Read our full Q&As with SC Senate District 10 candidates Billy Garrett, Francie Kleckley

McClatchy’s South Carolina opinion team interviewed both candidates in the Nov. 5 state Senate District 10 election between Republican Sen. Billy Garrett and Democratic challenger Francie Kleckley. Our full Q&As are below.

The candidates are running for a four-year term to represent Greenwood County and parts of Saluda and Lexington counties. Both were emailed six questions and given 250 words for each answer as part of our endorsement process. We are publishing interviews edited for accuracy, clarity and style before we publish our endorsement so readers can assess the candidates on their own. Expect all of our endorsements the week of Oct. 20.

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Incumbent state Sen. Billy Garrett

Q: What are your top three priorities and why?

A: I believe that we have been blessed to live in the greatest state in America. The beauty that surrounds us is unrivaled, but most of all, our people are what define South Carolina most. But we’re not without our challenges, and we must recognize that.

While there is no shortage of ways we can improve the daily lives of our people, the three I hear most about are public safety, roads and infrastructure, and our tax system.

If our communities and our schools are not safe, then we have no society at all. During my term in the Senate, I have sponsored legislation to help make our state safer by cracking down on deadly fentanyl, creating an illegal immigration task force with South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), passing bond reform, and increasing funding for law enforcement.

Infrastructure is more than just filling potholes or resurfacing roads. Traffic congestion in the fast-growing areas of our state is a real problem that leads to long commutes and more traffic accidents. Long-term planning of road and infrastructure projects to handle the growth is vital.

In the past few years, we’ve made great strides giving money back to the taxpayers and cutting taxes, but more must be done specific to comprehensive tax reform.

Year-over-year large surpluses are no way to budget for the state. We can and should finally address holistic tax reform to help our people and our businesses.

Q: What two immediate changes would you try to make to state spending?

A: My constituents feel the pains of inflation and failed economic policies of Washington, D.C., every day. At the gas pump, in the grocery store, shopping online, at the banks and in the pocketbooks, everything costs more these days.

It’s times like these that the state, South Carolina, can do more to lessen the financial burdens that hardworking families and individuals are going through.

The first thing we can do to address spending and weather difficult financial times is ensure that our own financial house is in order. We did that as a Legislature by increasing the state’s “rainy-day savings fund.” As a father and businessman, I know that if fiscal responsibility and saving is good for my family, and good for my business, it’s good for South Carolina, too.

I will do everything possible to help cut spending, raise savings, support families, and stimulate economic growth.

But specifically, one of the things that I’ve helped champion is transparency in spending, particularly with earmark reform. The Senate took significant steps to shine some sunshine on the earmark process, which I think is a good thing. There is nothing inherently wrong with fighting for funding for your district, but when that comes by backroom deals and hidden rolled-up line items, that is wrong.

We have made great strides to improve spending transparency, and there’s more still to be done.

Q: How would you assess and meet the state’s future energy needs?

A: Energy security is our national and state security. There’s a rising concern about South Carolina’s energy grid and its sustainability. This is something we shouldn’t take lightly. We need to remain vigilant about long-term energy capacity. It literally impacts everything we do in our modern world from health care to education, entertainment to food storage, and everything in between.

Over the years, the Legislature has opened the door for new alternative energy markets and solutions — this is a good thing — but we also need to remember not to throw traditional energy creation out along with it. Our energy policy should be robust, reliable and diverse. As we approach energy policy into the future, that should remain in focus.

We also need to have many stakeholders at the table to put our heads together and come up with sound policies. Taxpayers, ratepayers, energy companies, producers, manufacturers, business and industry, and associations should all have their voice heard in the area of the future of energy policy.

The issue of sustainable energy should not be a partisan one. While it has been corrupted, primarily by national pundits, I believe that we can collaborate and come together on this all too important issue.

Q: How would you address population growth and housing supply and demand?

A: According to the latest U.S. Census data, South Carolina was the fastest-growing state in the nation. Think about how incredible that is. But it makes sense. Who wouldn’t want to come here? We live in one of the greatest places in the world.

However, increased migration and development, without long-term planning on management, leads to out of control growth and will put immense stresses on road conditions, traffic congestion, schools and development.

It starts with long-term planning. We must recognize that this challenge is not going anywhere soon, and we must not only address the issues of today, but also how this will impact South Carolina for the decades to come.

Our state’s geographic diversity is another area that makes us special. We have areas of our state that are population centers, some whose economy is focused on tourism, some manufacturing, and some technology, but we have rural areas of our state in which agribusiness leads the industry.

I believe that while the state certainly has a role in addressing growth and housing supply, we ought to listen to our local leaders and community. While regions of our state welcome new development and growth, we have other areas that have felt overwhelmed by development, and the infrastructure has suffered as a result.

Smart planning, long-term solutions, listen to the localities is the right approach.

Q: What more should the state do to improve public education?

A: We do have an obligation that every child in South Carolina be given the opportunity to receive a high-quality education.

As a grandfather of two boys currently in Lexington County public schools, education remains a top priority for me. I have been pleased that as a state senator, I have been able to help secure hundreds of millions of dollars in new funding for schools in Senate District 10. Additionally, I voted to increase starting teacher pay to record levels, and sponsored legislation to give parents a voice more than ever. All these things play a role in ensuring that high-quality education for the next generation.

But our workforce also depends on it. We, of course, want to ensure that the next generation is well educated so they can be the best and brightest of our citizenry, but our children are also the next generation of leaders and workers. South Carolina has a robust partnership between the high schools and regional technical colleges. This is an incredibly important relationship that we don’t talk about nearly enough. From K-12 through technical colleges and other higher education, our job creators rely on these partnerships for their workforce. We should continue expanding these opportunities for students.

Q: Why should voters choose you over your opponent in this election?

A: My campaign for re-election to the state Senate is not a campaign against anything or anyone, it’s a campaign for something — to help end “business as usual,” and make conservative change for South Carolina. Our mission is the same today as it was four years ago, and during the primary.

I have a record to point to that shows how I will lead, which includes making our state safer by cracking down on dangerous drugs, defending and funding law enforcement, protecting Second Amendment rights, focusing on children and teachers in the classroom and the voices of parents, and working toward finding long-term solutions to our infrastructure challenges.

My record is one of delivering more than $540 million in critically needed projects for our communities — for local schools, technical and trade colleges, health-care facilities, urgent care centers, high speed broadband internet expansion, protection of our waterways and lakes, and new funds for law enforcement and first responders — which are at record levels, all while sending back $1 billion to our state’s taxpayers.

This record has earned me the complete and total endorsement of Gov. Henry McMaster, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, Attorney General Alan Wilson, Congressman Joe Wilson and sheriffs, legislators, solicitors and community leaders in Greenwood, Saluda and Lexington counties.

My door is always open to those who agree with my positions and those who see things differently than I do because I’ve committed that I will remain accessible and accountable to the constituency of Senate District 10.

Francie Kleckley

Q: What are your top three priorities and why?

A: My first priority is the economy. I believe we need to make life more affordable for working families in Greenwood, Lexington and Saluda Counties. In Columbia, I’ll fight to curb everyday costs and out-of-control prices and to create good-paying jobs with good benefits. I’ll also invest in our small businesses and go after big corporations responsible for price-gouging amid inflation. I’ll do everything I can to prepare Senate District 10 for long-term economic success.

My second priority is health care, including reproductive freedom. I believe it shouldn’t be so expensive to care for yourself and your loved ones. That’s why I’ll make it my mission to finally expand Medicaid across South Carolina. I’ll also work to bring down copays and insurance premiums, and I’ll fight like hell to defend reproductive health care, including contraception and fertility treatments. Politicians have no place in our bedrooms or doctor’s offices, and you have the right to grow your family with the help of in vitro fertilization (IVF).

My third priority is community safety. I believe no one should feel afraid in their own neighborhood. I’m a proud gun owner who respects the Second Amendment and your constitutional right to bear arms. But I believe in sensible safety measures to keep guns off the streets and out of criminals’ hands. I’ll fight to end the fentanyl crisis that has worsened drug-related crime, and I’ll vote for a hate crimes bill here in South Carolina — one of only two states without such a law.

Q: What two immediate changes would you try to make to state spending?

A: I largely support the roughly $14.5 billion spending package that the General Assembly approved in June, which cuts income taxes, raises teachers’ salaries and allocates more money to mend our failing infrastructure.

However, I take great issue with the way the state is implementing its fixes. For example, the gas tax — which went into effect in 2017 — has resulted in consumers paying 28 cents more per gallon at the pump. But instead of reinvesting these taxpayer dollars back into South Carolina’s economy, the state has been hoarding them in its own coffers. I believe that’s wrong, and I’ll fight to ensure our crumbling roads, highways and bridges receive the funding they’re due.

Furthermore, this spending package still includes too many divisive culture war provisions that do nothing to help working families. I was a career civil servant in the U.S. Treasury Department, so take it from me: Petty politics have no place in our state’s official budget document.

Still, extreme politicians in the state Senate — including my opponent, Sen. Billy Garrett — backed one-year special items that deal with our children’s school bathrooms, their use of cellphones during class time, and even their sleeping arrangements on overnight field trips.

I raised my two children as a single, working mom in Lexington County, so I know a few things about kids and schools. These types of decisions shouldn’t be left to lawmakers in Columbia; they belong to parents and teachers on the ground in our communities.

Q: How would you assess and meet the state’s future energy needs?

A: South Carolina consumes more than double the amount of energy it produces, with our expanding industrial sector accounting for nearly a third of that consumption. Although we produce substantial amounts of nuclear power, our plants and electric grid remain vulnerable to extreme weather events caused by climate change. Meanwhile, rapid population growth will further strain our energy resources, as the state’s number of residents is expected to soar to almost 6.4 million by 2042.

All this means we urgently need a comprehensive, 10-year plan to meet expanding energy demand here in South Carolina. As part of that strategy, we must broaden and diversify our state’s energy portfolio, prioritizing reliable energy streams for our state’s manufacturers, working families and data farms. We must strengthen our energy infrastructure, boosting its resilience against hurricanes and flooding. And we must institute oversight mechanisms to hold big utilities accountable — empowering more, not fewer, watchdogs, to ensure ratepayers aren’t footing the bill for big corporations’ power bills. Specifically, for my Lake Murray constituents, we can’t let Dominion Energy prioritize profits over proper lake management.

Q: How would you address population growth and housing supply and demand?

A: Last year, South Carolina ranked as the fastest-growing state in the nation, and it remains one of America’s hottest housing markets. As another million people are expected to move here over the next couple decades, state lawmakers must prioritize affordable housing solutions that ensure the supply of homes in South Carolina meets residents’ demand.

So far, the General Assembly has failed to address our state’s affordable housing shortage — and to make the American Dream of homeownership achievable for South Carolina’s working families. Like other states, we have experienced increasing housing prices and decreasing housing sales. Underbuilding has resulted in a lack of housing supply for would-be homeowners. And the housing market is still recovering from the effects of inflation and rising interest rates.

There are signs of hope: Inflation is cooling. Mortgage rates, which hit a record high in 2023, are going down. And home sales are decreasing at a slower pace. State lawmakers must seize this moment by subsidizing the building of new housing units, expanding rental assistance and embracing zoning reform in South Carolina.

Another proposal put forth in the Statehouse last year would allow community churches to build tax-free affordable homes in counties across South Carolina. According to this legislation, churches would then be required to create a for-profit subsidiary and maintain at least 10% ownership of the development — in turn providing taxable income that would return to the state. Legislators must continue to explore creative solutions to our housing crisis.

Q: What more should the state do to improve public education?

A: When it comes to your hard-earned taxpayer dollars, I’ll do everything in my power to ensure those public funds are not diverted away from public education toward private entities via charter or voucher programs. I was heartened by the state Supreme Court’s recent decision in this regard.

Next, we must take care of our teachers, who are the backbone of our public education system. And while the pay raises included in this year’s budget are certain to help attract and retain hardworking educators, we must do even more to support them going forward.

That’s why I’ll advocate for financial assistance and subsidies to empower teachers to obtain advanced degrees; financial incentives for talented teachers who choose to work in schools that remain difficult to staff; and expanded student loan forgiveness for educators.

Finally, I’ll fight to get politicians like Billy Garrett out of the classroom. Just last year, he and other extreme lawmakers voted for a dangerous school censorship bill that sought to ban certain “prohibited concepts” from being taught in public schools. I believe parents and teachers, not Billy Garrett, should decide which subjects our kids learn.

Q: Why should voters choose you over your opponent in this election?

A: Billy Garrett is dangerous, extreme and out of touch with Senate District 10. In Columbia, he has been a leading architect of anti-freedom policies that hurt women, girls and our LGBTQ+ community.

He fought to strip exceptions for rape and incest from our state’s abortion ban. He voted against a hate crimes bill in South Carolina. And he voted for the permitless carry gun law that makes police officers’ jobs harder.

That’s not all: Billy Garrett sits on the powerful Senate Medical Affairs Committee, but he hasn’t lifted a finger to help expand Medicaid or bring down health care costs. Instead, he spends all his time involving himself in women’s most sensitive medical decisions.

I also pledge to prioritize our small businesses. Time and again, Garrett has been hostile to the restaurants and taverns being shuttered as a result of the state’s liquor liability law. Tourism is our state’s biggest industry, and Garrett has refused his constituents’ pleas to bring down the skyrocketing insurance costs that have caused South Carolina’s venue crisis.

I’m running for state Senate because I’m uniquely qualified to help grow our economy and to defend the freedoms of our working families. As a former career civil servant in the U.S. Treasury Department, you can count on me to rein in spending and balance the books. And now, as a grandmother, I’m hell-bent on making sure my granddaughter grows up with all the basic rights she deserves.