• Businessman Rom Reddy has joined the Republican primary race for South Carolina governor.
• Reddy positions himself as a political outsider, contrasting with what he calls the “ruling class.”
• His campaign priorities include eliminating the state income tax and increasing the governor’s executive authority.
• Reddy is self-funding his campaign and will not accept donations or seek endorsements.

Editor’s note: The Greenville News invited all current gubernatorial candidates to a sit-down interview on their campaigns and plans for the governor’s office.

Rom Reddy, founder of DOGE SC, became the latest Republican to join the governor’s race on March 16.

He said what sets him a part from other candidates is that he is not a part of the “ruling class,” a term he uses to describe political figures who have held power for many years. His competitors in the Republican primary race are U.S. Reps. Ralph Norman, District 5, and Nancy Mace, District 1, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, and State Sen. Josh Kimbrell, Spartanburg.

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Reddy recently sat down with The Greenville News for a conversation on why he thinks he is the right candidate for office.

Who is Rom Reddy?

Rom Reddy is an Isle of Palms businessman who became a political figure in South Carolina after launching DOGE SC, a political action committee modeled after the federal government’s Department of Government Efficiency.

In his early career, Reddy worked for Exxon Chemical after graduating from the Wharton Business School. According to the candidate, he held several different positions within the company before becoming the general manager of a joint Exxon and Dow Chemical venture.

He said he ended up buying the Exxon facility in Summerville, South Carolina with a business partner — launching his start as an entrepreneur.

“After that I built businesses, sold businesses (and) started businesses,” Reddy said, noting that the companies he has built or restructured focus on manufacturing, artificial turf and packaging.

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Reddy’s career shifted to politics when he launched DOGE SC in 2025. According to Reddy, DOGE SC was in part born out of a property rights issue over the construction of a seawall on his Isle of Palms beachfront home. Reddy is involved in an ongoing legal dispute about the legality of a seawall he built on his property.

“It just kind of evolved from there,” Reddy said. “It just caught fire and kept growing and growing and growing.”

Making the decision to run for governor

Reddy said he was not planning on running for the governor’s office, but he felt compelled to enter the race after not seeing a candidate emerge that supported the DOGE SC agenda. According to DOGE SC’s website, the organization’s goal is to advance causes like eliminating the state’s income tax, reduce the number of state agencies, and remove the legislature’s ability to elect judges.

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“The last thing I want to do was be in political office,” Reddy said.

The Lowcountry businessman decided to enter the race on March 16, the start of the candidate filing period in South Carolina. He describes his opponents as part of a “ruling class” that has been in power for a long time, saying that he offers something “different” to South Carolinians.

Across South Carolina, land that has been passed down for generations may be at risk and many families don’t even realize it.

The issue centers around what’s known as heirs’ property, a legal situation in which land remains in the name of a deceased relative, sometimes for decades. Without proper documentation or a clear transfer of ownership, these properties can become vulnerable to legal and financial complications.

Because there is often no updated public record identifying current owners, the longer a property remains in this state, the more difficult it becomes to manage or protect.

“There’s no public record about who inherits,” Walden explained. “And the longer that goes, the more problematic it can become,” said attorney Josh Walden with the Center for Heirs’ Property.

While there are no exact figures on how many heirs’ properties exist across the state, experts say the impact is significant — particularly when it comes to maintaining generational wealth.

“The majority of everyone’s wealth is made up primarily of land they own,” Walden said.

Without clear ownership, families can lose that wealth — sometimes unexpectedly. In some cases, developers can purchase a share of the property from a single heir and then petition the court to force a sale of the entire parcel.

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“They can say we can’t come to an agreement, so I’m requesting the court sell the property,” Walden said.

That process can result in land that has been in families for generations being sold off, with proceeds divided among multiple heirs rather than preserving the property itself. The problem is especially pronounced in rural communities, where land ownership has historically been a key source of financial stability. However, experts emphasize that heirs’ property is not limited to one region.

“It’s a problem that’s across the state — and across the country,” Walden said.

In rapidly growing areas, particularly areas like Georgetown and Pawley’s Island, rising property values and increasing taxes are adding pressure on families to sell.

To address part of the issue, South Carolina previously adopted the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act. The law is designed to make forced sales more equitable by requiring properties to be sold at fair market value and giving families the opportunity to buy out outside investors.

Still, advocates say prevention is the most effective solution.

“The primary avenue is preventative legal services that are trusted and affordable,” Walden said.

That includes creating wills, maintaining accurate family records, and ensuring property ownership is clearly documented before complications arise. Organizations like the Center for Heirs’ Property are working to help families navigate these challenges by offering legal assistance and resources statewide.

Meanwhile, lawmakers are considering new legislation aimed at helping families reclaim property lost through tax sales. The proposed bill would prevent counties from reassessing property values when heirs clear or consolidate titles — a move supporters say could reduce financial barriers to keeping land in the family.