State Senate District 41: The GOP Just Nominated a Domestic Abuser in this Race
The most common question we’ve gotten in the past 24 hours is “who do we have running against Matt Leber?”
For those who don’t know, Mr. Leber defeated Senator Sandy Senn in the State Senate District 41 GOP Primary this week. In addition to his ultra-conservative policy positions, Matt Leber has an extensive rap sheet for domestic violence related issues. He has also encouraged violence and extremism, saying “political combat is what makes us American” and “there are very few things he despises more than a Moderate.”
This district leans red but not so much that we can’t win it with a good candidate against their deeply flawed one… which is exactly what we have!
Rita Adkins (https://www.ritaadkins.com/) is our District 41 nominee and the perfect person to STOP MATT LEBER from becoming a State Senator. She is an entrepreneur who started & owns her own real estate firm which now employs half-a-dozen people. She is a wife and mother of four, who has strong local roots serving on the board of non-profit organizations like Dress for Success, the Trident Realtors, and is a graduate of Charleston Southern University.
Bottom line: We can win this election. We must win this election. Leber doesn’t just vote against women he has a track record of physically endangering them.
Lets get behind Rita TODAY! Help our efforts to promote Rita by splitting a donation between her and our local party here!
Charleston Democrats!
We have a Charleston County Democratic ticket for 2024! Many thanks to those of you who donated, volunteered, and voted for candidates in yesterday’s Democratic primary.
I want to congratulate our primary winners, and express deep thanks and appreciation for those who ran but came up short. Running for office is not easy and our party is deeply grateful for every candidate who carries our message, engages voters, and activates volunteers.
Now its time to come together. In Charleston County this year Democrats can win a majority on our County Council, take control of our state legislative delegation, elect a majority of county-wide officers, and ensure that our blue county is fully represented by a Democrat in Congress!
I’m proud of the ticket we’ve chosen, and believe these people each represent mainstream and common sense alternatives to their increasingly extreme GOP opponents. Here are some of the key races that took shape last night:
– Primary results: Michael Moore will be the top of our local 1st Congressional District ticket. He’s a pragmatic businessman who will work for results, instead of fighting for airtime on cable news.
– Rita Adkins didn’t have a primary last night in Senate District 41, but the Republicans chose to nominate a candidate with multiple arrests for domestic violence issues, and who has encouraged political violence.
– Charlie Murray won the State House 116 primary and joins John Moffett (House 110) as mainstream local Democrats who are taking on Republicans who are simply too conservative for their swing districts.
– Sheriff Kristin Graziano is awaiting the outcome of a runoff where her potential GOP opponents for Sheriff are currently attacking each other for saying a prayer with peaceful protester.
These are just some of the critical local races we’ll be focusing on through November, and we invite you to join us in helping defeat GOP extremism right here in Charleston County with mainstream Lowcountry values.
Please click here to volunteer with us and/or please consider a donation to our 2024 Get out the Vote Fund! I look forward to working with all of you to elect each of our great candidates in November!
Key Upcoming local Democratic Party Dates & Community Events!
June 24 (Monday): CANDIDATE EVENT Sydney van Bulck for County Council Kickoff Party. 6:30pm. Charleston County Democratic Party HQ – 1379 Ashley River Rd. Charleston. RSVP Here!
June 27 (Thursday): PARTNER EVENT Emerge Celebration of Pride Month. 5pm. Virtual. RSVP Here!
Stay Current on Charleston County Democratic Happenings!
As a reminder, this full newsletter is now being published monthly on the 1st of every month (apologies this one was a few days late), but there are several other ways to stay up-to-date on news, events, and other information in-between newsletters:
- Follow our Facebook page.
- Regularly check the Calendar and News pages on our website.
- Search for Charleston County Democratic Party events on Mobilize.
- We will still send ad-hoc email event reminders and action alerts as necessary throughout each month.
Juneteenth Reflections
I had a professor who began his World History course saying, “If you plot the progress of humankind on a chart over time, the first thing you’ll notice is that the line isn’t a consistent upward trajectory. Your line will have dips and large drops as time has gone on, because we’ve taken steps backward at various points of our history.”
Juneteenth obviously represents one of the great steps forward on that chart of human progress. News of freedom finally reached still-enslaved people in Galveston on June 19, 1865; more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, and more than two months after the end of the Civil War. It was the culmination of American Freedom’s greatest expansion, and powerful proof of the progress that is possible in America.
As we celebrated Juneteenth today, I thought of my professor’s comment and worried this year could spark a downturn on that chart of progress. Donald Trump, and his GOP loyalists, have made it clear that they’re willing to place his interests over our country’s most fundamental institutions. Our very Democracy is at risk, and with it all of the progress it has enabled for generations. We already saw what one Trump term did; his three Supreme Court appointments have ended reproductive freedom and struck down policies for equity in education.
I am hesitant to make such a political point on what should be a historic and unifying holiday, but I think the contrast of this day is clear and relevant to the work ahead of us this year. Progress is not guaranteed, it can be undone, and sadly today that threat is real and immediate. The great step forward – toward an inclusive democracy – that Juneteenth represents must be protected and built upon, and its our responsibility to do it. I hope you’ll join us in that effort over the coming months.
One more thing. Although it’s easy to be fearful or cynical about the threat our Democracy faces today, take a moment on this Juneteenth to think about the individuals who heard the news in Galveston 159 years ago. Their lives to that point had been filled with unimaginable pain and indignity. Surely almost every single one had thought about giving up hope. And yet, there they stood; free people, soon-to-be citizens and voters, in the country that had oppressed them. We would be wise to draw our own strength from their examples of hope, faith, and courage.
Again, Happy Juneteenth, and I hope you’ll take some inspiration to join our efforts to carry on the important legacy of this day.
Sincerely,
Sam Skardon
Chair, Charleston County Democratic Party