Eva Perez Rigney (Mayor of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, candidate 2025)
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Eva Perez Rigney is running for election to the Mayor of Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. She is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.[source]
Rigney completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
[1]Biography
Eva Perez Rigney provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on October 23, 2025:
- Graduate: State University of New York, 1991
- Gender: Female
- Profession: Real Estate
- Incumbent officeholder: No
- Campaign slogan: Together, we'll build a shining city on a hill
- Campaign YouTube video
Elections
General election
The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.
General election for Mayor of Myrtle Beach
Daniel Aumen, Brenda Bethune, Mark Kruea, Mark Struthers McBride, and Eva Perez Rigney are running in the general election for Mayor of Myrtle Beach on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
| Daniel Aumen (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Brenda Bethune (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Mark Kruea (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Mark Struthers McBride (Nonpartisan) | ||
Eva Perez Rigney (Nonpartisan)  | ||
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Endorsements
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Campaign themes
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Eva Perez Rigney completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Rigney's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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When I was just 7 years old, my mother would often send me to run errands for her. I remember asking her one day, “Mom, why me? You have seven other children who are all older than I am.” She looked at me and said, “Because I know I can trust you. You’ll buy exactly what I asked for and bring back the right change. The others might skim a little.” That stuck with me all my life—that trust is something you earn, and once you have it, you never break it. A few years later, when I was 14, my sister Guia was engaged to be married. Her fiancé’s parents asked to speak with me before the wedding. Their driver picked me up and told me on the way that they wanted to talk to me because, in their words, I was “honest, smart, and not contrived”—someone they could count on to tell the truth. Imagine that—being just a teenager and having adults see that in you. I never forgot that moment either.
In school, I worked hard and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in History and Public Administration. Later, I earned two master’s degrees—one in Education, and another in International Studies, where I focused on how nations achieve economic prosperity. I’ve been preparing for this role my whole life—not through politics, but through service, hard work, and integrity. You’ll always get the truth from me.- Over the years, I’ve worn many hats: teacher, public servant, CEO, business owner, wife, and mother. I founded a post-secondary school that helped thousands of students gain the skills to find good jobs and build better lives. I’ve worked in government, run my own real estate company, helped with my husband’s law office, and managed federal contracting projects with my son. Every chapter of my life has been about helping people reach their potential and doing what’s right—even when it’s hard. I will build this city into a tech hub . I've done it before with my son in Chicago as a federal contractor. We trained cybersecurity experts in as short as six months. They're now earning over 6-figures with remote jobs around the US.
- Don’t judge a book by its cover. I’m glad you truly want to know who’s running for the highest position in our city. People often underestimate me because of how I look, but my life experiences have shaped me in ways that no opponent can match. Unlike them, I don’t see things through a narrow lens. While they’ve spent decades in the same job, I’ve lived through challenges, learned from them, and gained a broader understanding of what our city really needs.
- This city has complex, layered problems — economic, social, environmental — and they can’t be solved by someone who has lived inside the same box for decades. My opponents have spent their entire careers in one lane, doing the same thing year after year. That kind of tunnel vision limits perspective and creativity. I’ve lived through the ups and downs of real life. I’ve had to fight my way through challenges and come out stronger every time. And that’s exactly what our city needs right now — a leader who doesn’t just talk about solutions but has lived through the struggle, adapted, and learned how to win. Because when you’ve faced real battles and prevailed, you know how to lead others through theirs.
Being trustworthy is something people feel, not just something you claim. It’s about living with integrity in every word and every action. When you say something, you mean it. When you make a promise, you keep it. It’s admitting when you’re wrong, being transparent, and showing that people can rely on you—whether in moments of comfort or moments of crisis. Trust isn’t built in a day; it’s earned slowly, quietly, and consistently.
Being ready for battle isn’t about looking for fights—it’s about being prepared for whatever life throws at you. It’s knowing the stakes, understanding the challenges, and having the strength and focus to face them head-on. Life and leadership bring battles of all kinds—some visible, some behind the scenes—and being prepared means you can meet them with discipline, wisdom, and resilience. It’s about getting up when you fall, regrouping, and continuing forward no matter the odds.
Under my administration, it will be different. Every policy will be examined. Every budget will be questioned. The Mayor and Council will ask hard questions until we fully understand every detail—the intended benefits, the potential risks, and the consequences for our city. We will challenge assumptions, demand transparency, and make sure every dollar is used wisely. And we will make sure there are always funds set aside for emergencies, for unexpected challenges, for the rainy days that inevitably come.
Being mayor in this way means I am committed to being present, engaged, and hands-on. I will not rubber-stamp decisions because it’s easier or faster. I will make sure every policy is carefully scrutinized, that the budget reflects priorities and safeguards for emergencies, and that no action is taken without understanding its impact.
At the same time, the mayor must be transparent and open, providing the council with the information, explanations, and context they need to make informed decisions. It’s a two-way relationship: the mayor brings leadership, clarity, and accountability to daily operations, while the council brings perspective, questions, and oversight that protect the city and its residents.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
