SC lawmaker makes history as 1st Black woman to run for gov

BENNETTSVILLE, S.C. — Since the country’s founding, no Black woman has ever served as a governor in the United States. But South Carolina Democratic state Sen. Mia McLeod says she’s the person who can change that, despite the fact that Democrats haven’t been elected to a statewide office there in 15 years. According to University of South Carolina professor Bobby Donaldson, a scholar of Southern history and African American culture, McLeod is the first Black woman to seek South Carolina’s top job. Tapped to give the Democratic response to the governor’s State of the State address this year, McLeod excoriated the Republican for bringing South Carolina to a “bleak” place, arguing McMaster pushed economic reopening too quickly, failed in not instituting a statewide mask mandate, and rushed a return to five-day-a-week, in-person education. “I never ask anybody, when they email me for help or call me for help, whether they’re a Democrat or a Republican,” said McLeod, recounting tales of constituents from all political persuasions who sought her help during the pandemic, citing difficulties with state unemployment resources or vaccine availability — two areas where she says McMaster failed the state.