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| S.C. State Sen. Ross Turner, R-Greenville, speaks to the| Richland County GOP at their monthly meeting last night. Photo by Tony J. Spain, Palmetto Examiner |
Written by: Tony J. Spain, Palmetto Examiner
April 29, 2025
COLUMBIA, S.C. (PE)--South Carolina State Sen. Ross Turner, R-Greenville, District
8, is a name that has been mentioned as a potential gubernatorial candidate for
2026, and he spoke to the Richland County GOP at their monthly meeting last
night in part of their “First in the State” speaker series to vet potential
candidates, but he stopped short of mentioning a run for governor saying he ran
for office because he loves this state.
“I ran for the senate because I love this state. I grew up in this state. It’s
in my blood and it’s always going to be in my blood,” Turner said. “It’s one of
those things I don’t take it lightly the decisions we make.”
The 60 year old insurance businessman that was first elected to the state senate
in 2012 spoke about his journey to the senate, but mainly about the tort/liabilityreform bill the senate recently passed calling it, “as bad as you think it is”
and economic development claiming the Palmetto State is a top five location in
the nation businesses want to come to.
“It’s still the one percent can pay 100 percent. We got businesses going out of
business, and it’s not by their choice. It’s because of things we created,”
Turner said about the tort/liability reform bill. “Justice is not a system that
is supposed to make somebody liable that had nothing to do with it.”
Turner compared the current situation that continues to close many businesses
that serve alcohol as a racquet.
“We got a racquet going right now in South Carolina and everybody should stand
up against that,” he said. “It’s not fair. It’s killing businesses and we have
to work through that.”
On economic development, Turner spoke about jobs, but not just any kind of
jobs, he wants “higher end” jobs that will keep our younger professionals in
state.
“Let’s go for some of these higher end jobs,” he said. “Our best graduates,
from our best colleges don’t stay here, because the opportunity is not here.”
Turner says we have the location to lure them here with our infrastructure that
consists of a port, major airports and an interstate system we are a top five
location, but “we sell ourselves too cheap way too often.”
“We need people who’s bringing their headquarters here. We don’t need just
jobs. We need jobs where the decisions are made here and not somewhere else,”
Turner said. “In my business, I always said, recruit some of these insurance
headquarters down here, the taxes they’re paying in Connecticut are ridiculous.”
The upstate senator also fielded questions concerning the state income tax, his
vote to recommend the removal of State Treasurer Curtis Loftis, a casino
gambling bill and more.
Tony Spain is a former candidate for Richland County Council 2020 and an award winning former military photographer and journalist while in the Public Affairs Office for the U.S. Army. His photos and writing have been published in numerous publications such as The Commercial News, Danville, Ill.; The Paraglide, Fort Bragg, N.C.; Soldier of Fortune Magazine; The State Newspaper, Columbia, S.C., and more.
He lives in Columbia, S.C.
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