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SC GOP Primary: ‘Proud of the Confederacy’ vs. All-White Country Club

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South Carolina GOP Races Far to the Right

South Carolina’s GOP gubernatorial primary erupted in controversy on Tuesday, as challenger Catherine Templeton bragged that she was “proud of the Confederacy.” Meanwhile, her opponent, Gov. Henry McMaster has still refused to leave his whites-only country club.
Yes, it’s 2017.
Yesterday, Templeton, the former Department of Health and Environmental Control director, told a town hall audience she was “proud of the Confederacy” when talking about preservation of historic monuments in the state:

Catherine Templeton made waves in her first public forum as gubernatorial candidate by saying she is “proud of the Confederacy” and pledged “we’re not going to rewrite history” by removing Confederate monuments.

“You cannot rewrite history. I don’t care whose feelings it hurts. You cannot rewrite history.” 

“I’ve already said and mean it from the bottom of my heart that I’m proud to be from South Carolina, I’m proud of the Confederacy.” 

Not to be outdone, Templeton’s opponent Gov. Henry McMaster has had several racially charged scandals in his short tenure. Most notably, he refused to give up his membership at an “all-white” country club:

S.C. Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster will take his membership in the all-white Forest Lake Club with him to the Governor’s Mansion.
 
McMaster, a member of the exclusive club for more than three decades, has no plans to quit the country club, his spokesman told The State.

McMaster also caused controversy this spring by using a commencement address at South Carolina State to congratulate himself for his early endorsement of Donald Trump.
“Henry McMaster and Catherine Templeton are trying to outflank each other in the worst possible way,” said DGA Communications Director Jared Leopold. “South Carolina’s next governor should be focused on growing the economy and creating jobs, not dragging the state backward. Both Templeton and McMaster showed they are more worried about political pandering than actual governing.”

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