Anderson native and current Lt. Governor Kevin Bryant announced Friday his bid for the Republican nomination for Governor of South Carolina.
Bryant is the fourth Republican candidate to put his name in the hat for the top executive position in the state. His opponents right now include former Lt. Governor Yancy McGill, former State Labor and Environmental Director Catherine Templeton and current Governor Henry McMaster.
But political experts believe the top three contenders of the race dominate a certain geographic area. Bryant is an Upstate native, McMaster has spent countless years as a figure in the Midlands and Templeton has strong ties to the Low Country. Experts said it’s the first time in decades there is a candidate from each region and right now no one person is ahead in fundraising or political support.
“I don’t want anyone to think I’m going to use this position to benefit my hometown. I will look at this state as a whole. I will look at the needs of Anderson just like I would look at the needs of Garden City or Darlington,” Bryant said.
But what makes this unique is that in this election the Lt. Governor and Governor will be running on the same ticket for or the first time. One political expert said that if they pick a running mate from a different region it could give them that extra support they need to win.
Currently no Democrat candidate has filed to run for the nomination.
