MTM-Primary Season..Hannah and Doc's Top Picks

The ballot gets crowded fast, but our decision-making stays simple: we vote from conviction, not vibes. Dr. Robert Jackson sits down with his daughter, Hannah Miller, to share our South Carolina primary election endorsements and the standards we use when friends call asking, “Who do I vote for?” We do not claim you must vote our way, but we do believe clarity helps, especially when candidates sound similar until you look at what they actually commit to.

We start with the issue we treat as the non-negotiable foundation for every race: pro-life policy and the sanctity of life. We explain why that is not a shallow “single issue” approach, and why leaders who stand firm there often show the same backbone on budgets, corruption, and cultural pressure. From the governor’s race to the attorney general contest and the US Senate matchup, we talk through specific signals we watch for, including the Equal Protection pledge, support for Senate 1095, and whether someone is willing to take heat without hiding behind softer language.

We also bring the conversation home to Spartanburg County politics, including the county council chair race and the fallout from the data center fight. We discuss why many residents feel unheard, how local power networks shape decisions, and what accountability should look like when hundreds of people show up asking questions.

If you want a values-driven South Carolina voter guide rooted in biblical principles, listen through and weigh our reasoning. Subscribe, share this with a friend who is still undecided, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Transcript

Welcome And Why We Weigh In

SPEAKER_01 0:03

Welcome to More Than Medicine, where Jesus is more than enough for the hills that plague our culture is. Hosted by Authority Physician Dr. Robert Jackson and his wife Carlotta and daughter Annabella. So listen up because the doctor is it.

SPEAKER_02 0:22

Welcome to More Than Medicine. I'm your host, Dr. Robert Jackson, bringing to you biblical insights and stories from the country doctor's rusty, dusty scrapbook. Well, I'm privileged today to have in the studio with me my lovely daughter, Miss Hannah Miller. Miss Hannah, say hey.

SPEAKER_04 0:39

Hello, everyone. It's always good to be here, Dad.

SPEAKER_02 0:42

Well, I'm always honored to have you.

How We Approach The Primaries

SPEAKER_02 0:45

Today we're going to talk about the upcoming elections, the primary elections, in June of next month. And we're going to be talking about the different candidates. And the reason why is because always right before the primary or right before an election, people call us on the phone and they say, What, Miss Hannah?

SPEAKER_04 1:07

Who do I vote for?

SPEAKER_02 1:08

That's right.

unknown 1:09

That's right.

SPEAKER_04 1:10

And it's always an honor. It is. It is. It's always an honor when people call and ask. It doesn't bother me. Um, I have a friend who she gets real irritated when people will ask her, and she's like, You should do your own research. And I said, Well, they are doing their research. They're calling their friend that they trust. They call me. And it so it doesn't bother me one bit. You guys can text me, you can call me, you can email me, you can message me. It doesn't, it doesn't bother me. Um, and I like to help people, and of course, it doesn't mean that they have to vote for who I say. Uh, it just means, hey, this is who I'm thinking. So today is this is who we're thinking. That's right. That's right.

SPEAKER_02 1:41

This is who we're thinking about and who we're gonna endorse. Um, and and we're gonna start at the top. We're gonna talk about the the governor's race, the attorney general, the senate race, we're gonna talk about uh county council chairman race, uh, we'll talk about our district, our house district, and and a few other things like that. So we'll we'll get to it. And um, so we're gonna

The Pro-Life Litmus Test

SPEAKER_02 2:06

start at the top. Now, then let me let me say this as we go along. Uh I want you to understand that the litmus test for me is where a candidate stands on the pro-life issues. Um they may have all the right rhetoric, they may say all the right stuff, but if a candidate is not strong on pro-life issues, then I'm not gonna vote for them. And the reason is is is I want God's favor to be on that candidate. I want God's favor to be on our state, on our legislature, on our communities, and on our families. And if we have elected officials who are not willing to stand strong to protect our unborn citizens, then I I just can't vote in good conscience for that candidate. So I I want you to understand that when I l evaluate a candidate, the number one issue in my heart and mind is what is their protect what is their position on pro-life, what is their position on protecting the life of unborn children.

SPEAKER_04 3:16

So I think it's also true, I I'll add this, when I look at the legislators that we already have who are just staunchly pro-life from the womb to the tomb, they're also the very best on the budget. They're also the very best on boys and girls sports, they're also the best on just a transgender issue. They're the I mean, across the board. You took Richard Cash, Lee Bright, Josiah Magnuson, the all of these guys that are staunchly pro-life. And you know why? It's because they have a solid grasp of the Word of God. And when they have a solid grasp on the Word of God and they're willing to stand by it on the pro-life issue, come hell or high water, they will also stand by it and have that discerning spirit on the issues of the budget, on the issue all these all these other issues that are relevant to you and I. Earmarks, pork, all of that stuff, corruption, and they cannot be bought.

SPEAKER_02 4:16

That's right. So anyway, all of it flows downhill from that one issue sanctity of life is at the pinnacle, and all the other issues flow downhill, but it's all rooted in biblical principles of life and the Constitution.

SPEAKER_04 4:30

That's right. And that's the point that I wanted to make. Is it not just that we're a single issue voter, like, oh, this is the only thing we care about. No, no, no, no. We recognize the fact that the other things are downstream of that singular issue. And if somebody is willing to say, I'm pro-life, and I stand by that, and I will vote that way every time, and I'm not just going to be um a fair weather pro-lifer, because we have a lot of fair weather pro-lifers. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:55

Well, there's so many of them that say they're pro-life and they run on a pro-life Republican platform, but when it comes to voting pro-life, uh they're mealy mouth and they're m they're just not a lot of times, they just don't show up. They don't show up and they don't vote pro-life.

SPEAKER_04 5:10

Yep, that's right. So anyway.

SPEAKER_02 5:12

Talk out of both sides

Governor Race And Ralph Norman

SPEAKER_02 5:13

of their mouth. All right, let's talk about the governor's race.

SPEAKER_04 5:15

All right, so we're gonna start at the top. So um who who we got? We've got uh quite a handful of people running. Um you've got Nancy Mace, Pam Evitt, um, and Pam Evitt is who is the um Lieutenant Governor currently, with uh and so there's a lot of people who aren't crazy about her just because she's already she's they kind of see her as uh 2.0, McMaster 2.0. But then there's a lot of folks who really like her because they like uh McMaster. They haven't thought he's done a terrible job, so they're okay with that. So uh there's Josh Kimbrell, there's Ralph Norman, um I uh I said Nancy Mace, um who at Ready?

SPEAKER_02 5:55

Yeah, Rom Reddy.

SPEAKER_04 5:56

Rom Reddy. Who am I missing? I know there's a couple more.

SPEAKER_02 5:59

Uh let's see who we Pam Evitt, Ralph Norman, Rom Reddy, uh Alan Wilson.

SPEAKER_04 6:06

Oh, Alan Wilson. Yeah, how could I forget Alan Wilson? He's the current attorney general, and he's been in the been the attorney general for quite a while. Uh most of the time that I've been involved in politics, actually, if not all of the entire time. Because he's been attorney general for quite a while.

SPEAKER_02 6:19

All right, you said Nancy Mace.

SPEAKER_04 6:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:21

And I think we named the primary ones that are that are in contention. All right. So who am I going to vote for and why? I'm going to vote and endorse Ralph Norman. And I'm one reason why Person Hood, South Carolina, and Equal Protection, South Carolina sent out an equal protection pledge to all the candidates, which is a very strong pro-life statement. And the only candidate that was willing to sign the pledge was Ralph Norman. And when questioned about that at a recent debate down in Charleston, South Carolina, I think it was in Charleston, it was at the College of Charleston, the only candidate who affirmed a willingness to sign that pledge unapologetically was Ralph Norman.

SPEAKER_04 7:13

Was it not the S 1095 bill that they were talking about?

SPEAKER_02 7:16

Well, they were talking about the S 1095 bill, which is a bill that uh protects all unborn children, including those conceived in rape, incest, or for handicapped children, and it applies criminal penalties to moms who murder their unborn children and doctors who are paid by these moms to murder their unborn children. And and I might add that we'll never get rid of abortion in our state until we have criminal penalties that have teeth in it, just like any kind of law against murder for any other reason. If you don't have criminal penalties, you'll never get rid of murder. And and abortion is murder. Don't let anybody confuse that fact. And and get this mothers who kill their unborn children are not victims, as so many people have said for so long. They know full well that when they take that $350 and give it to an abortion doctor that he's going to kill their unborn child child. These mothers are not victims. They're cold and calculating, and they know exactly what they do when they go into an abortion clinic. So of all the candidates, Ralph Norman had no um uh compunction about endorsing Senate 1095 and signing the Equal Protection Pledge.

SPEAKER_04 8:37

All the rest Meanwhile, all the rest quibble.

SPEAKER_02 8:39

They were mealy mouth and they had all kinds of exceptions and all kind of ways that they wanted to step around signing that pledge. Now, all the rest would probably make a good governor. They all have good rhetoric. Uh of all the rest, I think Rom Reddy has the best rhetoric. But he actually said that he thought we should have a referendum and let the people decide. And he said that we waste time every session talking about abortion. And that offends me. That hurts my heart that he would think that it's a waste of time for us to discuss the abortion issue every session. And I strike him off the list right off the top. Bam, gone, done, no ROM ready. He may have good rhetoric, he may have good ideas, but he's not a pro-lifer. He may say he is, but life is not a value for that man.

SPEAKER_04 9:37

And I would say a lot of the other candidates too, they've kind of come up through or come up during the time where the verbiage with the pro-life movement has been that moms are secondary victims, and a lot of that uh idea that, you know, you and I have been a part of all of that for a long time. But then about 10 years ago, we we kind of woke up and we realized uh this if we're gonna really end this thing and it's time to really end this thing, we've got a pivot here, and it's time to criminalize this, and it's time to be done. Uh and and so uh I to give a little bit of grace to a lot of them, they're that's the rhetoric they've kind of been raised up in with the pro-life movement. And uh, but the times have changed.

SPEAKER_02 10:17

The movement is changing.

SPEAKER_04 10:18

It is changing, and we're kind of realizing that okay, we have gone as far as we can. Um, and it's the environment, the science, the uh methods of which we can look into the womb, all of that has drastically changed. Moms know, we all know, and it's time for us to be done with this, and the only way to do it is to criminalize doctors, mothers, and fathers who pay for this and who do this. And uh, and you know, you and I have had these these discussions um uh plenty of times on the podcast, so we don't have to rehash all of that. But God bless Ralph Norman for realizing and and saying, yeah, if we're gonna end this thing and not being afraid to say it out loud when everybody else on the platform was quibbling around and not willing to be staunch on it, he just said, Nah, yeah, I'll sign that thing today. It's enacting and bravo.

SPEAKER_02 11:09

Bravo

Attorney General Endorsement

SPEAKER_02 11:10

to Ralph Norman. All right, next thing is attorney general.

SPEAKER_04 11:12

Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:13

Um there's several running.

SPEAKER_04 11:15

No, I was just gonna list the three. You got them? Well, there's goldfinch, stumbo, and pasco, right?

SPEAKER_02 11:21

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 11:21

Uh so those are the three that everybody's really talking about. Um, so who what are your thoughts?

SPEAKER_02 11:27

Well, you know, I I've listened to Pasco talk a bunch about, you know, having been a Democrat, wanting to switch to being a Republican, the fact that he's supported President Biden, and and you know, I just I just can't trust him. Sorry. I I I appreciate his efforts. I know that people can change, I know that people can switch, and I've listened to all of his talk, and and I just sorry, I can't go there.

SPEAKER_04 11:55

Well, I think for it's almost like when somebody becomes a new believer and and they have a platform and and they claim to have gotten saved, and uh you got you have we need a little time to see some fruit. We need a little time to see some fruit before we're all just gonna you know throw ourselves in with you. And that's true of Pasco for me.

SPEAKER_02 12:11

I I'm like I hear be a faithful Republican for five or ten years before people go trust him.

SPEAKER_04 12:17

Yeah, and and I'm not saying what he's happened isn't genuine, uh, but there just needs to be time. You need we need to see some fruit here.

SPEAKER_02 12:23

Uh so my so my picks could be Stumbo. Because Stumbo's been a loyal pro-life participant. He's a good uh uh guy in his position, he would make a great attorney general. And I uh I've talked to him personally, I've evaluated him, and I think he would be great in that position. So I'm gonna endorse Stumbo. Let's go to the next one and we're gonna run out of time.

SPEAKER_04 12:47

Oh, yeah,

Senate Race And Lindsey Graham Critique

SPEAKER_04 12:48

okay. Uh who who you want to the Senate race?

SPEAKER_02 12:50

Yeah, let's talk about the Senate race. It's Mark Lynch versus uh Lindsey Graham. Now Lindsey Graham's been a long around a long time, he's a constitutional attorney. Um my problem with with Lindsey Graham is that nobody likes him.

SPEAKER_04 13:05

Well, and for good reason. He's a terrible, he's a terrible conservative. He's a terrible Republican.

SPEAKER_02 13:10

His his conservative voting index is about 40 percent. It improves a little bit in an election year.

SPEAKER_04 13:16

Um to like 60 percent.

SPEAKER_02 13:18

Yeah, like 60 percent, you know. And there's lots of conservative senators who have have a a 90 plus percent voting in conservative index voting record.

SPEAKER_04 13:30

Ralph Norman being one of them.

SPEAKER_02 13:31

Yeah, and why can't our senator be that way? You know, he might as well be a Democrat.

SPEAKER_04 13:36

Yeah, that's right.

SPEAKER_02 13:37

And and and the people in his district, you know, they booed him off the stage when he was up with that pr big rally with President Trump uh a year and a half or two years ago. And, you know, he couldn't even greet the crowd because they were booing him so loudly. The people in South Carolina do not like Lindsey Graham.

SPEAKER_04 13:56

Well, let me put it this the Republicans in South Carolina do not like Lindsey Graham. The Democrats love him just as well as they realize he's the best Democrat they'll ever get in South Carolina.

SPEAKER_02 14:05

They cross over and vote for him, and that's why he gets re-elected. Yeah, and it's because we have open primaries. Right. Now, Mark Lynch, I know Mark Lynch personally. I've known him for a long time. My father-in-law was a chaplain at his business m 15 years ago, and we got to know him very well. Now I know Mark has a a past as a drug addict, but he licked that problem.

SPEAKER_04 14:30

He's been very public about it.

SPEAKER_02 14:31

He's been very public about it.

SPEAKER_04 14:32

There's been campaigns, there's been all these ads that I've been seeing all about it, and it's just been silliness because I'm like, guys, this is something he's publicly talked about. He's that's a part of his testimony. He got saved after that. He turned away like this is silly. And it was like in the 40-something years ago, I think.

SPEAKER_02 14:48

That's right, long time ago. And it's just been so silly. He's been so active in helping drug addicts into recovery. He he hires guys with uh alcohol and drug problems for his business and take some true drug rehab. I mean, he is the real deal, and he's an outspoken Christian, he's committed to the Constitution, and he is our kind of guy, and he needs to replace Lindsey Graham.

SPEAKER_03 15:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:15

And I I endorse and support uh Mark Lynch. He's gonna make a great senator. He will grow into that position, and he will be a wonderful substitute for Lindsey Graham.

SPEAKER_04 15:29

I do want to say, uh, you know, there was a interview with him a week or two ago. I forget where it was, that all the candidates were together, or not all of them, but there was quite a few of them together, and he was approached and somebody put a microphone in his face, and they asked him some questions about the Constitution, and they asked him, I forget what the exact questions were, but they were uh They were gotcha questions. They were kind of gotcha questions, kind of not things that, you know, I'm like, well, he probably should know, but you know, it's specific asking about which specific amendment to the constitution permitted this or permitted that and that kind of thing. And and he didn't know the answer. And they're all you know, and that's kind of gone a little viral where people were just blasting him on knowing these. But I thought that somebody's comment responding to that was really on the nose. And I wish I knew her name, but I don't remember it. But she responded to it saying, you know what though, the problem is is that he still has the Lord and the the Holy Spirit's discernment, the Bible leading the way, and he's gonna figure out these things. Problem is, is that Lindsey Graham, as a constitutional lawyer, knows these laws and amendments and constitution and knowingly violates them. That's right. You know, so what he doesn't know some gotcha question on on Mark Lynch's behalf. He'll figure it out and he's gonna stand by whatever the right thing is to do because that's the kind of man of integrity that he is. That's right. Lindsey Graham doesn't give a hoot and a holler what the Constitution says, and he knows it, and well, probably not as well as he should, as well as people claim that he he did in that argument in that comment section. Because he's he's either knowingly violating it or he's a lot more ignorant than people are saying that he is, because either way, he's not abiding by the Constitution on multiple issues, and he hasn't for decades. So I thought she really hit it on the on the nose with that one. Yep, and I I appreciated her comment.

SPEAKER_02 17:23

Let's keep moving then. So I'm going to endorse and support Mark Lynch. I encourage my listeners to do the same. Um, what about a local

House District 38 And Debate Drama

SPEAKER_02 17:32

race? You and I uh are in Senate district, I mean House District 38. Uh our House Representative has been Josiah Magnusson, who's very active in the Freedom Caucus. He's very outspoken on uh constitutional issues and pro-life issues. Um, and you know, we're very supportive of Josiah. We know him personally. Uh we we love him. Um the the person running against him. Well, I I don't really know much about her, to be honest.

SPEAKER_04 18:03

Yeah, I don't know a whole lot about her. I I did see on uh on social media there was an issue where she challenged him to a debate, and uh he immediately was like, Yeah, let's do it. Uh here's a date. There's an event coming up, let's do let's do it this event, and you know, posted the time and information on it right immediately. I mean, I think it was like within an hour of her challenging him. Um, and and she was kind of angry and aggressive in her rhetoric, and he just responded back, it's like, hey, yeah, I'm totally willing to do this. Well, two hours after that, she starts making posts about how he's not willing to meet up with her at some other location and to have a debate and blah, blah, blah. And and I thought, well, within an hour of your first post, he said, Hey, yeah, there's already an event. Let's let's do this at this upcoming thing. And uh, what are you talking about? He's not willing to debate you. So I thought that was kind of dishonest on her part. I don't know if she just missed it. I don't know what happened there. Um, but you know, it was it was pretty clear to me that uh she and since that's happened a few weeks ago, she has yet to debate him. Yeah, um, and I it's not been an unwillingness on his part to have a conversation. Um she's just you know, she wanted to stir the pot, I think, a little bit. But I don't know her personally. Um a lot of folks say she's a really staunch uh Christian and conservative. Um, but but Josiah is very proven, and uh he has a really good record in our area, and I think a lot of people really like him. Um so I'm I'm hopeful and fully endorse him.

SPEAKER_02 19:35

Yep. All right, let's move on to now. Now there's a lot of other house races, yeah, and again, we can't go into all of them. Um you may want to call us about some of those and we'll give you the scoop on the ones that we we know about. I can't keep up with every race because there's so many, but there you have it. Now let's talk a little bit about the uh county council race, and um that's being talked about a

County Council Chair And Data Center Fight

SPEAKER_02 20:02

lot. And the only part of it we're gonna talk about is is the at-large county council chairmanship. Everybody in the county gets to vote for the county council chairman. The four people running are David Whitener, uh William Crawford, Ann Angermeyer, and Mike Stacy. Let me just describe each of them a little bit. David Whitener uh is uh a very likable gentleman. I think he's retired. Uh he uh is uh would make a very good candidate. Uh he's knowledgeable, he knows the issues. Uh William Crawford uh has been an active uh Spartan County uh activist. He's served in multiple uh positions within the Spartanburg GOP. Uh he came out this last week and admitted that he is the chamber, Spartan County uh Chamber of Commerce candidate. Uh then Ann Angermeyer, uh she has been employed by Spartanburg Workforce, and again, she's a part of the Spartanburg Chamber of Commerce. And um then there's Mike Stacy, he's a carpenter by trade, claims to be a Christian. Uh I find it a little odd though that he's very profane in his conversation, which is a little bit inconsistent. Um but he's a street smart guy. He's a contractor, claim he he says he's a capitalist, and I believe that about him. And so there you have the candidates. Um and you know, I I've been a part of the crowd that's been going to the county council meetings for the last year and a half, much of which was sparked by the um the data center issue.

SPEAKER_04 21:57

Yeah, for those who don't know, there's been a a data Center that's wanted to come to Spartanburg, and there's been a lot of hubbao about it, and a lot of people in Spartanburg County not wanting that to come to the area.

SPEAKER_02 22:10

Yeah. And so and it became apparent that our county council members were not as well informed about the data center as they made out to be, and they were actually reading talking points and information that was provided to them by One Spartanburg, which seems to be an organization in our county that that seems to to be a behind the scenes operation for a lot of the things that county council does.

SPEAKER_04 22:40

And they're often supportive of agendas that are uh not conservative.

SPEAKER_02 22:46

Yeah, and and one Spartanburg gets things done in our county. They're the one who gets the new businesses, not the county council. And County Council just rubber stamps what one Spartanburg arranges. And and I'm not saying that that's good or bad, I'm just saying that sometimes the things that one Spartanburg arranges may not be good for the common man. It may be good for big business, but it may not be so suitable for the common folk in the county, which is like the data center.

SPEAKER_04 23:16

Right, which is why when people would show up to the county council meetings, um a county council often couldn't answer questions or they weren't very knowledgeable about it because they're just reading.

SPEAKER_02 23:28

They're just reading the talking points that one Spartanburg or the Chamber of Commerce gave them. And that really set off the two or three hundred people that were showing up at these county council meetings. And so, you know, if you are aware, Greenville County turned out all of their pretty much all of their county council members a couple years ago. And that may happen now in Spartanburg County because of this very thing.

SPEAKER_04 23:58

Uh, people were overwhelmingly against it, and the county council still I I mean it was like they did not care one bit what the vast majority of voices in that room were saying. That's right. Uh they they just turned a blind ear, a deaf ear, uh, to them and pushed that thing through. And people were astonished at how they were not listened to.

SPEAKER_02 24:19

Yeah, and and and those folks that that are there now are gonna be voted out, and people who identify with the chamber of commerce, I'm sorry, but I'm I'm doubtful that they're gonna be voted in. So who are the ones identified with the Chamber of Commerce? Well, that's William Crawford and Ann Angermeyer. Now, David Whitner and Mike Stacey are not. So that's all I'm gonna say about it. Those are your candidates, and that's who they are, and that's what their positions are. Now, all of them are competent. All of them are capable, and every last one of them would be a good um uh chairman of of the county council. So those are who your candidates are. You need to smoke that over, you need to pray about it, and uh cast your vote accordingly. I'm not I'm not gonna tell you who I'm gonna vote for because I'll be honest, I hadn't decided yet.

SPEAKER_04 25:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:17

That's a contest a hotly contested race.

SPEAKER_04 25:21

There's not a perfect candidate.

SPEAKER_02 25:23

I don't think any of them are perfect.

SPEAKER_04 25:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:25

Um but I tell you what, I'm probably not gonna vote for any of the two that are identified with the Chamber of Commerce.

SPEAKER_03 25:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:32

Uh because I'm with I'm with the crowd. I'm with the crowd that was there. I was not happy that the that the county counts uh council was turning a deaf ear and a blind eye to the wishes of the crowd that was there. That didn't that didn't suit me at all.

SPEAKER_04 25:48

Yeah. It but it became clear that they were, you know, for lack of a better word, bought and paid for uh by somebody else, and it wasn't the people.

SPEAKER_02 25:55

That's right. They were not lif listening to the people.

SPEAKER_04 25:58

Yeah, I agree.

SPEAKER_02 26:00

All right. Any other issue you think we need to discuss, or have we covered all the main ones?

SPEAKER_04 26:04

Uh I think we covered all the main ones. Um, yeah.

unknown 26:07

All right.

Final Thoughts And How To Reach Us

SPEAKER_02 26:09

Well, that's that's from me and Miss Hannah. That's our perspective. We're gonna stand by it. If you need other information, feel free to call me and Miss Hannah. We'll be delighted to talk to you. And uh we appreciate your time, appreciate you listening here. This is More Than Medicine. I'm your host, Dr. Robert Jackson. Until next week, may the Lord bless you. Real good.

SPEAKER_00 26:33

Thank you for listening to this edition of More Than Medicine. For more information about the Jackson Family Ministry or to schedule a speaking engagement, go to their Facebook page, Instagram, or webpage at Jackson Family Ministry dot com.