The system in Columbia does not just need new leadership like my opponents would have you believe. The system is not working the way it was intended — we must go break it to fix it.
Below are the problems crushing the people of South Carolina — and exactly how Mullins McLeod plans to fix them.
The people of South Carolina have no power because we have no voice. Mullins McLeod has been trained in the private sector for 25 years, representing people all over South Carolina and being their voice when they needed one the most. Mullins is running to give the people the voice they have long deserved but not yet had.
Career politicians in Columbia have spent decades doing the bidding of for-profit corporations instead of the people who elected them. Back-room deals divert tax dollars away from things that matter and into the pockets of insiders.
Elect servant leaders, not politicians. Clamp down hard on political corruption, end crony capitalism, and put the people back in charge of their own state. One way we have been sold out is they have operated under the cover of darkness. We need total transparency and we must shine light on their dark and corrupt ways.
Public service was never meant to be a lifetime career. Career politicians have selfish and prideful hearts. Their goal is to run off potentially good leaders by making the system toxic. The longer politicians stay in office, the more they answer to lobbyists and donors instead of the voters back home.
Term limits are the key to solving most of the problems in Columbia. Twelve years and you go home. Elected office is a chance to serve, not a permanent job.
Too much of what your government does happens behind closed doors. South Carolinians can't hold leaders accountable when they don't even know what's being decided in their name.
Create total transparency and hide nothing by removing the words “Executive Session” from the FOIA law. Then publish all contracts that involve taxpayer dollars and FILOT agreements. No more "hide the ball" politics in Columbia.
Columbia hands out sweetheart deals to favored corporations while South Carolina-based businesses get nothing. We negotiate from a position of weakness — and taxpayers foot the bill.
End crony capitalism. Recruit growth and jobs from a position of strength — on terms that work for South Carolina, not just out-of-state CEOs.
South Carolina's family court system is designed to promote an adversarial relationship within families — bankrupting people in custody fights, enriching insiders, and leaving children stuck in the middle as leverage. Combine that with a Department of Social Services that operates with little oversight and you have an entire branch of government that the people of South Carolina cannot hold accountable.
Reform our family courts so that fit, willing parents start from a presumption of equal time (50/50) with their children rather than a courtroom war that destroys families and runs up costs. Bring oversight to DSS so the agency is accountable to the people it serves.
State agencies rush to spend every last dollar of their budget at year-end so they don't lose it next year. Bigger isn't smarter — it's just more expensive for taxpayers.
Trim the fat. Return unspent budget money to the taxpayers it belongs to. A smaller, smarter government that protects vital programs and respects your paycheck. The Republican establishment has grown the size of government and the budget for 30 years. It is time to reverse that trend.
The people of South Carolina are taxed at a higher rate than any other southern state. Individual income tax in our state is six times the revenue of corporate income tax. The system is not built for us — it is built to serve the large for-profit corporations who donate to politicians.
We will publish all contracts that involve taxpayer money so we can understand how much money the taxpayers are already on the hook for. Then we will make a plan to reduce the individual income taxes as close to zero as possible.
The people of South Carolina get taxed every step of the way for owning a car, a boat, and putting gas in either one. In return, we were promised better roads that have not been delivered.
End boat taxes, work to end or reduce auto taxes, and either suspend the gas taxes or deliver to the people a very clear plan for how their gas taxes will actually lead to better roads. The plan should include clear milestones that allow for accountability in the DOT when they take our tax money.
The politicians passed the Energy Security Act last session, which included the Rate Stabilization Act. This Act gave power companies the legal right to raise our power rates to ensure their profitability. Now power companies are having to chase the A.I. buildout with data centers all over our state.
Shut down data centers to reduce demand and runaway infrastructure costs. End the power companies' ability to raise our rates based on their profitability.
Santee Cooper and Central Electric have committed crimes against South Carolina ratepayers — sticking working families with the bill for failed projects and broken promises.
Stop them. Terminate the contract between Santee Cooper and Central Electric that keeps smaller co-ops in handcuffs and force them to compete for the privilege to sell power in South Carolina. Repeal the cap on the money that can be returned to the General Fund each year from Santee Cooper to decrease our tax burden.
Payday lenders are a den of robbers. They prey on working South Carolinians with sky-high interest rates that trap families in cycles of debt they can never escape — and Columbia has let them do it.
Ban predatory payday lending in South Carolina. Period. There is no place in our society for legalized loan sharking.
Institutional investors and private equity firms are buying up single-family homes across South Carolina, driving up prices and pushing the American Dream out of reach for many families.
Ban institutional investors and private equity groups from buying single-family homes in South Carolina. Houses are for families — not hedge funds.
South Carolinians who get up every single day and go to work are still being paid wages that don't cover the basics. People all over our state are working two and three jobs not to get ahead but to keep up. That's not respect — that's exploitation.
A state minimum wage of $18/hour or more. If you work, you deserve to be paid enough to live with dignity. We need to provide people a way to earn their way out of poverty. To protect small businesses from the increase, we offer credits, internship and apprenticeship opportunities to businesses with fewer than 100 employees.
Too many South Carolinians are working hard and still getting left behind because the economy isn't built for them.
Implement a statewide minimum wage much higher than the $7.25 per hour. Full and equal opportunities for good-paying jobs. When everyone has a fair shot, communities thrive and families grow stronger.
Big corporations are replacing hard-working South Carolinians with robots and automation — pocketing the savings while families lose their paychecks.
We need a job-saving Robot Tax. Corporations that swap South Carolina workers for robotics will pay for it. We need to tax the robots to assist displaced workers with new skills training.
Student loan debt is crushing a generation of South Carolina workers and holding back the businesses that want to hire them.
A state tax credit for any business that helps pay down its employees' student loans. Reward employers who invest in their people. This will not hurt non-borrowers because the student loan payment can be made instead of a 401(k) contribution. This means workers without loans work toward retirement while workers with loans work toward paying them back — and the business is agnostic.
Our best teachers are leaving the profession — or leaving the state — because they can't afford to stay. This has caused a teacher shortage crisis and our kids pay the price.
Raise teacher pay to $85,000–$100,000 to recruit and keep the best educators in South Carolina. Public education is in our state's constitution and we will prioritize improving public education because strong public schools build strong communities. It is inexcusable for the state of Mississippi to have gone from near last in public education to near first over the last 10 years while in South Carolina we have remained at the bottom. This is another clear symptom of political corruption.
For working parents, daycare can cost as much as a mortgage. Families are being forced to choose between earning a paycheck and raising their kids. There are not enough daycares operating because of all the red tape in place at the state level between four branches of government. While this corrupt establishment has given their large for-profit donors every tax break and incentive possible, this system has failed to give families any help.
Too many bright South Carolina kids skip college, drown in debt from student loans, or are forced to move away after college to afford their student loan payments. This weakens our communities when the talent moves away.
First, we need to prioritize more lottery money toward scholarships for South Carolina students. Second, we need to provide corporations with tax incentives to staff high-paying remote jobs in our rural communities to bring jobs. Third, we need to offer businesses a state corporate tax credit to make student loan payments on behalf of employees so kids can work off their debt. Fourth, we need to block private equity from buying single-family homes and work with state credit unions to make first-time home ownership affordable again. This is how we invest in our young people.
Every legislative session the political class likes to fan the flames of division and try to divert money from the public school system. There are always new and creative ways, but make no mistake the end result is their for-profit friends making the money being diverted from the system. Charter schools violate Article IV of our state constitution which means this is a constitutional referendum issue, not a legislative one.
Put the question of whether or not taxpayer money should go toward funding charter schools on the ballot. If it is the will of the people to fund charter schools, then we need guardrails in place that regulate the private contractors who run services at the schools, and shine light on where taxpayer money is really being spent.
Our state has prioritized four-year colleges and the cost has only gone up. Our country faces a shortage of electricians, plumbers, welders, and skilled technicians. We are sending kids into student loan debt for degrees while the trades go unfilled and good-paying jobs sit open across South Carolina.
Increase funding for trade and technical colleges across South Carolina. Build apprenticeship pipelines with local employers and small business owners guiding the curriculum so students can earn money while they learn, small businesses can better compete and to make sure every kid in this state has a path that fits their God given talents — whether that's college, the trades, or starting a business.
Red tape and bureaucratic strangleholds are keeping South Carolinians from getting the quality health care they're already paying for. Blue Cross Blue Shield has a virtual monopoly on health insurance in our state, PBMs are causing our pharmaceutical costs to go up and rural healthcare is often a hope and a prayer.
You never see Blue Cross Blue Shield having to picket in Columbia yet they get everything they want. Meanwhile the people cannot get a pothole fixed. That is because the political class speaks their silent language of money.
Cut the red tape to open up competition for Blue Cross Blue Shield, and expand CHIP. Encourage rural expansion by MUSC into our communities that are underserved and incentivize construction for new doctor's offices and hospitals. Ensure every South Carolinian has real access to quality health care, not just a pile of paperwork.
Stop insurance companies that put their profits ahead of patients' lives from operating in our state.
Another clear sign of political corruption is how our veterans are forgotten by Columbia until it is election season. Columbia has done little to provide veterans with tax relief, healthcare access or job opportunities.
Eliminate the car and boat property taxes for veterans. Expand the South Carolina Department of Veterans' Affairs to cut wait times for benefits and provide more support for coordinating between the federal and state resources for our veterans. Partner with MUSC to make sure veterans have a place for quality care close to home. Be the voice of veterans and advocate for additional federal resources for their long term care.
Extreme bills are being proposed by the far right which go way too far in regulating health care for women. Women in South Carolina are caught between politicians who won't trust them with their own medical decisions and a system that does too little to support families before, during, and after pregnancy.
This issue is a perfect example of political corruption. Politicians do not want to solve the problem because they raise money and stay in office by fanning flames of division.
The only protection from bills like the recent ones proposed for the next 8 years is the governor's veto.
I will veto any bill that seeks to outlaw all abortions, tries to end IVF, or does not include exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the mother.
The solution to ensure the will of a majority of South Carolinians is served and preserve a woman's right to make her own healthcare decisions is to pass the law by constitutional referendum. This will solve the problem and make it impossible for the politicians to divide us on this issue any longer. And, if the legislature will not allow that, then we will force a referendum that makes it unconstitutional for the legislature to pass any bill that creates a total abortion ban, eliminates IVF, or tries to block exceptions for rape, incest and life.
And if they want to fight this out in court I will personally handle the case so our legal expenses will not be an issue.
South Carolina ranks dead last when it comes to elder abuse and the politicians in Columbia are not doing anything to protect them. This is another symptom of a very corrupt political system. Our elders should not be at risk of abuse.
Create an easy-to-connect-with department inside SLED that the elderly can contact to investigate cybercrime which targets them. Develop more oversight for companies providing healthcare to the elderly and managing retirement facilities in South Carolina.
Homelessness continues to plague our communities, and as the economy slows down and AI displaces workers, the number of displaced people will only increase.
Create a cabinet-level position to oversee statewide efforts on homelessness and make sure we are coordinating efforts, funding, and data between local, county, and statewide programs. Make sure the South Carolina Interagency Council on Homelessness has the resources it needs to coordinate efforts to help our citizens secure housing.
Foreign interests are buying up South Carolina farmland while our own family farmers struggle to compete. Once that land is gone, it's gone.
Give South Carolina farmers what they need, when they need it, to hold off foreign buyers and keep our land in American hands. Prevent Data Centers from coming into South Carolina.
Columbia has passed legislation that greenlights data center development all over our state and left us to fend for ourselves at the local level. Data centers do not create jobs, they steal our water, and the cost of their electrical infrastructure is causing our power bills to go up.
Shut down all data center permits, end all FILOT agreements with data centers, and get rid of their right to buy power and water at reduced rates. Require 15-year power purchase agreements at fair market rates and require those agreements be bonded to protect ratepayers.
South Carolina's natural beauty — our coast, our rivers, our forests — is what makes this place home. Out-of-state interests would happily destroy it for a quick buck.
Preserve and protect our natural resources for future generations. Shut down Data Center growth, reduce the amount of land available for tract-builder developments, and work with local communities to ensure zoning variances are announced and uses are made clear to the public.
Our roads and bridges are ranked some of the worst and most dangerous in the country, and the Department of Transportation seems to have no accountability for its lack of planning.
Streamline the Department of Transportation, publish all DOT contracts, and require a complete audit of our roads and bridges to make an infrastructure plan that provides transparency and accountability for the money that is being taxed and spent.
The men and women who put their lives on the line to protect us deserve better than what Columbia has been giving them. Low pay and inadequate training make every community less safe.
Better pay and better training for our law enforcement officers means safer streets for every South Carolinian. In return for additional funding, we will end the ability to turn off the body cameras while on duty. Accountability requires transparency. In addition, it is important for law enforcement to understand they work for the people and we must have transparency in policing so that people's God given right to be free is not impinged upon.
Flock cameras have been put up all over our state to track us and monitor our movement. Currently all of the data being collected by the different law enforcement divisions is stored in Flock's cloud, where we have no control over how it is used or shared.
Shut down all Flock cameras until the data is stored in servers and a cloud the state controls. If this cannot be done, then stop the surveillance state from expanding until a system is created that allows the state to control the data.
There are no guardrails on A.I. to protect South Carolina citizens and children from negative impacts or scams. We also have not put in any protections for the jobs of South Carolinians that AI and robots will replace.
Stop waiting on the Federal Government to create rules that favor big tech. Put guardrails and requirements in place to protect our children and our citizens from being preyed upon by large corporations. Pass legislation to protect South Carolina jobs from being eliminated by AI and robots.
The size of our state government and the budget have been growing for over 25 years. The political establishment may claim to be fiscally conservative, but they spend money like drunken sailors. They talk about DOGEing the System, but then never do it because the fraud, waste and abuse is their friends and was committed on their watch.
We are going to DOGE the entire system and publicize fraud, waste and abuse. All contracts that involve taxpayer money will be available for the public to see and all FILOT Agreements will be made public. It is our tax money they are spending, and we have a right to make sure it is being spent for the public good. Moving forward we will set up a tip line to report fraud, waste and abuse so the citizens can call it out when they see it.
Our state pension is currently underfunded by $26 billion and the state is borrowing money to keep the retirement checks from bouncing. The political class has kicked the can long enough.
Audit the pension and bring in professionals who can provide an honest assessment of where we are and how we get back on track — so everyone can see it. If it is too far gone, people should be given their retirement to invest on their own. We need to ban risky investments like credit derivatives from companies like Blue Owl or Golub Capital from being in the investment pool.
The people of South Carolina are trapped in a corrupt political system where we have no power because we have no voice. The truth is we have been sold out by a corrupt political establishment in favor of their for-profit friends.
Political corruption is the reason why our wages rank among the lowest in the nation, our public schools have been failing our children for longer than I have been alive, why we pay for better roads but don't get them, why we have been promised tax relief for 30 years but have not gotten it, and it is why access to quality medical care is often times nothing more than a hope and a prayer.
The truth is Mullins is the most uniquely qualified and perfectly trained person to run for governor in our state's history considering the job that must be done now. There is something on the ballot this election cycle that has never been on the ballot before — that something is power. The voters have a choice this election: who is going to have that power — the people, or the failed, broken and corrupt political establishment?
Mullins is the only person running in either party who can return the power in this state to its rightful owners — we the people.
South Carolina doesn't need another politician. It needs a servant leader who answers to you. Join the campaign.