Melissa Watson
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Contact
Melissa Watson (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent South Carolina's 7th Congressional District. She lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Watson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Melissa Watson was born in Dillon, South Carolina. She served in the U.S. Army from 1995 to 2001. Watson earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of Charleston in 1999 and a graduate degree from The Citadel in 2001. Her career experience includes working as a teacher.[1]
Elections
2020
See also: South Carolina's 7th Congressional District election, 2020
South Carolina's 7th Congressional District election, 2020 (June 9 Democratic primary)
South Carolina's 7th Congressional District election, 2020 (June 9 Republican primary)
General election
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Democratic primary election
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Tom Rice advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House South Carolina District 7.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Melissa Watson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Watson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Melissa Watson has been involved in her community for many years. She is the mom of 2 wonderful children. In her professional career, she is a National Board Certified government teacher, part-time server, and a licensed real estate agent. She holds an undergraduate degree from the College of Charleston, a graduate degree from the Citadel, and is a doctoral candidate at the University of Phoenix. In 2002, she was chosen for the Rookie Teacher of the Year Award at Baptist Hill High School. She loves working young people and volunteering in her community.
- The economic boom has left District 07 behind. While unemployment is around 3.5%, poverty is as high as 32%. People are working, but they are working multiple jobs to barely make ends meet.
- Crumbling roads and infrastructure. The roads in District 07 are some of the worst in the nation. The only place I-95 is two lanes is in SC. Need I mention the unfinished I-73? Hwy 501 in Conway is in a major flood zone and often floods. When it does, people don't have access to the hospital.
- Protect our environment! Our waterways are essential to the way we live. Clean water and clean beaches are essential to our SC lifestyle. We need clean water to drink, clean water is vital to our fishing industry, and clean, safe beaches are necessary for tourism. No off-shore oil drilling.
Education, the economy, healthcare, and the environment.
I am inspired by my grandmother, father, and mother. My grandmother grew up very poor in a segregated South. She worked really hard and overcame lots of difficulties. She and my grandfather raised a family and bought a home through HUD. She lost two children, and one child was born on the day she buried another one. The way that my grandparents grew up and the things that they had to endure serve as my motivation to overcome my personal challenges today. My grandmother held fast to her belief in God and made sure she raised all her children with Christian moral values.
My mother is another inspiration to me. She lost her mother when she was 9 and was raised by my grandfather who never remarried. She always worked hard and took care of her family. My mom was a good mother despite not having a living example. Once she divorced, her struggles continued, but she, too, continued to live life without hatred or bitterness, and with Christian values. She found a way to make ends meet.
My dad has been my hero my entire life. He, too, is a hard worker. He was able to start his own small business with just a high school diploma. He is a retired truck driver. The peaceful unbothered way he manages crisis inspires me everyday.
All of my family stories, reassures me that no matter what is happening we will be ok. Even though we have struggled as a nation, this country has always done what is right eventually. My belief in a better America is why I am running for Congress. The best way to understand my political philosophy is to read my website. There are many political books that I have read. I do love my political classics, though. I love Plato's Republic, Rousseau's Social Contract, Machiavelli's The Prince, and Madison, Hamilton, and Jay's The Federalist Papers. While I may not agree with everything in them, I do understand what their ideals on government suggest for our present and future country. On the list to read is Gorsuch's A Republic If You Can Keep It.
Elected officials must be honest, patient, humble, and patriotic. Let me be clear about what patriotism means. Patriotism means putting your country first, and that could suggest going against your own political party. Partisan politics is destroying the country and has created unnecessary gridlock. Doing what is right for the American people (not necessarily what is popular) and upholding our Constitution should be the primary focus of every elected official. Consent is not the only mark of a Patriotic man. Dissent is just as important as consent. Elected officials must stand up against tyranny and lawlessness. Politicians need to uphold the rule of law because our Constitution says that no man is above the law even if that man is in your own party.
I am hoping that our elected officials go back to exemplifying the leadership qualities that all Americans can emulate.
A disdain for mediocrity. Congress works in incrementalism and mediocrity all the time. These are the two attributes that make working in a bureaucracy frustrating for average Americans. Incrementalism and mediocrity add to the pessimism and cynicism people have about politics. We can do better. I hope to light a fire in Congress. Washington politicians need to understand that while they refuse to work together to solve problems, people's lives are being affected.
While I possess qualities like being hardworking, pragmatic, optimistic, and persistent not accepting mediocrity is my biggest asset. We can do better, and we should demand better.
I believe that my responsibilities as a Congresswoman from SC's 7th Congressional District is to represent my constituents by supporting policies that improve their lives. That means advocating for, supporting, and sponsoring bills that improve infrastructure, healthcare, and the economic outcomes of the people in my district.
The collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989. I was 12 years old. I did not understand it all at the time, I just knew it was a big historic moment.
I joined the Army Reserves as my first job. I was a senior in high school, and I was looking for a way to serve my country, a way to pay for college, and a steady income when I went to college. The Army Reserves afforded me the opportunity to accomplish it all. I also gained many useful skills.
My first civilian job was working for Sears in the mall. I got that job in college, and I stayed there for 8 years.
The Bible. Other than the Bible, I like to read autobiographies, articles, anything that is informative I want to read.
Diana Ross's I'm Coming Out. I think 2020 is the year of the woman, and many female political candidates will be singing this song.
I have struggled with not being able to provide better educational opportunities for my students. A proper quality education is essential to making sure that our students are successful. As a teacher I have done the very best I can to provide students with the best quality education. There are so many hurdles in our way. So we desperately need better educational policies in this country.
While the House of Representatives is the lower chamber of Congress the ability to consider all appropriation bills first, start Impeachment proceedings, and elect the President give it exclusive powers that the Senate does not have. These powers have allowed a Democratically-controlled House to check some of Donald Trump's policies. The House has been able to stave off some serious cuts to social programs that the average American needs. Also, the set up of the House allows certain areas of the country to highlight their unique issues by having officials that represent districts rather than entire states.
I think that experience in politics provides an advantage. I have spent 12 years volunteering in Democratic politics. However, I don't believe it is necessary. I also think that political experience provides you with a professionalism that inexperienced candidates may lack. You learn the discipline of debate, the key players in the party, and lessons from other campaigns. These are all valuable lessons, and if you learn them before you run, then you will have more time to focus on your campaign.
America's great challenge in the next decade is going to be creating an economy that works for everyone. While capitalism has many positive attributes such as being the fastest path to upward mobility, innovation, and allowing the most economic freedom, it also has a number of negative attributes. The negative effects of capitalism are large inequalities, economic instability, and exploitation of workers. We as a nation must find a way to maximize the benefits of capitalism while curbing the negative affects of capitalism.
I would suggest that we pass policies that improve healthcare, raise the minimum wage, provide paid leave, and protect our environment.
Ways and Means
Rules Committee
Appropriations
Education and Labor I don't believe in term limits. The people have an automatic term- limiting ability in their vote. When elected officials become entrenched and stop serving their constituents it is time to get rid of them. Vote them out.
Seniority is huge in DC. It is the very reason so many of the Democratic chairmen are African-American. Without the Seniority system many minorities in DC would not have chairmanships.
No, not immediately. As a teacher, I value learning. I think a new member should take the time to learn the ropes, rules, and the power brokers of DC. There are a lot of procedural things that leadership can do. It takes a little time to learn what those steps are and how to use them effectively. As a representative, I automatically get a voice, and I intend to use it.
Shirley Chisolm. When I was a little girl, there was a lady at my church who always called me Shirley Chisolm. I did not know who Shirley Chisolm was until I was much older. When I learned how powerful Shirley Chisolm was, I also learned how highly Ms. Adams thought of me. Ms. Adams spent a lot of time mentoring me and giving me nuggets of wisdom. I could not appreciate it at the time, but I surely do now. I want to be bold like Rep. Chisolm, inspire like her, and legislate like her.
Yes, on my very first campaign day, I met Carolyn. She apologized for how she looked. I ask her if she voted, she said no. She said nothing changes and politicians don't do anything. I asked her what she would want politicians to do. She said she wanted politicians to bring better paying employment to her town. Then, she said when she would apply online for jobs, she had to go in town because there is no Internet in her area. She would come to town to apply online, and then after coming back to town to check to see if she had any offers or interviews, it would be low-paying jobs like Pizza Hut. She couldn't pay her bills on what Pizza Hut paid nor did she have any benefits. We can do better than this.
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See also
External links
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 21, 2020
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