Palmetto Political Stock Index: 3/18/2025

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Could South Carolina be on the cusp of having its own Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)? Republican primary voters in the Palmetto State certainly hope so – but any effort to break the century-plus stranglehold of the entrenched uniparty status quo is going to be a definitional uphill battle.

The latest bid to fundamentally reorient the balance of power in South Carolina is being masterminded by a Lowcountry businessman named Rom Reddy – who has pledged seven figures to his crusade.

Reddy is a true believer in the rights of the individual – and the power of the free market – but the special interests controlling South Carolina’s legislative state have made mincemeat of previous crusades built on those pillars, crushing them outright or rigging the game to ensure “change” winds up being more of the same.

DOGE SC‘s stock is rising now, to be sure… but will it continue climbing after it runs headfirst into the meat-grinding legislative monolith? That’s one of the many emerging dynamics our index is here to track…

***

Every Monday, we follow the rising and falling fortunes of national politicos via the ‘FITSNews Political Stock Index.’ And every Tuesday, we publish the ‘Palmetto Political Stock Index’ – which looks at politicos from our home state of South Carolina, host of the quadrennial “First in the Nation” (for Democrats) and “First in the South” (for Republicans) presidential primaries.

Got a hot “stock tip” for either of these indices? Email Will Folks (here) and/or Mark Powell (here).

Where should you invest your Palmetto political capital this week? To the index…

***

NANCY MACE

***

STOCK: HOLDING

It’s starting to look like Lowcountry Congressman Nancy Mace ate her dessert first; now she’s stuck with the vegetables.

Her big “scored earth” speech on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives last month made headlines just as she hoped. And why shouldn’t it? Mace accused several men of criminal sexual conduct and claimed the state’s top prosecutor was turning a blind eye to it.

But things took a dramatic turn late last week when attorneys for one of the men blasted in Mace’s scathing remarks filed a lawsuit for defamation of character and other claims.

Just as she was preparing to launch her much-ballyhooed run for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, the congresswoman has gone from being Candidate Mace to Defendant Mace as well. 

Meanwhile, there’s still her day job on Capitol Hill. Mace made news last week during a congressional hearing in which she accused Boston Mayor Michelle Wu of allowing rapists to roam Beantown due to the city’s refusal to cooperate with ICE and its efforts to deport illegal immigrants charged with serious crimes. (“That’s not true,” Wu replied.)

As of this writing, Mace has stayed mum on the lawsuit. But with her formal announcement that she’s running for governor expected this spring, she can’t afford to stay silent for long. 

Does the suit endanger her rising trajectory in what has the potential to be an epic slugfest with attorney general Alan Wilson? Her stock is on a holding pattern until we see how the matter plays out.

***

PAMELA EVETTE

***

STOCK: FALLING

Boomerang… blowing up in your face… classic pooch screw… they all sum up the lieutenant governor’s self-inflicted political dilemma.

For starters, you’ll recall Pamela Evette’s supporters leaked word that a Donald Trump-aligned Super PAC was pledging big bucks in support of her quest to be next year’s Republican gubernatorial nominee. Never mind that few folks—if anyone—had ever heard of the PAC. It got a buzz going, and given that her name ID statewide is in the single digits, that’s all that mattered.

Next, her team was telling political movers and shakers she had the inside track for President Trump’s coveted endorsement. In GOP primaries, “that’s all she wrote,” as the saying goes.

If they had stopped there, things might not have been so bad. But they didn’t.

Evette’s crew then followed up with a full-court push to secure the president’s seal of approval. We’re told Trump World basically said, “Let’s see proof of life for your campaign,” evidence showing she’s a viable candidate.

And that was when they took things a little too far. Magically—voila!—a poll from venerated political surveyor Robert Cahaly showed up which featured Evette beating both of her top tier rivals for the GOP nomination.

To veteran political operatives, the poll had the same credibility as election results in China, where Communist candidates always win with 99.9% of the vote.

The thing was so badly bungled that we’re told Trump World is now livid, and has put the endorsement Evette formerly had a shot at snagging on infinite hold.

Trying to be too clever by half rarely succeeds in politics. Just ask Pamela Evette.   

***

MURRELL SMITH

***

STOCK: FALLING

Think of the bitterest grudge matches of all time. Mustard-based vs. vinegar barbecue sauce. USC vs. Clemson. Catholics vs. Protestants in Northern Ireland.  

They’re all child’s play compared to the S.C. General Assembly’s House vs. Senate antagonism. It’s antagonistic when the going is good. But when one chamber feels betrayed by the other, the gloves come off. 

This is exactly where House speaker Murrell Smith currently finds himself…

Set aside for the moment the fact that Smith teased having a tax reform plan two weeks ago that we’re still waiting to see. Will it be a stand-alone bill? Maybe tucked away inside some other measure? And just how meaningful are the tax cuts he has in mind?

We don’t know for sure because Smith hasn’t told us. For legislators and citizens alike, it’s a Jerry Maguire moment: “Show me the money.” But put that on the back burner.

The speaker has also drawn ire because of his ham-fisted maneuverings to kill lawsuit reform. It wasn’t lost on senators when the powerful trial lawyers lobby began supporting his liquor liability reform bill. It was an open secret that proposal’s real goal was embarrassing the Senate.

Compounding matters: the liquor reform offensive appears to have been implemented by Smith’s favorite flunky-in-waiting, political gadfly Chris Slick, as it bore all the hallmarks of his many cocked-up efforts.

The result: senators are now gunning for Smith.

It’s a mighty unpleasant position to be in. Partisan warfare is one thing. Ideological conflicts are another. But Senate-on-House violence can be politically lethal.

Smith may want to rethink the goodies contained in his tax reform proposal — and then trot it out ASAP. He may need it to save his speakership.

***

SHANE MASSEY

***

STOCK: HOLDING

“What do Shane Massey and Lazarus in the Bible have in common?” one South Carolina political strategist jokingly asked. “They both came back from the dead.”

Earlier this month, it was looking like the Senate Majority Leader’s tort reform bill was stillborn. Thanks to a massive barrage unleashed by the trial lawyer’s lobby, he could only muster 19 votes (17 Republicans and 2 Democrats) for his unamended version.

Many observers expected him to withdraw into his shell and lick his wounds. Even his leadership position seemed in jeopardy. 

Massey went radio silent over the next few days. But instead of giving up the ghost, he roared back to life. He rounded up his Republican colleagues, reminded them that he is largely responsible for the upper chamber’s GOP supermajority, and then essentially said, “Now let’s play a little game of ‘what have you done for ME lately?’” In essence, he began collecting IOUs, of which he was owed many.

Suddenly, tort reform has a new lease on life. Extensive closed-door negotiations last week hammered out a comprise bill with 60% of Massey’s original version still in.

“He’s got his votes back,” one source told this news outlet.

If significant tort reform eventually passes, even a slightly watered-down version, it would still represent a landmark victory. Meaning Massey could give Lazarus a few pointers on coming back from the Great Beyond.

Of course, Massey still has to get the measure across the finish line… and trial lawyers led by status quo senator Stephen Goldfinch are pulling out all the stops in the hopes of keeping him from doing so.

***

WANNA SOUND OFF?

Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to address proactively? We have an open microphone policy! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.