Incumbent South Carolina politician announced they’re running for mayor. What we know
Incumbent Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune announced during an event on Thursday night her plans to run for mayor in November.
“When I started this journey in 2017 I did it with a really bold vision, and I did it because I was passionate about changing my community that I was born and raised in,” Bethune said. “I saw a lot of things that were not being paid any attention to, and things that I thought were important, not only to our residents, but to our visitors and for the future of Myrtle Beach.”
Bethune said she will continue to focus on making Myrtle Beach better in the future.
“We we are making so much progress and changing quickly, and I want to keep going in that direction,” she said. “We’re headed in the right direction, and I want to keep the momentum going.”
On Thursday morning, The Sun News briefly spoke to Bethune on the phone. She said she had been planning to publicly announce her campaign on Thursday for a while.
“It was important to me to start early, let people know what my intentions are,” she said.
Bethune said running campaigns can be expensive, and that she’s already started her fundraising efforts.
“‘I’ve been asked by a lot of people, ’What are you going to do? Are you going to run again? Are you going to run for something else?’,” she said. “And you know, my heart is right here in Myrtle Beach, so I wanted to get started so that we can just keep awareness out there.”
If elected, Bethune said that her priorities will include investing money into the city and maintaining strong relationships.
“I want to point out that when we talk about downtown, that is not just something that benefits the businesses and the residents in the downtown area, that is going to benefit our entire community, especially when we talk about trying to attract professionals who want to come here,” she said.
Bethune some of her accomplishments since first getting elected as mayor include strengthening relationships with the state and Horry County and decreasing violent crimes across the city by over 40%.
“Everything we are investing in is for the future and making transformational changes for generations to come, because we want this to be a place where people, young people, all people, want to live, work, invest and raise their families,” she said.
On Thursday morning, Bethune said the best way for constituents to contact her is through her email or Facebook messenger.
The election is on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.
