A Lowcountry 7th

The S.C. House and the Senate are fighting over where a new proposed Congressional seat should be located. The House version anchors the new 7^th Congressional seat South Carolina is picking up due to population growth in the Pee Dee and Grand Strand areas. While the Senate version anchors it in the high-growth Berkeley, Dorchester and Beaufort counties.

For Dorchester residents, there is only one plan worth supporting: the Senate version. It’s the only plan that keeps Dorchester County in one Congressional district. Both plans split the Charleston Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), so Dorchester needs to look out for ourselves. For too long we’ve been the red-headed step-child of the Charleston region(I should know being an actual redheaded step-child). We have an opportunity to step out on our own and instead of being an after-thought of a Congressional district – we have a chance to be one of the anchors, giving us more power and influence.

The problem with the House version, which creates the Pee Dee and Grand Strand as the 7^th Congressional district, is it splits Dorchester County between the 1^st and 6^th Congressional districts and even puts Legend Oaks in the 6^th Congressional district – siphoning off some of the Greater Summerville area. The argument Sen. Glenn McConnell and Sen. Chip Campsen make that the House plan doesn’t divide the Charleston metro area doesn’t hold water as parts of North Charleston, Daniel Island and Legend Oaks are considered in the Charleston MSA, but would all be in the 6^th Congressional District.

Our Dorchester elected officials are working hard on removing the barriers between the upper and lower county. We’re finally working together for infrastructure – water, sewer, transportation, parks and recreation – and on economic development and job creation. Uniting the county in one Congressional district will strengthen these efforts and make us more cohesive as a county.

Opponents of more influence for the Lowcountry are trying to cite that a Lowcountry 7^th wouldn’t be a Republican seat – that logic is wrong based on the facts. John McCain beat Barack Obama with 51% of the vote in the proposed district in 2008 in the largest turnout of African-American voters in history. Nikki Haley garnered 53% -- outperforming her statewide percentage – over Vincent Sheehen in the proposed district. This district is a lean Republican district and strong conservative Republicans can win the district. And who knows maybe it’s one of our Dorchester Republicans.

The Lowcountry’s 7^th will also only get more Republican. The two fastest growing areas of the state have been Dorchester and Beaufort counties – as they grow, history shows the district will become more Republican. A Lowcountry 7^th is good for Dorchester County residents first and foremost – and it’s also proven to be a Republican victory.

There are two competing plans for the new Congressional lines being drawn by the S.C. General Assembly. One plan – the Senate plan – unites Dorchester County into one single Congressional district – the new 7^th Congressional District. The other plan takes the more urban area of the county – most of the Greater Summerville area – and puts it in the 1^st Congressional District, while the more rural portion, or Upper County, into the 6^th Congressional District.

The better plan for Dorchester County is the 7^th Congressional District.

-  It is a lean Republican seat and a conservative Republican will win the seat in 2012 and the seat only gets more Republican every year with growth in Dorchester, Berkeley and Beaufort counties.

-  John McCain won the district with 51% of the vote in a year African-Americans turned out in record numbers

-  Nikki Haley won the district with more than 53% of the vote outperforming her vote percentage in the rest of the state.

Please join me in contacting our local legislators and asking them to support the Lowcountry 7^th Congressional District.