The Democratic primary election was canceled. John Zabel advanced from the Democratic primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 46.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Heath Sessions advanced from the Republican primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 46.
Campaign finance
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Zabel in this election.
John Zabel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Zabel's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
I’m John Henry Zabel IV, and I’m running to represent our community in the South Carolina State House. As a Cloud Architect with deep roots in public service, I have dedicated my career to enhancing our nation's security and technological infrastructure. I’ve worked as Lead with major agencies including NASA and the U.S. Postal Service, ensuring our systems are robust, secure, and future-ready.
I am a committed ally in promoting diversity and inclusion. Through my active support for initiatives like Blacks at Microsoft (BAM), I have been deeply involved in uplifting and supporting diverse communities. Here in South Carolina, my focus is on you—on making sure our community benefits from the same level of expertise and care.
As your representative, I want to bring this focus to our state government. I believe in practical, progressive solutions that make sense for our district—a district that values hard work, community, and forward-thinking ideas. Whether it’s modernizing our public services to make them more efficient, ensuring our schools have the resources they need, or protecting the rights and well-being of every citizen, I am committed to being a voice for all of us.
Our children are our greatest resource, yet South Carolina’s public education system is ranked at the bottom in the United States. This is due to political neglect and constant attacks from opportunistic outside influences. As your representative, I will fight to rebuild and strengthen our public education system, ensuring every child has access to quality education. This includes advocating for better funding, support for teachers, and modernizing our curriculum to prepare our students for the future.
In recent years, we've seen our liberties and freedoms come under attack. Supreme Court decisions have threatened the rights we’ve long taken for granted, from women’s health choices to protections against violence. We need intelligent, non-partisan, and modern solutions in our State Government. As your representative, I will fight to protect and expand these rights, ensuring that everyone in South Carolina has the freedom to make personal health decisions and live without fear of violence.
In recent years, we've seen our liberties and freedoms come under attack. Supreme Court decisions have threatened the rights we’ve long taken for granted, from women’s health choices to protections against violence. We need intelligent, non-partisan, and modern solutions in our State Government. As your representative, I will fight to protect and expand these rights, ensuring that everyone in South Carolina has the freedom to make personal health decisions and live without fear of violence.
I will revitalize South Carolina's public education, protect personal liberties and everyone's health rights, and ensure our tax dollars are invested in improving Rock Hill's infrastructure.
I believe the core responsibilities of an elected official are to listen to constituents, address their needs, and work tirelessly to improve our community through thoughtful, balanced policies.
I want to leave a legacy of improved public education, protected personal liberties, and a stronger, more resilient infrastructure in Rock Hill, ensuring a better future for all South Carolinians.
I strongly believe in financial transparency and government accountability. Elected officials must be open about their actions and finances, ensuring they serve the public's best interests with honesty and integrity.
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.
Note: Zabel submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on May 17, 2024.
I’m John Henry Zabel IV, and I’m running to represent our community in the South Carolina State House. As a Cloud Architect with deep roots in public service, I have dedicated my career to enhancing our nation's security and technological infrastructure. I’ve worked as Lead with major agencies including NASA and the U.S. Postal Service, ensuring our systems are robust, secure, and future-ready.
I am a committed ally in promoting diversity and inclusion. Through my active support for initiatives like Blacks at Microsoft (BAM), I have been deeply involved in uplifting and supporting diverse communities. Here in South Carolina, my focus is on you—on making sure our community benefits from the same level of expertise and care.
As your representative, I want to bring this focus to our state government. I believe in practical, progressive solutions that make sense for our district—a district that values hard work, community, and forward-thinking ideas. Whether it’s modernizing our public services to make them more efficient, ensuring our schools have the resources they need, or protecting the rights and well-being of every citizen, I am committed to being a voice for all of us.
Rebuilding Our Public Education System
Our children are our greatest resource, yet South Carolina’s public education system is ranked at the bottom in the United States. This is due to political neglect and constant attacks from opportunistic outside influences. As your representative, I will fight to rebuild and strengthen our public education system, ensuring every child has access to quality education. This includes advocating for better funding, support for teachers, and modernizing our curriculum to prepare our students for the future.
Improving Rock Hill's Infrastructure
Living in a beautiful small town like Rock Hill is a privilege, but our rapid growth has put a strain on our infrastructure. Our roads are deteriorating, and daily water main breaks are becoming the norm. We need representation that will fight for our tax dollars to be invested back into Rock Hill, funding infrastructure improvements that go beyond mere repairs. As your representative, I will work tirelessly to ensure our community has the infrastructure it needs to thrive, making Rock Hill a better place to live for all.
Recent Supreme Court decisions have put our personal liberties at risk. We need balanced, forward-thinking leadership to protect our rights to personal health decisions, peaceful protest, and safety from violence. Every South Carolinian deserves to live with the freedom to express themselves and feel secure in their community.
I will revitalize South Carolina's public education, protect personal liberties and women's health rights, and ensure our tax dollars are invested in improving Rock Hill's infrastructure.
This office is unique and important because it directly represents the local community, allowing for responsive and tailored governance that addresses specific needs and ensures the voices of constituents are heard in the state government.
I believe the core responsibilities of an elected official are to listen to constituents, address their needs, and work tirelessly to improve our community through thoughtful, balanced policies.
I consider the most important responsibilities of this office to be listening to constituents, addressing their concerns, and advocating for policies that improve our community's quality of life.
One little-known responsibility of this office is the ability to influence state budget allocations, which can significantly impact local funding for schools, infrastructure, and community services. It's crucial for constituents to know how this role can directly benefit their daily lives.
While previous experience in government or politics can be beneficial, I believe a passion for public service, a strong commitment to the community, and a willingness to learn and collaborate are just as important for success in this office.
I believe the most helpful skills for holders of this office include strong communication, problem-solving, and negotiation abilities, as well as expertise in public policy and community engagement.
I strongly believe in financial transparency and government accountability. Elected officials must be open about their actions and finances, ensuring they serve the public's best interests with honesty and integrity.
A state ballot initiative process could be beneficial for South Carolina by allowing citizens to have a direct say in important issues. However, it would need safeguards to ensure informed decision-making and prevent special interests from dominating the process.
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.
Note: Zabel submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on May 16, 2024.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
John Zabel campaign contribution history
Year
Office
Status
Contributions
Expenditures
2024*
South Carolina House of Representatives District 46
Lost general
$1,490
$944
Grand total
$1,490
$944
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
