South Carolina’s candidate for governor, Ralph Norman, has declared that the state must adopt closed primaries to prevent Democratic influence on Republican elections ahead of June 9 primaries.
In a recent interview, Norman accused the Democratic Party of being a “new Marxist socialist party” and stated they should not determine who appears on conservative ballots.
“Closed primaries should have been done years ago because, you know, you look at the divide between the Democrat Party and now the Republican Party,” he said. “The Democrat Party is a new Marxist socialist party, and they should not decide who we put in office on the conservative ballot.”
South Carolina currently uses an open primary system, allowing voters to choose either party’s primary regardless of registration. Norman expressed confidence that lawmakers would pass legislation establishing closed primaries during his term as governor, stating, “I think we will have a meaningful closed-primary bill, definitely when I’m governor, but hopefully before the end of the year.”
The congressman also addressed a bipartisan housing package passed by the House on Wednesday, saying he hopes it will improve affordability for younger Americans struggling to buy homes. He also discussed a proposed constitutional amendment introduced by Rep. Nancy Mace that would bar naturalized U.S. citizens from serving in Congress, federal courts, or Senate-confirmed positions.
“Now, whether it will pass the two-thirds threshold, I don’t know, but it’s at least she’s putting it out there,” Norman added. “And I think it’s good [that] it’s open for discussion.”
