SC lawmaker makes history as 1st Black woman to run for governor

South Carolina state Sen.

Mia McLeod says she's the person who can become the United States' first Black female governor.

The Columbia Democrat officially launched her campaign on Thursday.

That's why ours isone of South Carolina's oldest blackfamily owned funeral homes that's stillin business 107 years laterfor generations, my family has chosento stay herebecause when you love our state as muchas we do,you're able to look beyond herchallenges to see her possibilities andfight like hell to help her reach hertrue potential, sadly, because ofdecades of desertion and neglect, we'relosing so many of our best andbrightest to neighboring states thatoffer higher paying jobs andopportunities for a better quality oflife and leadership that actually caresabout and caters to the needs of all ofthe people.

That's something southCarolina hasn't had in decades ofRepublican governors who care onlyabout their base and have no realconnection to or compassion for therest of us.So when my boys, both recent collegegraduates tell me that this state, ourstate under Republican control, doesn'trepresent their interests or valuetheir voices.

It's heartbreaking and Iknow I'm not alone.

That's why I ranfor office.And it's why I've taken the fightstraight to those in power.

Even whenit meant pissing off members of my ownparty.

I've been fighting the statusquo for 10 yearsand I'm still fighting, Taking on thefights that no one else will, even whenI have to fight alonenow, more than ever, having the courageto lead mattersthe past year has been very hard whenwe needed leadership.

We got cowardice,when we should have been unitedrepublicans politicized everything todivide us.

For those who believe, likeGovernor McMaster and others that southCarolina should just shut up And getback to their $7.25 an hour jobs.

Ichallenged them to try to live on thosewages.And while many south Carolina demscontinue to work hard to solve problemsin our rule.

Underserved parts of thestate, the governor is turning awayfederal unemployment dollars that folksacross south Carolina desperately needproving once again that he's onlyconcerned with one problem and that'sgetting himself reelectedtime and time again.

These so calledleaders are still clinging to theirgood old days when the privilege andpower of a few trump the rights andfreedoms of many.

Yet here we are.

Itshouldn't be us versus them or meversus you.

We get to decide today whowe areand how we plan to move forward yearafter year gubernatorial election aftergubernatorial election.

South Carolinademocrats have done the same old thingsthe same old ways and gotten our buttskicked.

The future is now we've got toreject the notion that south Carolinaalways going to be divideda divided red state.With your help, I look forward tobuilding a unified state with amajority and the minority matter.All too often we've seen the selfserving good old boys wield power withno courage abandoning what they know isright for that, which is easy andpolitically expedient when it's timefor them to stand up and fight for us,all of us.

We get excuses like it's notthe right time to raise the minimumwage.

Well, if not now whenchange is scary, I get it.But we must remember that God has notgiven us a spirit of fear, but of powerand of love and of a sound mind.

Ibelieve in the south Carolina where thegovernor has the courage to lead thecompassion, to feel empathy for others,a connection to the people sherepresentsthe character to do the right thingsimply because it's the right thingand the conviction to stand even if shehas to stand alone,A south Carolina where everybody drives,where folks are in wages, they canactually live on what will pay forequal work.

Where Medicaid is expandedto ensure that all of our state's mostvulnerable have access to affordablehealth care, a struggle.

I know all toowellwhere students get a quality educationregardless of where they live,where addiction and mental health,those issues are treated in hospitals,not jail sales.When rule where rules, south Carolinacounties no longer are the forgottencorridors of shame and neglectwere our best and brightest from here.Stay here.

Yeah, that's the southCarolina we deserve.

And there's anarmy of excited everyday people whohave been waiting to build a better,stronger state scripture reminds methat we walk by faith and not by sight.So if you believe as I dothat together, we can build a better,stronger south Carolina, a southCarolina that all of us can be part ofa south Carolina that all of us can beproud of than this.

This is our moment,but only if we have the courage toseize it.South Carolina is ready for a leaderwho has the guts to govern.If you're ready for her to go to MiAfor sc dot com and let's get to work.Thank you guys for being here.Thank you.

Thank you.Whoa.Mhm.

Mhm.

Right.