HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — A lively debate unfolded Thursday evening as five Republican contenders for South Carolina’s First Congressional District seat took the stage to articulate their distinct positions.
The candidates, Jay Byrars, Logan Cunningham, Jenny Costa Honeycutt, Alex Pelbath, and Mark Smith, engaged in a spirited discussion, each striving to highlight their approach to pressing local and state matters.
Faced with questions from a panel that included Andrew Davis, the candidates delved into topics such as affordable housing and inflation, offering their perspectives and proposed solutions.
“We need to scrutinize every aspect of the budget,” stated Honeycutt. “Our focus should be on evaluating all spending, beyond just addressing fraud, waste, and abuse, which remains a top priority.”
Byrars emphasized a different angle, saying, “It’s crucial to eliminate the presence of institutional investors in the U.S. real estate market. Single-family homes should not be owned by private equity funds or publicly traded companies.”
The debate was held at the Hilton Head Beach & Tennis Resort. Many of the residents who came out Thursday call the area home.
Each candidate discussed how they would improve life in the Low Country.
“Specifically, here in the Lowcountry, the infrastructure challenges that we have, we all feel it,” Pelbath said. “The number one topic we get on the campaign trail is infrastructure challenges. In that we’re talking about housing affordability, the deterioration of our roads and bridges, and definitely the traffic that we all face.”
All candidates also had a chance to highlight the work they have done as local and state officials.
“I said for six years I would get workforce housing,” Cunningham said. “I have 140 units being built right near my house. All of our workforce housing now on all of that is going be done without a dime to our taxpayers because we’ve partnered with other businesses locally.
Thursday’s debate was hosted by The Coastal Conservative Alliance. South Carolina will hold their statewide primary election will be on June 9.
To see a list of all candidates running in this race, click here.