Ryan McCabe is looking to oust seven-term incumbent Kit Spires in State House District 96 of Lexington County in the June 9th Republican Primary. The rural district, located in the southern portion of the county, includes all or portions of Gaston, Pelion, Red Bank and Swansea.
Candidate for House Seat 96, Ryan McCabe, is challenging incumbent Kit Spires.
McCabe, an attorney, is looking to differentiate himself with the incumbent by contrasting on the incumbent’s record, including Spires’ conservative record (or lack thereof) and possible self-interests on bills in the house.
Spires, a pharmacist and pharmacy owner, has been rated as one of the most liberal members of the Republican Caucus in multiple publications. For last year’s ratings, the grassroots Republican Liberty Caucus (RLC) rated only two Republicans with a worse record than Spires in the 80-member House Republican majority.
For his part, McCabe is drawing a contrast by campaigning as a strong conservative. He promises to be a fiscal conservative who opposes tax hikes. Spires’ campaign has highlighted his record on the side of delivering funds for the district.
Spires also describes himself as strongly pro-life and, as a member of the NRA, he is pro-2nd Amendment.
For many of Spires’ critics, a bone of contention in the past has been regularly adding his name as a sponsor to several bills that would personally benefit his business.
Spires… has been rated as one of the most liberal members of the Republican Caucus in multiple publications.
McCabe has taken indirect shots at Spires for the practice, as he states on his website “without conflict or compromise. I’ll carefully avoid any conflicts of interest, and I’ll never use my position for self-gain.”
Spires has responded to the charge in the past, he told The Nerve “These are not personal bills of mine… It benefits all pharmacists and not just me,” Spires said then about his pharmacy-related bills, adding, “I respond to the needs of people in my district and other pharmacists in the area.”
McCabe’s campaign has pledged to hold regular community meetings and conduct surveys while suggesting that the incumbent turns his focus back on the district’s citizens when election time nears.
House Seat 96 incumbent Kit Spires is seeking his 8th term in the SC House. The Republican Liberty Caucus rated Spires as one of the three most liberal Republican House members out an 80-member Republican majority last year, with a 10% conservative rating.
As Spires seeks his eighth, two-year term, McCabe is looking to illustrate a difference in longevity in the house. McCabe, while not specifically calling for term limits for everybody, has pledged to serve only eight years.
“Even people who personally like the incumbent believe 16 years is too long for any politician to hold our area’s only State House seat.”
In this race, as with others, the candidates are encouraging supporters to go ahead and cast their vote absentee. Recently, the legislature passed a bill allowing absentee, mail-in voting without reason as a response to COVID-19 for the June 9th primary and the June 23rd runoff elections.
Absentee ballots can be requested online at scvotes.org. In addition, eligible voters can cast ballots in person at the Lexington County Registration and Elections Office at 605 West Main Street, Lexington, 29072.
The primary winner is likely to decide who takes office, as no candidates of other parties have filed for the race.
Preston Baines is a political analyst and can be reached at @prestonbaines on Twitter and prestonbaines@gmail.com.
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