When Rick Wade, a candidate in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Tim Scott, visited the College Democrats on Tuesday night, he didn’t talk about the race so much as his history and beliefs.
Sharing stories about growing up in Lancaster, Wade spoke about the three fundamental values that he says have defined him and inspired his platform. They include having a strong work ethic, getting a well-rounded education and having faith.
“My platform is largely determined about who I am and my experiences, so that’s why I wanted people to know about my values of hard work, education and belief in God,” Wade said.
He also said that one of the main reasons he is running for Senate is that he is concerned about jobs, saying he worried that USC students might not enter an economy with enough opportunities. He’s running against Richland County Councilwoman Joyce Dickerson for the Democratic nomination.
“I’m going to fight for and support measures that not only create jobs in Columbia, Charleston and Greenville, but I want to see jobs in rural South Carolina — in Lancaster, Allendale and Abbeville,” Wade said.
In addition, Wade discussed concerns about education and the connection between schooling and jobs.
“I think we’ve made a lot of progress, but we still have a long way to go. You’re not just competing with other parts of the county,” Wade said. “This is about global competitiveness and making sure that in South Carolina, we are preparing and investing in our kids to not only be innovators and job creators and leaders, but that they are going to move South Carolina forward in a broader, bigger way.”