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Ryan Thompson (South Carolina)
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Ryan Thompson (Democratic Party, Alliance Party) ran for election to the South Carolina House of Representatives to represent District 106. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022. He advanced from the Alliance Party convention on April 23, 2022.
Thompson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Ryan Thompson was born in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He earned a bachelor's degree from the College of Charleston in 2022. His career experience includes working on political campaigns. Thompson has been affiliated with the Horry County Democratic Party, Grand Strand Action Together, and Grand Strand Young Professionals.[1]
Elections
2022
See also: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for South Carolina House of Representatives District 106
Val Guest defeated Ryan Thompson in the general election for South Carolina House of Representatives District 106 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Val Guest (R) | 72.7 | 14,675 |
 | Ryan Thompson (D / Alliance Party)  | 27.3 | 5,508 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 4 | ||
| Total votes: 20,187 | |||
| = 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 runoff election
Republican primary runoff for South Carolina House of Representatives District 106
Val Guest defeated Brian Sweeney in the Republican primary runoff for South Carolina House of Representatives District 106 on June 28, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Val Guest | 54.3 | 1,856 |
 | Brian Sweeney | 45.7 | 1,562 | |
| Total votes: 3,418 | |||
| = 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
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Ryan Thompson advanced from the Democratic primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 106.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 106
Val Guest and Brian Sweeney advanced to a runoff. They defeated Howard Barnard and Bruce Bailey in the Republican primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 106 on June 14, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Val Guest | 38.1 | 2,632 |
| ✔ | | Brian Sweeney | 31.6 | 2,185 |
| Howard Barnard | 18.8 | 1,297 | ||
| Bruce Bailey | 11.6 | 801 | ||
| Total votes: 6,915 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Alliance Party convention
Alliance Party convention for South Carolina House of Representatives District 106
Ryan Thompson advanced from the Alliance Party convention for South Carolina House of Representatives District 106 on April 23, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Ryan Thompson (Alliance Party) |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
Endorsements
To view Thompson's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Ryan Thompson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Thompson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I was born and raised in Horry County and am a proud product of public schools. I recently graduated from the College of Charleston and now I am back in my hometown running to represent the people that mean so much to me. I have been involved with local politics since I was in high school and have worked on political campaigns across the state. I am running to be your choice for a new voice in District 106.
- You should vote for me because I offer you a choice for a new voice in the state house. As a recent college graduate, I am one of the youngest people running in the state and represent a demographic that currently has no one representing them in our state house. I have lived in this area my entire life and believe that voters deserve competitive elections with candidates of, by, and for the people.
- I am people focused, people funded campaign. My opponent is funded by corporate PACs and special interests that have flooded thousands of dollars into this race.
- My opponent doesn’t think he has to do much to win. I want to not only earn your vote, but also send a message to all entrenched establishment candidates that voters pay attention and deserve to be respected, not expected.
I am about passionate about improving our schools and ensuring that all teachers are paid a dignified wage. Our students do best when they are taught by those that are supported and have the needed resources to build relationships to develop the future of our state.
I want to protect our environment for my generation and every generation because we only have one planet. These beaches are my hometown and I will ensure they are protected and nourished. We can have smart growth with planned infrastructure and development.
The characteristics that I believe are more important for an elected official, and what I will carry into office is to ACT. By that I mean being Accessible, Consistent, and Transparent. I want to ensure that all of my constituents know how to contact me to let me know how they feel about issues or if they have a problem and need help. That it what I believe you are supposed to do in elected office; help people. You do this by being consistent with voters and keeping your word. I will not make promises I cannot keep and will stay true to the values I campaign on. Lastly, all of this should be done with transparency. I have always been told that I am a bad liar and not the best at keeping secrets because I prefer to be honest.
I believe that I would be a successful State Representative because I have no special interests in this race, just the interest of serving the people that raised me and helped get me to this point. As a recent student I can provide the perspective of those in our classrooms and the lived realities of the policies that our elected officials enact or consider establishing. As one of the youngest people running in the state, I can help bring new ideas to the legislature and fresh ideas on how to solve the issues that impact all of us. I am running because I love my state, my community, and the amazing people that make up my hometown. I want what is best for them because they have always looked out for what was best for me.
My first real job was working at the Chick-fil-a of Murrells Inlet starting at age 14 and continuing until I was 20. After my dad passed away in 2011, I started finding ways to make money to help support myself and my mother. This started as helping at a snow cone cart, and eventually led to me creating my own Etsy store selling pet toys. Working at Chick-fil-a was my first actual job and working fast-food for so many years teaches you a lot about teamwork and communication. I worked through all four of my high school years and returned for breaks from College in the summer and winter when able to. I am thankful for my experience working there and by being an employee throughout high school and college, I was abled to receive a scholarship to help my educational expenses.
One song has been stuck in my head lately, so much so, that I’ve decided to make it my campaign theme song is “Take A Chance On Me” by ABBA. It’s fitting for my candidacy as a first time candidate and contrast to our current elected officials. In November, I hope voters will Take A Chance On Me as their choice for a new voice. My favorite lyrics are “Gonna do my very best, And it ain't no lie If you put me to the test, if you let me try!” I urge voters to consider voting for me if they are ready for change in their community and leadership that will be accessible and transparent. If I’m elected and you are unhappy with me as you representative, then you can vote me out in the next election cycle. So this year, take a chance on me and allow me the honor of a lifetime to serve the community that raised me.
Education.
We currently have the largest teacher shortage in state history, with more teachers leaving the profession everyday. The environment for teachers and students has become divisive on partisan lines resulted in the students being the biggest losers overall. We need to better fund public education and pay our teachers a dignified wage that shows we respect the work they do. If we cannot keep up, we will lose business and other only go backwards as a state because we will not have the workforce to keep up with our growth. I have spent the last 21 years of my life in a classroom, and I promise to be an unyielding advocate for education in this state.
We currently have the largest teacher shortage in state history, with more teachers leaving the profession everyday. The environment for teachers and students has become divisive on partisan lines resulted in the students being the biggest losers overall. We need to better fund public education and pay our teachers a dignified wage that shows we respect the work they do. If we cannot keep up, we will lose business and other only go backwards as a state because we will not have the workforce to keep up with our growth. I have spent the last 21 years of my life in a classroom, and I promise to be an unyielding advocate for education in this state.
I am in favor of independent redistricting commission that take the politicians out of the redistricting process. South Carolina has some of the most extreme districts that are not competitive or representative of the communities they are drawn onto. Politicians should not be able to choose their voters and design districts in their favor. I believe an independent third party is necessary to make the process fair.
Former State Representative Mandy Powers Norrell is a personal mentor of mine, and someone I deeply admire and respect. In her time in office, she fought for the small town issues that were important to her community, and always did it with love in her heart for everyone. I believe an elected official should represent everyone in their community, and not just those that vote for them. Her knowledge of the issues and dedication to constituent services inspired me to consider public office one day, and I am so glad to have her support in this race.
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
2022 Elections
External links
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Candidate South Carolina House of Representatives District 106 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 1, 2022
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)
