South Carolina House of Representatives District 98 candidate surveys, 2022

Elections in South Carolina, 2022

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This article shows responses from candidates in the 2022 election for South Carolina House of Representatives District 98 who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

• Click here to see candidates and election results.
• Click here to see Candidate Connection survey responses.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for South Carolina House of Representatives District 98

Incumbent Chris Murphy defeated Sydney Clinton in the general election for South Carolina House of Representatives District 98 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chris Murphy (R)	57.8	6,770
		Sydney Clinton (D)	42.1	4,925
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	14

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,709
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

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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.

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Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Sydney Clinton (D)

The first message of my campaign is to let young people know politics are more important to our generation than any other. The policies being enacted today are intended to be long- lasting and it’s our generation who will be impacted by them longer.

The second message is my campaign is about providing a choice to the people in District 98. Democracy is being able to choose who represents you, and for the past eight years, District 98 has had only once option on the ballot in November.

My third message is about innovation and creativity. Status quo in the 21 st Century means moving backwards. District 98 has had no substantive change in the past 12 years, so it’s time for fresh ideas to drive.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Sydney Clinton (D)

I'm personally very passionate about public education policy and women's reproductive health policy.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Sydney Clinton (D)

Humility, integrity, transparency

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Sydney Clinton (D)

There are three qualities I possess which I believe will make me a successful

officeholder. First, I have a passion for service. I believe in being a part of something bigger than myself and that I have an obligation to leave the world around me better than how I found it. Second, I have a deep love for the state of South Carolina. I am a military child and my family came here to plant roots and so that my sister and I “could be from somewhere”. I have taken this to heart, and I want to be a part of the change to create a better version of South Carolina. Lastly, I believe I have the humility to lead. I recognize when I don’t have all the right answers and so I am unafraid to ask questions. I am the first to admit when my decision may have been the wrong one, as I ensure I don’t make the same

mistake twice.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Sydney Clinton (D)

I believe state representatives have an obligation to represent ALL of the people within their district, not just those who vote for them; They need to look after the best interests of not only the district, but the state at large; And finally I believe they have a responsibility to recognize they do not have all of the answers and they may not be the smartest person in the room and therefore should be willing to explore new ideas from new sources.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Sydney Clinton (D)

The first historical event I remember was the war in Afghanistan. Specifically, I remember the morning my dad left for Afghanistan in 2007, when I was five years old. He and I played Barbies on our kitchen table while he waited for his ride to the airport to arrive. Even though as I grew older and learned the war broke out shortly after Sept 11, 2001, and I was born seven days later, the impact this particular “event” has had on me and our extended Marine Corps “family” has taught me about what selfless service means in the strictest of definitions: to the men, like my dad, and women who left; along with the wives, husbands, sons, and daughters they left behind.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Sydney Clinton (D)

South Carolina’s two greatest challenges over the next decade are a failing education system

and overburdened, outdated infrastructure. South Carolina currently ranks 43 rd in public education; our teachers are paid 22.5% below the national average; and we spend 35% less per student than the national average. Without significant and deliberate investment in the public school system, future generations of South Carolinians will not only be unable to compete in the global marketplace, they will be unable to compete for basic jobs paying a living wage.

The outdated and overburdened infrastructure includes thoroughfares which are unsuitable for daily commutes and intrastate travel. It includes a lack of access to broadband across the state, drastically limiting 21 st Century technology to over half of the state. And finally, it includes a public transportation

system which doesn’t even come close to meeting the needs of either urban or rural communities.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Sydney Clinton (D)

While in some circumstances I do believe experience can be beneficial for state legislators, I also believe it can be detrimental. It becomes detrimental when the experience being brought to the table is one of failed ideas, lack of innovation, and an unwillingness to seek new and different opinions because “that’s the way things are done”. When a state continues to decline in every meaningful measure, and the body continues doing the same thing session after session, it’s time to do something different. Otherwise, it’s doing nothing but reinforcing failure.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Sydney Clinton (D)

I firmly believe compromise is both necessary and desirable in policymaking. It is necessary because it is

extremely rare to find even two individuals who completely agree on every single thing, let alone thousands or tens of thousands. Therefore, any type of policy being passed by a legislative body has gone through countless compromises along the way. It’s the only way to get anything accomplished. It is also desirable because you want to ensure every perspective has been considered and discussed prior to a policy being enacted. Neither of the political parties in our two-party system has all of the right answers on any topic, regardless of what they both espouse. The goal is to represent all of the people, not just those who agree with you or who vote your party line, and the way to ensure that is to recognize good

ideas can come from anywhere.

See also

More about these elections:

• South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2022

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