Our View: Take a look at Congressional candidates who deserve your consideration

Even though the state Republican leadership’s plan to dominate South Carolina’s congressional delegation through an unprecedented mid-decade redrawing of district lines failed (hooray!), the effort might have, in one sense, won.

How? By creating such a chilling, nasty effect and so much confusion that occasional voters end up sitting out the June 9 primaries. We hope this doesn’t happen and that South Carolina voters go to the polls this year in droves to send this clear message: It was just plain wrong for the GOP to try to use redistricting directed by Washington to erase 17-term Democratic U.S. Rep. James Clyburn from Congress.

We hope Republican redistricting shenanigans won’t keep you from exercising your fundamental patriotic responsibility in a constitutional republic. Early voting is open through next Friday. On June 9, the polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

On the ballot are races for the state’s constitutional offices, including governor, U.S. Senate and contested S.C. House seats. And critically — since the lines for U.S. House didn’t change
— congressional primaries are also on the ballot.

Because House candidates had a harder time getting their campaign messages through the noise of the GOP’s attempted gerrymander, make sure you spend a little extra time sorting through the 20+ congressional candidates in the 1st and 6th districts. If you don’t know who you should pick, we recommend these candidates:

Lacore, Clyburn for Democrats

For more than 30 years, Jim Clyburn has served as a respected national leader in Congress. He deserves to continue to be South Carolina’s rainmaker — not only for people in the 6th District, but for people across the state who he’s helped for years.

Meanwhile, Democrats in the 1st District have a chance to pick from an array of good candidates seeking to fill an open seat vacated by U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who is running for governor.

Best for the job is Nancy Lacore, a retired Navy admiral who moved to the Lowcountry last year after being ousted by the Trump administration in the same kind of nasty partisan politics that caused this month’s redistricting chaos.

For any longtime Charlestonians who may try to brush off Lacore’s candidacy because she’s not from here: Grow up. Spend just 60 seconds with her and you’ll know that she’s the real deal — an impassioned leader who knows how Washington works and can use her impressive skills to push progress for the region.

Smith, Washington for Republicans

Funeral home owner and state Rep. Mark Smith stands out among the 10 Republicans running to replace Mace in the 1st District. While he seems a little too cozy with MAGA madness at times, he also has significant leadership skills borne from experience in Rotary Club service and in the Statehouse. If he becomes a member of Congress, he won’t be an embarrassment.

Of the two GOP candidates running for Clyburn’s seat, former Charleston City Council Member Maurice Washington has the best experience.