Republicans have a big test ahead of them. Since the 2024 presidential election, Democrats have had a trend for out-performing in districts that current Republican president Trump won by much higher margins. District 1 is almost a swing district, yet an R+6 rating from the Cook Political Report puts it as Republican.
Dan Brown
Brandon Brown is a native of Bluffton and a former staffer on Capitol Hill. He earned a BA from Furman University before going on to work for Republican politicians in SC, including as an intern for Sen. Tim Scott (R) and a deputy campaign manager and legislative correspondent for Rep. William Timmons (R-04).
Brown worked briefly in the Prime Policy Group, a public relations firm located in Washington, DC.
Brown’s campaign is focused on reducing Washington spending, ending cashless bail. A pro-life conservative, Brown has campaigned on restoring the Lowcountry values, “faith, family, and freedom” and supporting parents’ rights while lowering cost of living.
On domestic policy, Brown is campaigning on countering the “Deep State,” and countering judges and bureaucrats.
On immigration and foreign policy, Brown supports ending sanctuary cities with a promise to cut off federal funding to sanctuary cities. He cites the greatest current geopolitical threat as the Chinese Communist Party, while also promising to support President Trump’s approach of “peace through strength.”
James “Jay” Byars
James “Jay” Byars represents District 7 on Dorchester County Council launched his bid for Congress in late February of this year.
Since then, Byars has outlined a 15-point platform that addresses infrastructure, conservation, and affordability with five points for each.
On infrastructure, Byars campaigns on declaring a national infrastructure emergency and prioritizing the infrastructure industry through promotion of construction and job growth.
His conservation platform is centered around protecting natural spaces using federal resources, investing in green spaces, and allowing for public funds to be used to establish green spaces and green connections.
On issues like affordability, Byars has outlined support for enforcing immigration laws, which he has outlined will “take real pressure off the cost of living for American families.”
Byars has advocated for retirement accounts like 401(k)s to be able to be used to purchase homes. He supports scaling back corporations from purchasing single-family homes, addressing the national debt through lowering Federal Reserve interest rates, and slashing government spending.
Logan Cunningham
The Beaufort County councilman announced his bid for Congress around mid-November of last year, stating, “this isn’t just a campaign, it’s a movement.”
Cunningham (no relation to former SC Rep. Joe Cunningham) graduated from Hilton Head Christian Academy and the University of South Carolina Beaufort. Cunningham states that while in college, his interest in politics was “reignited” by Trump’s candidacy.
Cunningham worked as a fifth-grade teacher at Hilton Head Island School for the Creative Arts and as a manager for Station 300 bowling alley. Cunningham ran for the Congressional district 1 seat before in 2019, before withdrawing his bid, deciding to prioritize his local community county council district.
Cunningham’s local priorities include protecting the coastline and the waterways, opposing unnecessary upzoning, and promoting stronger infrastructure planning and smarter land usage. The former educator supports raising teacher pay rates and parental rights in education.
On national issues, Cunningham supports modernizing border enforcement technology, lowering tax rates and interest rates, strengthening energy independence, supporting law enforcement, improving healthcare affordability, and preventing government overreach from accessing consumer data.
