West Columbia, SC 05/04/2022 (Paul Kirby) – Conservative Republican newcomer Melanie Shull has filed to run against incumbent Representative Micah Caskey for SC House District 89. House 89 covers the cities of Cayce and West Columbia, over to the Congaree River on the north, much of the Town of Springdale, a small portion of the Three Fountains area, to the town limits of South Congaree, and over to I-77 on the southeastern side. The primary takes place on Tuesday, June 14, 2022. Polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.
Shull said during a recent interview that family is her first priority. She cherishes her role as wife to Rick and mom to Turner and Madison. She’s also deeply entrenched in House District 89 and says that four generations of her and her husband’s family have lived in and been vested in every aspect of their community. “District 89 is where we attended Lexington Two schools, worked, operated businesses, attended church, and most importantly, served our community,” she said.
Although Shull has never run for office before, she says she has been engaged in the political process for most of her life. She has served alongside political leaders and conservative activists to help promote conservative solutions on a range of issues. She has also served in leadership roles with nonprofit organizations to help advance commonsense and conservative policies.
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When asked about incumbent Representative Caskey’s record of service Shull said, “I appreciate my opponent’s service to our community, and I respect the personal sacrifices that I’m sure he makes to serve District 89. With that being said, I have serious concerns with some of the inconsistencies I’ve observed recently in his leadership,” she stated. When asked for examples of those inconsistencies she continued, “He voted twice to table the House version of the Save Women’s Sports Act. He argued on the House floor that the legislation was not necessary at this time because this was not an issue in South Carolina. This was a huge mistake and a serious lack of proactive leadership on a vital issue for young women and families.” She continued by saying, “He also opposed election integrity reform that would have closed our primaries and prevented nefarious activities in our election process. We can see what a serious mistake this is as we approach our June primaries, with liberal groups in SC now talking openly on social media about interfering in the Republican primary for Education Superintendent. He also recently supported the elevation of a liberal judge to the state Supreme Court. Instances, such as these, raise serious concerns about my opponent’s inconsistent positions and his lack of strong, proactive leadership for our district and state,” she concluded.
When asked what she would do differently if elected to serve the people of House District 88 Shull said, “I will be a proactive leader. We do not have the luxury of waiting until destructive issues show up on our state’s doorstep, such as biological men competing in women’s athletics. We must take the initiative to be informed so that we are prepared to defend our values before the assault begins.”
She also took on the controversial education initiative Critical Race Theory (CRT) head on. On that subject she said, “CRT is gaining traction in our state through Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programs that are being integrated into school curriculums. Again, we must be informed and proactive to protect our children and deliver quality education for families.” This is an area that Shull believes the entire General Assembly has fallen short in.
Shull is also a strong supporter of election integrity reform. “We need to close our primaries for the best interest of Republicans and Democrats and the protection of the primary process. We don’t need to wait until the integrity of our system in South Carolina is undermined like in Georgia, Pennsylvania, or Nevada. We must be proactive to protect public confidence in our election system. Our vote is a sacred right in a free democracy. I will advocate for Judicial Reform. Potential judges should be thoroughly vetted by both the House and Senate judiciary committees and not by a select group of trial lawyers and political elites,” she stated.
Shull also believes that South Carolina’s Foster Care and Adoption System needs to be reformed. “We need that to protect SC’s vulnerable children and provide a better support structure for adoptive and foster families,” she concluded on this topic.
Shull takes a staunch conservative approach to many of the issues being debated at the State House now. When discussing Second Amendment rights she stated, “I support Constitutional Carry (carrying a firearm openly with no state mandated training or permitting if you are legally able to buy and possess a gun). Our law-abiding citizens must always be able to protect themselves. The lawless will always have access to firearms. Gun control legislation will never prevent bad people from acquiring guns, but it ultimately will become an infringement on the constitutional rights of good citizens.”
She is also against the legalization of marijuana bill in its current form saying, “I don’t deny the medical benefits for some but the legislation as it now exists allows too many loopholes for abuse, addictive behavior, and corruption.”
Shull also believes that the Parents’ Bill of Rights needs to be passed now. “Parents are the primary stakeholders in their children’s education, medical care, and mental health care. I will fight to empower parents and to make certain that they are heard and respected. I support expanded charter school initiatives that empower families to exercise choices that have the greatest benefits for their children.” She continued by saying, “I am certainly in favor of incentives for economic development within common sense parameters that don’t perpetuate corporate welfare.”
When asked about the economic woes of our state and nation today, Shull laid the blame for our current labor shortages, inflation, rising fuel costs and other problems squarely at the feet of President Biden and the liberals who are currently in power in Washington. “The Biden administration has reversed the economic prosperity of the Trump administration by pursing policies that have destroyed the fundamental structure of our economy. These policies have produced labor shortages, supply chain shortages, historic inflation, a return to foreign energy dependence and are depleting retirement savings. The government has disincentivized the value of work and has given us shrinking labor participation in most every category.” She continued by saying, “This present economic model is unsustainable. Changes must come at the federal level, but the General Assembly can provide some relief for families on the local level. We have the highest income tax rate of any state in the southeast and the sixth highest rate nationally. We should reduce the state income tax rate. We could also help families offset rising gasoline prices by reducing the gas tax.”
In coming to the end of the interview, Shull closed by saying, “Republicans need to engage in the battle with liberal democrats at every turn. We must consistently defend and promote our conservative ideals and values. It’s essential that we actively pursue policies that reflect our fundamental principles and the people we serve.”
If you would like to learn more about Melanie Shull and her run for House District 89, go to her website at https://www.shullforhouse.com/.
