Dear Conservatives,

I cannot thank you enough for your support in Tuesday’s Republican Primary. To win outright with no runoff is a true honor.

With all the nastiness happening in South Carolina politics, I’m thrilled that this race never went negative. I want to thank Vance Stine and Brett Boyd for running such honorable and issue driven campaigns.

Folks, this election was a call for new leadership.  Across the state, Republicans turned out higher than they have since 1994. We saw House leaders go down, incumbent statewide officers lose and a political newcomer skyrocket to national attention.  These are all signs that people are fed up with the way government has been running our nation and our state into the ground.

I’ve learned over the years, people don’t mind paying for a good product. They’ll pay for a good meal or for tickets to a good game. In government, they’ll pay for good schools, safe neighborhoods and strong roads. What people get angry about is the wasteful spending, extreme social programs and large growth of government on the backs of their hard work. It’s not right and it must stop now.

As your Solicitor, I understood that we had to keep your family safe by using every single tax dollar efficiently and with the strongest accountability possible. That’s the same mindset I’ll take to Columbia. I’ll work hard for comprehensive tax reform, spending caps and the on-the-record voting that will stop Columbia from passing pork filled projects.

I hope I can count on your support as we look toward victory in November.

Sincerely,

Tommy Pope