Amanda Somers is all smiles as she announced her candidacy for South Carolina Senate District 5.
Vic Grout congratulates Amanda Somers on her running for the S.C. Senate.
“I don’t want to be a politician, I want to be a statesman,” Somers told her supporters. “The state needs to run more like a business. We need smaller government and we need more efficiency.”
Somers has lived in the Upstate 30 years. She’s a graduate of Riverside High School and attended Clemson University and the Medical University of South Carolina where she earned her degree in Physical Therapy. “This is the first step in a new phase of my life,” she said.
Somers has been an active participant in the Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce, serving as its 2008 Chairman of the Board. Some Chamber officials were on hand to hear Somers’ announcement.
“My decision to seek election to the SC Senate is attributed to spending nearly 30 years residing in the district,” Somers’ statement read. “The 5th District deserves a senator that is in touch with community needs has business experience, and is willing to stand up for its constituents over the Senate leadership.”
Somers said her filing three days before Friday’s deadline was strategic. “The time is ripe for a woman to be elected to the Senate and for women to lead reform in the statehouse. I’m not scared to voice my opinion.”
Accountability and transparency in the statehouse, said Somers, is part of her campaign platform. “We need transparency to see how our tax dollars are spent and where they are going. We need accountability by having a roll call on every vote.”
Somers’ statement read, “The district’s ideas need a voice in Columbia and we must have a responsible steward to represent these interests. SC Senate District 5 deserves someone that is a proven leader in the community, will be accountable to its constituents, and will personify the people in this great corner of South Carolina.”
The South Carolina primaries are June 12.