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La'Sha McClain
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
La'Sha McClain (Democratic Party) ran for election to the South Carolina House of Representatives to represent District 60. He lost in the Democratic primary on June 9, 2020.
McClain completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
La'Sha McClain was born in Darlington, South Carolina. He attended Allen University for undergraduate study. McClain's career experience includes working as a small business owner.[1]
Elections
2020
See also: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for South Carolina House of Representatives District 60
Incumbent Phillip Lowe defeated Teresa Cain in the general election for South Carolina House of Representatives District 60 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Phillip Lowe (R) | 61.4 | 10,834 |
| Teresa Cain (D) | 38.6 | 6,812 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 7 | ||
| Total votes: 17,653 | |||
 = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 60
Teresa Cain defeated La'Sha McClain in the Democratic primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 60 on June 9, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Teresa Cain | 63.3 | 1,911 | |
 | La'Sha McClain | 36.7 | 1,107 | |
| Total votes: 3,018 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Phillip Lowe advanced from the Republican primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 60.
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
La'Sha McClain completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McClain's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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A South Carolinian born and raised. I'm a firm believer that every citizen in this great state,should have a equal chance to take advantage of every opportunity there is to create a great life for themselves. Common sense, decency, and a desire to help move this state into the front line of innovation is what I think is missing from our legislation. In this beautiful state there are beautiful beaches, fertile farmlands, even lush mountain tops. Still our citizens are getting paid less than 80% of the country, our entire state is plagued with an opioid crisis yet we won't legalize a organic plant to help combat those issues. We developed a thriving educational lottery, now let's allocate a portion of those funds to give all rural communities a youth educational program. These are reasonable goals that can be achieved. Simplistic solutions to these problems and many more is what I want to bring to the South Carolina House of Representatives for District 60. I'm asking you to help me do that starting with your vote on 6/9/20. Thank you.
- Increase state minimum wage
- Legalization of marijuana
- Increasing resources for teachers
There are several issues that concern me as they should most South Carolinians. Like why our state insist on allowing the state minimum to stay where it has for so long. We are a southern east coast state that has become a must go destination spot for people all over the country. Yet we will never get the most talented people in there fields to stay and commit if the wages arent competitive. Yes our cost of living is cheaper than most. Which is why no one should be struggling to not just survive but live & earn a living wage without having to work two jobs or drown in college debt.
Like most of the Americans in this country I am absolutely baffled how the system allows drug companies to sell the problem,vaccine,and cure. But has an all out war against the marijuana plant and the countless benefits that it could add to not just our medical field, but the financial impact alone could revitalized our educational system, outdated highway infrastructure, and help fund rural community youth centers to give our future somewhere productive to go after school, and during summers.
In all earnest, there are far to many great individuals that have influenced me on my life's journey to specify just one. However if I had to follow anyones example on how to persevere through adversity while still trying to revolutionize the human capacity for being greater than previously thought possible it would be. (other than the abrupt demise) Nikola Tesla. To dedicate your lifes work to helping bring humanity forward and the ability to see a world without greed and pride getting in the way of progress is an overwhelming dream to have . Nevertheless a reality to try and create. But to have such ambition and hope for the human spirit is admirable.
In this day and age of denial, finger pointing, and accusations of fake media. It would be nice to have someone that is honest, reliable, and actually respects the truth. Not just that, but doesn't mind telling you the truth even when it's not the convenient thing too do. Change is hard, but it is also a necessary part of evolution. This is why someone that has a vision of a better South Carolina as their defining principal is who should help lead this new era that we are transitioning into. The citizens of this great state are a lot more perceptive than generally given credit for, it's time to stop restricting them from some of the same freedoms and liberty's that other states thrive from. Let's bring common sense back to a world where it's not that common.
Ambition and vision. those are the qualities that i hope to bring to this office. we have been to eager to be the first one in last place for far too long. My hope is that we can swing the tide of complacence and usher in a new age of innovation along with good old fashion common sense. The idea that we should have to even vote on given people a decent wage for a honest days work is laughable. let's stop playing politics with peoples lives and get back to creating the greatest democracy this world has ever seen.
The idea that i could contribute to breaking some of the shackles of the rust belt that holds us back as a state is fulfilling enough to satisfy me and my meager part on this great stage. Legacy's are often written by the victor, if all i gained was personal assets and notoriety, and the people still suffered, then it was all for naught. Because i would have become what i sought to correct. The system. So to answer the question i would love to have as apart of my legacy is that i fulfilled the promises that i made when i asked for the residents of this great state to believe in me and to give me their vote.
There have been a lot of amazing moments during my lifetime. If I had to recall one of the earliest events that made me want to know more about the world. It would be when the Berlin wall fell. We were in school and my teacher explained to us why it was so significant. And that people were being given freedom to live in a new more evolving world. This sparked an interest in me and how great the world could become if we focused more on coming together than what divides us. But in that moment when all I could see was families reaching out to each other being United once again. The one question that kept nagging me was why were they separated to start with? Just because they didn't have the same views as the leadership. As an adult I've found that it's a bit more complicated that that, but the underlying principle remains. People want to come together and create a better reality for everyone. We just need leadership that speaks for them and not special interest.
The very first job I had was with my dad at his mechanic shop. At first I could not understand why I had to be there working, getting greasy, dirty, cut up. Especially when all my friends were out looking like they were having the time of their lives. My dad would always say when I tried to make an excuse to leave early you can't lead a crowd by following the herd. So of course I had to stay until the job got done. It took awhile but eventually I realized they were doing the same thing every day and what I was learning was becoming profitable. Not just because I was getting paid at the end of the week (that was barely gas money) but I had developed a skilled that everyone needed. I found myself even after work doing side jobs, and looking forward to certain jobs. I had learned a skill and it was this skill that help simplify things for me. Because a lot of issues I faced in life I learned to rationalize and become more proactive than reactive. Just like maintaining a vehicle the more you take care of who you are in character and morales, the further the miles in this highway of life you can go.
"Life is good" by Drake and future.
I really wanted to provide some in depth answer to this question, i mean a very profound moment of struggle and sacrifice. So it took me a while to answer this, i even skipped it and came back because i felt that this should be given with serious thought and consideration. Not just because i wanted it to sound good, but because it's the moments of greatest struggle not moments of convenience that truly define an individual . With that being said, i find one of my biggest struggles is coming too terms with the idea that in 2020 we still let race,religion, language, cultures even the color of someones skin come between us creating a greater humanity. As a species we have the ability to create almost anything our minds can conceive of if we allowed ourselves to be more accepting of others and their differences. To be honest, how bland would this world be if we where all alike. Nobody wants that, or the lack of diversity that would incur as a result.
MoOur state has always be predominantly republican regardless of what chamber they represent. With that knowledge I know that even though there are squabbles every now and then , for the most part the majority have similar views. Still there are enough differences in opinion that help uphold our democracy. Which is why we need representatives in office that represent a variety of views just like the people of this great state, which has numerous cultures that are different yet all represent what is is to be a South Carolinian. This is why it is vital that we elect a representative that adds a new young voice to the chambers that represent the future of South Carolina. Yes change is often times different especially when most are so comfortable with the ways things are. But if you look at it like a cell phone, as soon as you get use to the phone you have here comes a shiny new version. Now you can't get a new one every time an updated model comes out, yet every couple of years you have to update it because if you don't your service gets slower, connection gets worse, and general wear and tear. Now, what happens when you get the new phone? its frustrating at first sure, it's a different format, buttons are not where you're used too, and everything needs to be reinstalled. But after you accept it and become more familiar with the construct you start to like it, once you realize it's upgrade is even more user friendly and does twice as much you start to wonder why you resisted in the first place because of how much easier the upgraded version is to operate. Our legislative system needs an update, we have to take on this evolving world head on with people that only want to see this great state reach its fullest potential. To me that potential is limited only by those that choose to do nothing and settle. So to answer your question the biggest difference in the states two legislative chambers is the old status quo, and those that are trying to upgrade the system.
There should always be someone of experience, and knowledge of the system in chambers. But no i do not think every legislator should have experience prior to taken office. How else can you get views from the same citizens that you want to govern if everyone is cut from the same cloth. Diversity and a voice that is not censored by political etiquette is often times needed in order to paint a picture for those who can't afford the brush. There is so much that wiser, and more experienced chamber members can teach those newcomers that are free from political corruption and still hold the values that inspired them to want to make a difference. Yet those dreams and ideals that they bring can also reinvigorate those that may have gotten complacent in there roles, and teach them in return how the world is evolving and progressing. Which is why i feel like there should be a mixed bag of fresh new ideas, but also experience to guide those ideas into reality that is beneficial for all.
Climate change has to be front and center of our agenda for the next ten years. It is undeniable that the frequency of catastrophic storms has been ravishing our coast lines and in lands area horrifically over that past several years and its seems to only be getting worse. we have to put in place new guidelines to start curbing our carbon footprint drastically. Also we have to address the fact that our average state citizen is making around $26,000 a year. this not a living wage. there are too many opportunities that we have in this state to attract new business that want to operate in South Carolina and pay appropriate wages. Especially when it comes to minimum wage. How can we ever expect our kids to leave home if they cant afford the gas to get to work? Another issue that has to be address is the obvious elephant in the room, and that is the disproportionate amount of minorities that fills our jails, and prisons, even though compared to there white counter that commit almost twice the amount of crimes yet only end up serving a fraction of the time collectively. Our state is better than this, this old way of thinking cannot help us when you may be incarcerating future doctors, nurses, teachers. We have to find a way to give them a path to successfully integrate back into society ready to contribute. But more than that we have to let the justice system be blind to color,race, religion, etc... so that sentences are handed out fair and just.
To me the ideal relationship between the two would be if they could work hand in hand with each other, with the same agenda, views, and values that all align with progressing the state rather than personal agendas. This is something that i know can easily be said and a lot harder to reach simply because every individual member of the house has there own views and values that differ. Even though this is true i still believe that there is more that connects us than divides us. which is why we need someone in the chambers that doesn't have a huge ego to fill or special interest groups to pander too. Instead lets vote for someone who's willing to work with Democrats and Republicans because their all south carolinians .For far too long we have let the logo on a flag get in the way of whats right and wrong regardless of affiliation. The practice of having common sense values in a world where it's not so common needs to be re-ignited.
Of course it's beneficial not just for an individual but the community as a hold. What is more important is being able to develop and secure a relationship with the constituents in your district. There have been numerous times when i myself have tried to get in touch with my representative, senator, and congressman only to be given some lame excuse about how they'll get back to me if i ever even get that far. Either way after 2 years of trying to contact any of them i understand why there is such a lack of miss trust in our elected officials. They generally don't have the time or patience to listen to those that their supposed to represent unless it's in a limited controlled setting. That need to change, there should be a more personal relationship than a flyer or billboard every couple of years. This is why i did the unthinkable and put my personal cell phone number in the profile. So everyone knows that its me there talking to and not some automated machine screening your calls. Lets get back to the core values that make this country, and state great and stop pushing aside the people when want to help most.
I am not a current legislator, but i do believe that you should learn your surroundings and environment before taken on any new challenges. As to not become overwhelmed with your current duties. In turn after the allotted amount of time when trust and respect has been established between you and your colleagues and the confidence that you have in fulfilling that role is appropriate should one seek too obtain more responsibility.
I think every person that runs for an elected officials office wants to assume the leadership role. This is not a surprise to anyone, its what you do with that responsibility once you get it that defines your character and how others view you. Assuming leadership without first learning how to follow is a thankless journey. So in order to assume a leadership role i must first learn how to learn the rules written and unwritten that govern the arena that i'm trying to become apart of.
Not really, i would love to talk about how this one particular legislator gave an inspiring speech, or that there was a bill that got pass that meant so much i just had to do it.The truth of that matter is i got so frustrated with our current officials making us feel like we don't count unless its an election cycle that i wanted to give the residents someone they could relate to.There is so much that needs to be done in our community that they can help with. Yet i feel like because it's a mostly rural area we get tossed by the waste side when funding for real impact programs become available or when we need something rural communities have to work twice as hard to get it because the voting impact might not be substantial enough to ,make a difference. This or just opinion from previous experience.
NO!!!!! not at this moment. This local campaign is a lot more than i originally thought it would be . Although i am grateful for the experience, it's something that you cannot prepare for. The challenges you face, the time it takes, and that's before your bare the responsibilities of those that entrusted you to make their lives a little bit better. Because they've shared their life's stories with you in hopes that you can see it from their perspective so that you can fight the good fight for them. This is not to say in the future i wont revisit this question and do a self analysis of my journey to see if i'm prepared for such a venture. As of now that is not an option.
There isn't one particular story, but there is this town, Lamar, SC that motivates me. As of the census in 2018 there were approximately 1000 residents of this small town, yet the have produced several NFL players, have numerous state championships in different athletic fields, and their schools are consistently among the top in their state educationally, they even have a former governor of South Carolina in David Beasley. This is all well and good but what is most troubling is that they have one of the highest crime rates per captia in South Carolina. The local economy is stagnant at best, and there are absolutely no appropriately funded community outreach programs. Of course this is a disaster waiting to happen, causing a cycle of poverty to repeat itself and a waste of immense talent by generations of people that just need direction. This is the story of countless towns across our great state. That is why i am running for South Carolina representative D60, to help create a source of income that goes directly into funding rural community outreach centers to help combat this crisis. Portions of this funding can be syphoned from the educational lottery, (which is what it was intended for) but the majority of this funding can come from legalizing medicinal marijuana and taxing that product. This serves two purposes; combat illness, and create funding for something that directly contributes to South Carolinians without the trickle down effect.
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
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on April 26, 2020
Current members of the South Carolina House of Representatives
Leadership
Speaker of the House:G. Murrell Smith
Majority Leader:Davey Hiott
Minority Leader:James Rutherford
Representatives
District 1
Bill Whitmire (R)
District 2
Adam Duncan (R)
District 3
Phillip Bowers (R)
District 4
Davey Hiott (R)
District 5
Neal Collins (R)
District 6
April Cromer (R)
District 7
Lee Gilreath (R)
District 8
Don Chapman (R)
District 9
Blake Sanders (R)
District 10
Thomas Beach (R)
District 11
Craig Gagnon (R)
District 12
Daniel Gibson (R)
District 13
John McCravy (R)
District 14
Luke Rankin (R)
District 15
JA Moore (D)
District 16
Mark Willis (R)
District 17
Mike Burns (R)
District 18
Alan Morgan (R)
District 19
Patrick Haddon (R)
District 20
Stephen Frank (R)
District 21
Vacant
District 22
Paul Wickensimer (R)
District 23
Chandra Dillard (D)
District 24
Bruce Bannister (R)
District 25
Wendell Jones (D)
District 26
David Martin (R)
District 27
David Vaughan (R)
District 28
Chris Huff (R)
District 29
Dennis Moss (R)
District 30
Brian Lawson (R)
District 31
Rosalyn Myers (D)
District 32
Scott Montgomery (R)
District 33
Travis Moore (R)
District 34
Sarita Edgerton (R)
District 35
Bill Chumley (R)
District 36
Robert Harris (R)
District 37
Steven Long (R)
District 38
Josiah Magnuson (R)
District 39
Cal Forrest (R)
District 40
Joe White (R)
District 41
Annie McDaniel (D)
District 42
Doug Gilliam (R)
District 43
Randy Ligon (R)
District 44
Mike Neese (R)
District 45
Brandon Newton (R)
District 46
Heath Sessions (R)
District 47
Tommy Pope (R)
District 48
Brandon Guffey (R)
District 49
John King (D)
District 50
Keishan Scott (D)
District 51
J. Weeks (D)
District 52
Jermaine Johnson (D)
District 53
Richie Yow (R)
District 54
Jason Luck (D)
District 55
Jackie Hayes (D)
District 56
Tim McGinnis (R)
District 57
Lucas Atkinson (D)
District 58
Jeff Johnson (R)
District 59
Terry Alexander (D)
District 60
Phillip Lowe (R)
District 61
Carla Schuessler (R)
District 62
Robert Williams (D)
District 63
Jay Jordan (R)
District 64
Fawn Pedalino (R)
District 65
Cody Mitchell (R)
District 66
Jackie Terribile (R)
District 67
G. Murrell Smith (R)
District 68
Heather Crawford (R)
District 69
Chris Wooten (R)
District 70
Robert Reese (D)
District 71
District 72
Seth Rose (D)
District 73
Christopher Hart (D)
District 74
James Rutherford (D)
District 75
Heather Bauer (D)
District 76
Leon Howard (D)
District 77
Kambrell Garvin (D)
District 78
Beth Bernstein (D)
District 79
Hamilton Grant (D)
District 80
Kathy Landing (R)
District 81
Charles Hartz (R)
District 82
William Clyburn (D)
District 83
Bill Hixon (R)
District 84
Melissa Oremus (R)
District 85
Jay Kilmartin (R)
District 86
Bill Taylor (R)
District 87
Paula Calhoon (R)
District 88
Vacant
District 89
Micah Caskey (R)
District 90
Justin Bamberg (D)
District 91
Lonnie Hosey (D)
District 92
Brandon Cox (R)
District 93
Jerry Govan (D)
District 94
Gil Gatch (R)
District 95
District 96
D. McCabe (R)
District 97
Robby Robbins (R)
District 98
Chris Murphy (R)
District 99
Mark Smith (R)
District 100
Sylleste Davis (R)
District 101
Roger Kirby (D)
District 102
Harriet Holman (R)
District 103
Carl Anderson (D)
District 104
William Bailey (R)
District 105
Kevin Hardee (R)
District 106
Val Guest (R)
District 107
Case Brittain (R)
District 108
Lee Hewitt (R)
District 109
District 110
Tom Hartnett (R)
District 111
Wendell Gilliard (D)
District 112
Joe Bustos (R)
District 113
Courtney Waters (D)
District 114
Gary Brewer (R)
District 115
Spencer Wetmore (D)
District 116
James Teeple (R)
District 117
Jordan Pace (R)
District 118
Bill Herbkersman (R)
District 119
District 120
Weston Newton (R)
District 121
Michael Rivers (D)
District 122
Bill Hager (R)
District 123
Jeff Bradley (R)
District 124
Shannon Erickson (R)
Republican Party (86)
Democratic Party (36)
Vacancies (2)
