Sen. Mia McLeod kicks off campaign, hoping to become first Black woman to serve as governor of SC

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO)– State Senator Mia McLeod is now the first Black woman to run for governor in South Carolina. Senator McLeod kicked off her campaign this morning at the Modjeska Monteith Simkins House.

McLeod says she believes she can win because she knows how to connect to voters from all political backgrounds and walks of life. She says education and health care are her chief campaign concerns. McLeod has represented Richland County in the Senate since 2017.

The South Carolina Republican Party released a statement last night in response to McLeod’s announcement. The statement from SCGOP Chairman Joe McKissick reads “”Democrat Mia McCleod says she’s running for governor because she’s ‘connected to’ the people of South Carolina. Well she must have missed the memo that South Carolina Republicans just had our most successful election, and that Democrats have consistently lost statewide elections for almost two decades because, like McLeod, they’re wrong on the issues that voters care about—just ask Jamie Harrison how much his double digit loss cost,” said McKissick. “We look forward to electing a Republican governor in 2022 and flipping McLeod’s state senate seat in the near future.”

Former U.S. Representative Joe Cunningham announced his campaign for governor back in August. He reacted to McLeod joining the race with a statement which read, “I want to welcome Senator Mia McLeod to the race for Governor and congratulate her on the historical significance of her campaign. Mia brings an important voice to this race and I look forward to spending time with her on the trail as we make our case to voters.”

Democratic activist Gary Votour is also running. The winner of the Democratic Primary will face Governor Henry McMaster in the November 2022 General Election.