John Gallman declares candidacy against incumbent Luke Rankin for nomination to SC Senate
Horry County will have a contested Republican primary for the District 33 seat in the South Carolina Senate.
John Gallman, a youth pastor turned financial advisor with Edward Jones, held a campaign announcement at Rioz Brazilian Steakhouse Monday surrounded by supporters.
“The reason I ran for office is because I care deeply about justice,” he said.
He will be challenging longtime incumbent Luke Rankin for the Republican nomination to represent Horry County. Rankin did not respond to a request for comment ahead of Monday’s event.
Rankin, an attorney, has been in office since 1993 and has serves as the chair of the judiciary committee.
The South Carolina Republican primaries will be held on June 9 and the general election will be on Nov. 3.
Gallman’s campaign speech sounded like sermon, as he declared he wants to “drain the swamp in Columbia” and seek more support for his district from state government.
He wants to fix pot holes, get programs to help local people and create development standards to address flooding. On the proposed Interstate 73, Gallman supports fixing Highway 501 bridges, Highway 544 and other safety roads.
“If I ordered a pizza and I paid for that pizza three times, and I never got it, I wouldn’t pay the pizza guy three more times,” he said. “I’m not opposed to I-73, per se, but I am for fixing our roads ... I am for the promise of fixing our roads.”
During his campaign speech he talk at length about passing the “fetal heartbeat” bill that would limit abortion access in South Carolina. In addition, he wants to promote transparency in the judicial and legislative bodies in South Carolina by televising more proceedings.
