State Rep. Spencer Wetmore struck a conciliatory tone Wednesday, as the Folly Beach Democrat delivering the party’s response to Gov. Henry McMaster’s annual State of the State address.
“If you tuned in tonight, hoping for an over-the-top partisan attack on the governor, this may not be your speech,” she said as she opened her remarks.
Wetmore, 39, is a former state prosecutor and served as administrator for Folly Beach for five years before she was elected to represent the 115th District in 2020.
The first-term representative’s remarks called on McMaster to help make South Carolina a better place for all its residents and reject partisanship.
McMaster spent much of his speech touting economic gains during the pandemic, including job growth and capital investment. South Carolina’s overall economic stability mirrors conditions nationwide, despite pronounced inflation in some sectors, as the pandemic stretches into its third year.
McMaster also gave a nod to hot-button education topics for conservatives that made headlines in recent months, including controversies over a coming-of-age graphic memoir.
The governor mentioned reforming education funding, but not through the repeal of property tax exemptions which many advocates say contribute to state schools getting shortchanged. Instead, McMaster plugged Republicans latest voucher reinvention, which promises to make taxpayer money “follow students directly to the classroom,” including at private institutions.
In her response, Wetmore was unequivocal on education funding.
“You can’t fix schools by defunding them, and we must reject this latest voucher bill,” she said. “It takes money out of our public school system to fund private academies. I have no objection to private schools, but public money should be spent on public schools.”
Watch the full speech and Wetmore’s response:
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