Peter McCoy's Path to Victory is Distinct in the SC1 Race

The first thing a reporter notices about Peter McCoy is his energy. He must have been a handful as a child. It’s an energy the clients of his law practice in downtown Charleston no doubt appreciate.

McCoy should be in the process of building his own version of the American Dream, but instead, he’s running for the First Congressional District seat along with 15 other Republicans.

“The American Dream is what’s at stake right now,” McCoy said when asked why he’s in the race.

The other reason McCoy is running is his daughter Mae, who will be two in June. When she was six months old, Mae had health problems that forced her to fight for her life. “I don’t want her to have to fight like that again,” McCoy said.

McCoy believes his daughter’s future is at stake because of a debt crisis that has the country more than $16 trillion in arrears.

McCoy, who has represented District 115 in the South Carolina House of Representatives for just over two years, believes there are some things in the short term the country can do to get back on track from a spending standpoint. He would start with foreign aid.

“We are sending a lot of money to countries that hate us like Pakistan and Syria,” McCoy said. “We can pull the plug on that right now and save the country a lot of money.”

Without mentioning Iraq or Afghanistan specifically, McCoy makes it clear that America needs to learn from the financial impact its ventures in foreign affairs in recent years. “We need to set goals before we go over and when those goals have been completed, let’s come home,” McCoy said.

Since entering the House, McCoy has made a name for himself on the business and public safety front, the latter of which is not a surprise since he is a former criminal prosecutor.

McCoy worked with Attorney General Alan Wilson on criminal justice reform and also has been recognized for his fiscal conservatism by the Club for Growth and the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce.

McCoy also touted his record on Education.

“I have been a big fighter in the House for Charter Schools,” McCoy said. “I believe parents need to have a choice where to send their kids to school. I know Sen. (Larry) Grooms has said he’s been the sponsor for School Choice in the Senate. It hasn’t gotten anywhere in the Senate. We’ve had results in the House.”

McCoy went on to challenge Groom directly. “He’s been around for a long time. He’s a career politician. He’s what many folks in the First District are trying to get past,” McCoy said. “The feedback that I’ve been getting is that they’re tired of seeing the same people.”

There are several candidates in the SC1 race with a path to victory. In almost all the cases their path is tied to geography. But, McCoy’s path is as the face of change in a race with nine other candidates who either hold or have held public office.

“It’s the same names, the same folks running for the same seats,” McCoy said. “It’s career politicians who have gotten us into this mess whether it’s here in the state house or in Washington DC.”

“DC has gotten so attached to getting elected and getting power, they aren’t concerned about doing what’s best for the country,” McCoy said. “People are sick of it. I heard on the radio that head lice is more popular than Congress. I don’t know how that’s even possible, but I believe it.”

South Carolina’s Congressional class of 2010 (Jeff Duncan, Trey Gowdy, Mick Mulvaney and Tim Scott) received plenty of national attention in their first term. Often—not always—they voted in a bloc. McCoy believes the group is an example of strong representation and admires them for running for office in mid-career. But, if given the opportunity to join them, he would not necessarily agree with them on every vote.

“They are all great conservative fighters and have done a lot for our state, but the interests of the First District are my primary concern. When you live by the harbor and see those boats every day, you realize the Port (of Charleston) is more important here than in the rest of the state.”

McCoy has committed to no more than four terms if he’s elected.

“The best part of my job is helping people,” McCoy said. “My primary objective is to serve the needs of my constituents, regardless of what party they might be from. That’s the difference between a career-minded politician and someone like me.”

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