2026 SC House District 29 Election
*CANDIDATES' VIEWS IN THE Q&AS LINKED BELOW DO NOT REFLECT THE VIEWS OF ONESPARTANBURG, INC. CANDIDATE RESPONSES ARE THE CANDIDATES' OWN WORDS, HAVING COME FROM EMAILED RESPONSES.*
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE
DENNIS MOSS (i)
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE
MARIANA FRANCO
Website: www.votemarianafranco.com
The Office You're Seeking: State House Representative District 29
Tell us about yourself, your involvement in our community, and why you are running for the SC House.
I am a long-time Spartanburg County resident, a small-scale livestock producer, and a healthcare professional with over twelve years of experience. Having spent over a decade on the front lines of patient care as a Certified Nursing Assistant and working directly within our gig economy, I understand the real, daily pressures facing working families in Upstate South Carolina. I am running for the SC House because our community deserves practical, grounded representation. I see the direct impact that state policies have on our local infrastructure, rural land, and healthcare access. My goal is to bring common-sense solutions to Columbia that protect our rural way of life while ensuring that District 29 benefits fairly from the Upstate's economic growth.
What is the role of state government, if any, in economic development and corporate recruitment? How can the State help raise per-capita income in Spartanburg and across the state?
The state government’s role in economic development is to create a fertile foundation where local businesses and family farms can thrive while attracting high-quality, sustainable employment. Recruitment shouldn't just be about bringing large corporations into urban hubs; it must extend into our rural corridors with investments in core infrastructure—such as reliable roads, water services, and high-speed internet.
To raise per-capita income across Spartanburg County, the State must focus on:
Workforce Preparedness: Expanding vocational, technical, and trade training through our community college system to align directly with skilled, higher-paying jobs.
Supporting Small Businesses & Agriculture: Reducing unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles for local entrepreneurs, independent workers, and family agricultural operations.
Balanced Growth: Ensuring that economic incentives encourage long-term retention and fair wages rather than short-term tax concessions that strain local resources.
Comprehensive Tax Reform remains a high priority in the SC General Assembly. Income, property, and sales tax are all being discussed for reform. As a State Representative what would be your approach to good tax policy for the State?
Good tax policy must be fair, predictable, and transparent without placing an unfair burden on working families or small property owners. Income Tax: I support continuing responsible steps to simplify and lower state income taxes, ensuring that hardworking South Carolinians keep more of what they earn. Property Tax: We must safeguard homeowners and rural landowners from skyrocketing property tax valuations driven by rapid surrounding development. I support protecting primary residences and agricultural properties so long-time residents aren't priced out of their own homes. Fiscal Accountability: Tax reductions must be balanced with disciplined spending so that essential public services—like road maintenance and public safety—remain fully funded
Childcare across South Carolina is often unaffordable and inaccessible, damaging our state’s economy and outcomes for our children. Data shows that a lack of childcare options prohibits some people from participating in the workforce. In South Carolina, the state’s prime-age labor force participation rate of 81.1% falls 2.5% points below the national average. As a state representative, what are some solutions you have for this crisis?
As a working parent and healthcare professional, I know firsthand how essential reliable, affordable childcare is for family stability and our broader economy. When parents can’t find quality childcare, businesses face staffing shortages, and families are forced to make tough sacrifices.
To address this challenge in South Carolina, I will advocate for:
Expanding Public-Private Partnerships: Supporting programs like SC Working Families Child Care Scholarships and encouraging incentives for businesses that offer on-site or subsidized childcare for their employees.
Cutting Regulatory Red Tape for Quality Providers: Streamlining the licensing process for home-based and small-scale childcare centers without compromising child safety, making it easier for reliable local providers to open and stay open.
Targeted Tax Relief: Supporting state-level childcare tax credits to directly lower out-of-pocket costs for working families and middle-class parents.
Strengthening the Early Educator Pipeline: Partnering with our technical colleges and high school career programs to offer training and certifications, helping retain dedicated early childhood educators with fair wages
What are the greatest challenges facing your District and what will you do as the Representative to address them?
District 29 faces three interconnected challenges: strained infrastructure, economic pressures on working families, and healthcare accessibility.
Infrastructure & Rapid Growth: Our local roads, bridges, and public services are under pressure as the Upstate expands. I will advocate for state infrastructure funding to repair rural roads, improve traffic safety, and expand reliable high-speed internet and utility access.
Economic Strain & Cost of Living: Working families and local producers are feeling the pinch of inflation and property tax reassessments. I will support sensible tax relief, protect primary homeowners and agricultural land from predatory valuation spikes, and cut unnecessary regulations for small business owners.
Healthcare Access: Rural and unincorporated areas often struggle with timely emergency medical services and accessible care options. Drawing on my twelve years of hands-on healthcare experience, I will champion policies that retain rural medical personnel, reduce administrative delays for patient care, and improve community health services across Spartanburg and Cherokee counties.
Do you believe the state should pass legislation related to AI infrastructure? If so, what would ideal legislation look like?
Yes, as artificial intelligence and data center technology expand rapidly across South Carolina, the state must establish clear, proactive legislative guardrails.
Ideal legislation should focus on three main pillars:
Grid & Utility Protection: Ensure that large AI data centers invest in their own energy and water infrastructure or pay fair rates so that standard residential utility bills do not increase for local families.
Data Privacy & Consumer Security: Establish strong state-level protections for citizen data, protecting personal information from unauthorized scraping or misuse.
Workforce Adaptation: Partner state technology initiatives with local technical colleges to prepare our workforce for tech-adjacent trade and technical jobs, ensuring AI development creates tangible employment opportunities for South Carolinians.
Please identify any other issues or concerns that influenced your decision to run for this office.
I decided to run because for over 20 years District 29 voters have had no Democratic choice. I believe in fair, responsible leadership—where working families are not carrying the burden while promises are made without clear plans to fund them.