U.S. Representative Williams Timmons, incumbent in the race for South Carolina's 4th Congressional District, visited Spartanburg Tuesday to speak to constituents in the county that won him the Republican primary.
His Democratic opponent, Kathryn Harvey, said he should have spent more time talking about people in the Upstate and not concentrating on national headlines during his talk.
Timmons' talk on Aug. 27 was part of the Caffeinated Conversations series, which OneSpartanburg, Inc. regularly holds.
Before taking questions from the audience, Timmons discussed the current presidential election cycle, the troubles Congress faced last year, and his recent visit with global BMW leaders in Munich.
"In just a three, four-week span, we had the assassination attempt against President Trump. We had the President drop out of the Presidential [race]. All the polls are upside down, and Congress is as dysfunctional as ever. So, it really is a difficult time in Washington," Timmons said. "I do think the November election is going to be incredibly important. I'm sure we all agree on that. You know, in a normal Congress, somewhere between 400 and 500 bills are signed into law every Congress. We're currently at 70, and I don't expect many more. So, that's a great indicator of the dysfunction in Washington."
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Timmons offers opinions on RFK, Jr. endorsem*nt, unions in SC, childcare scarcity
During the Q&A portion of the event, Timmons addressed questions about a variety of topics including Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s endorsem*nt of former President Trump, which he called "powerful," and the attempted unionization of Alabama Mercedes workers in May and the potential for similar unionization attempts in South Carolina.
Timmons emphasized that he is against unions and would work to ensure that South Carolina remains a right-to-work state.
"There's always a threat. But again, the reason that we are doing so well is because we have the right balance. Unions are not good for the economy," Timmons argued. "If you don't like your working conditions, go somewhere else. There are jobs."
Timmons also addressed a question about childcare scarcity and high costs in South Carolina, which he believed should be addressed locally.
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"I think a lot of those solutions are best met at the local level. Spartanburg is doing a lot along those lines, and it is a major challenge that I do think the government has a role in," Timmons said. "But there is always that fine line of, where does that start? I think states and local communities are just addressed to figure that out."
D4 candidate Kathryn Harvey says Timmons makes it 'harder for families to thrive'
Harvey attended the chamber event and held a press conference at the Spartanburg County Democratic Headquarters after it ended.
"I heard about half an hour of him not talking about people. I heard him talking about national headlines and national issues and national politics and not once truly relating it back to how these issues impact people here in the Upstate," Harvey said of Timmons' talk. "It [was] a constant pivot into a national headline."
During the press conference, Harvey stated that her campaign was based on supporting smart growth and fighting for working families.
"We talk about these incredible young families moving up to our community, if there isn't attainable housing, affordable health care and access to quality education, how can we expect them to thrive?," Harvey said. "There's a federal role in all of this. If your congressperson is doing their job in DC, it should be helping lift all of these areas."
Given the growth that the Upstate is experiencing, Harvey argued that fostering economic growth is important but that the state's federal representatives should support families and small businesses while doing so.
"It's a long time coming, and we all get to be here and experience this success together. We're attracting young, working families, and we're primed for this growth to rocketship right now, but we have to seize this moment with the right leadership in Washington," Harvey said. "Our congressman is doing everything he can to slow down our economic growth and to make it harder for families to thrive here. It's unacceptable, and it has to stop. The Upstate deserves a representative who will embrace smart growth and set us up for long-term success, and I mean all of us. I'm committed to ensuring that our communities don't just survive that they thrive under the common sense, servant leadership that I will bring to Congress."
Samantha Swann covers city news, development and culture in Spartanburg. She is a University of South CarolinaUpstate and Greenville Technical College alumna. Contact her atsswann@shj.comoron Instagramat @sam_on_spartanburg.
