2026 SC House District 38 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 PARTY CANDIDATES

JOSIAH MAGNUSON (i) 

Website: www.josiahmagnuson.com 

The Office You're Seeking: SC House District 38

Tell us about yourself, your involvement in our community, and why you are running for the SC House.

• I represent the beautiful landscape and beautiful people of Landrum, Campobello, Holly Springs, Lake Bowen, and Cooley Springs. I am a Sunday School teacher for the junior boys at Mountain View Baptist Church. I work in sales for Palmetto Fortis Education Group, handling international accounts in addition to school trips to the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. I am running for re-election because I believe my legislative experience, negotiating skills, and policy knowledge are valuable to our community and to the conservative movement across South Carolina. I believe we have fantastic momentum for accountability and transparency, DOGEing the state budget, judicial reform, ending abortion, parental rights, better infrastructure investments, and so much more. I would like to continue leading for these key issues.

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? 

• Primarily I believe government's role is to do justice and create an environment of freedom where businesses can grow and succeed. I believe in treating all people and all businesses equally, rather than giving special favors to the politically-connected. The most direct way the state can help raise the income of citizens is by continuing to cut income taxes and reduce burdensome regulations. The State can also eliminate other obstacles such as through tort reform. Indirectly we can add more value to the community through more funding for infrastructure, courts, and law enforcement.

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? 

• Ideally I would like to see zero income tax, paid for by cutting waste in the state budget along with possibly eliminating some sales tax exemptions. Property tax is a tough nut to crack in the long term but in the short term I support an increased homestead exemption and a law to stop the taking of a family home from people who truly cannot pay.

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?

• Certainly there are many obstacles and regulations on daycares and childcare centers that make it almost impossible to run one. Those need to be reduced so that more people can get into the business and more kids can be taken care of. We also need to keep our First Steps program up and running to ensure faith-based childcare centers are available. At the same time, there is a limit to what the state can do, because this is largely a cultural problem. I believe we need to encourage parents and families to prioritize their kids rather than pursuing career advancement for its own sake. Our goal should be to build kids who are strong and free - this happens best in a traditional family, not in daycares and childcare centers.

What are the greatest challenges facing your District and what will you do as the Representative to address them?

• One of the biggest challenges we have right now is reckless development coupled with lack of affordable housing. This is a double-edged sword - efforts in either direction worsen the problem on the other side. We must not infringe on property rights. At the same time, the community also has a valid interest in maintaining its small-town model. In my mind the solution falls primarily on the side of ensuring infrastructure is in place. I am interested in the idea of concurrency to ensure sufficient infrastructure is present prior to construction. I also would like to encourage the development of infrastructure dashboards to provide more information to all concerned: developers, city managers, potential buyers, and the community as a whole. Further, we need to reconsider how special tax privileges are granted, such as FILOTs. There are no perfect answers but this is an issue that I believe demands action.

Please identify any other issues or concerns that influenced your decision to run for this office.

• My number one goal as a legislator is to see the intentional homicide of any unborn child prohibited by state law.

 

 

 

DEMOCRATIC PARTY CANDIDATE

TAMMY HAHN