice – in August it will be 14 years – where I negotiate and advocate for my clients as a lawyer,” Buckner said. “Before that, I was in the newspaper business, and I know what it means to make sure you get both sides of a story before you make a decision or form an opinion. Before that, I was a school teacher. I taught public school, seventh- and eighth-grade English and 11th-grade American literature in high school. So, I believe I have life experience that makes me the best candidate for this position.”
Buckner is passionate about the growing popularity of Democratic Socialism on the left, and he misses no opportunity to sound the alarm about it.
“These are the folks who believe that the socialist revolution can come about through the democratic process or through the ballot box,” he said. “There are those people who believe that the Socialist Revolution can only come about through violence. And we see both of those happening.”
Buckner cited New York mayor Zohran Mamdani, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders and New York congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez as examples of Democratic Socialists.
“And then you look in our communities, you see violent clashes with police officers and ICE officers and protests and all these things to break down America from within, causing people to be divided, fighting against one another,” he said. “Black against white, male against female. We have to come together as a people, begin loving each other, taking care of each other, being a good neighbor.”
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If Buckner’s name sounds familiar, it’s likely because of his previous runs for office.
“I ran for the U.S. Senate in 2020, and I was the Republican nominee in 2022 and 2024 in the Sixth Congressional District,” he said.
In fact, his modest 37.85% and 36.72% of the vote, respectively, against longtime incumbent James Clyburn in those two elections, remain the best-ever Republican showing in that district. That means Buckner is no stranger to going up against formidable opponents.
So, what’s different about this race?
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“What’s different is the Democratic Socialists,” he said. “There can be no socialist revolution without the government takeover of agriculture. And that drum is beating louder and louder because of the affordability issues that we have going on in America right now. With housing, food, gas, groceries, many people feel like they are struggling. And so that socialist message of free food, free rent, free housing, free education, free healthcare is very, very attractive.”
Until voters hear the catch…
“At the end of that, history tells us that millions of people die, innocent people die, either through starvation or just flat out being killed because they don’t comply with the government control of their life,” he said.
Early polls show Buckner barely registering as a blip on the radar of a race filled with high-profile names like
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
J. Mark Powell is an award-winning former TV journalist, government communications veteran, and a political consultant. He is also an author and an avid Civil War enthusiast. Got a tip or a story idea for Mark? Email him at mark@fitsnews.com.
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