Today, the South Carolina Club for Growth State Action PAC endorsed five more reform-minded candidates seeking election in the upcoming June 10th primary.

Kyle Boyd, Deborah Long, Joey Millwood, Mike Rose and Tommy Stringer are committed to creating a better South Carolina through reducing wasteful spending, reforming our tax code and changing our outdated state government structure. They know, through diverse experience, that limited government and lower taxes lead to greater economic prosperity. Above all, they will work to reform a failed status quo that continues to hold our state back.

SC Club for Growth PAC continues to work as a vital ally to those candidates who believe in better government. Today’s endorsements follow our announced support of 25 reform-minded candidates in the past two months. With that in mind, we are proud to announce our endorsements of the following reformers:

KYLE BOYD (HOUSE DISTRICT 48 – YORK COUNTY)

Kyle Boyd is a principled leader who will bring fresh ideas to Columbia. He founded and currently serves as headmaster of the Walnut Grove Christian School, which serves over 80 students and 15 teachers. Boyd is the true fiscal conservative in this race and has pledged to lead on tax reform, school choice and controlling state spending. He opposes pork spending in the state budget and as a leader in education, he knows what it takes to truly prepare children for the 21st century.

Boyd’s opponent, freshman House member Carl Gullick, earned an “F” on our 2007 scorecard. A self-proclaimed “progressive conservative,” Gullick recently boasted of his opposition to school choice reform, declaring it the “centerpiece” of his campaign. Yet Gullick’s anti-reform agenda does not end with education, as he also voted to override over 80% Governor Sanford’s budget vetoes last year that would have saved taxpayers over $167 million. One political commentator recently wrote that Gullick is one of the “big government Republicans who consistently vote against market-based reforms and in favor of an ever-escalating government bureaucracy.”

We believe Kyle Boyd will be a leader in the South Carolina House. His diverse experiences in education and leading a business make him the right choice in district 48.

DEBORAH LONG (HOUSE DISTRICT 45 – LANCASTER COUNTY)

Deborah Long is a highly regarded optometrist running for the open seat in House district 45. She has lived in Indian Land for over 20 years and is past president of both the Fort Mill Lions Club and the SC Optometric Association as well as currently serving on the SC Board of Examiners.

Long believes in the power of people to solve problems and as a small business owner, she recognizes the need for less job-killing government regulation. One of her top priorities in office will be to encourage a qualified workforce that will make South Carolina an economic leader in the 21st century. Long is also committed to more fair and competitive tax laws and does not believe in giving businesses special tax breaks just because they hire well-connected lobbyists.

With her record of service and willingness to work hard for her district, Deborah Long will be a great representative in the South Carolina House.

JOEY MILLWOOD (HOUSE DISTRICT 38 – SPARTANBURG COUNTY)

Joey Millwood is a consistent conservative who will cut taxes, reduce the size of government and promote changes that will move South Carolina forward. He ardently supports real reforms that will make our state more competitive in the global marketplace. Essentially, Joey Millwood is no Bob Walker—and that alone makes him more than qualified to represent House district 38.

Even amongst a legislature stocked with status quo Republicans, Representative Bob Walker is among the worst of the worst. He earned a paltry 9 out of 100 (grade F) on our 2007 scorecard – the second-lowest score for any House Republican. His “F” grade was earned by voting against DOT reform, voting to put a former Democrat legislator on the Supreme Court and voting to override all but one of Governor Sanford’s 243 budget vetoes that would have saved taxpayers $167 million.

As chairman of the House Education Committee, Walker recently introduced a bill that would erode our state’s right-to-work laws by allowing some public employee unions to take money from government paychecks. His bill would specifically require the South Carolina Comptroller General to withhold membership dues from teachers’ paychecks and allow the public employee unions to forward that money to national unions to pay for strikes and other political activities.

Millwood recently said, “We need more leaders who will stand up for taxpayers and appoint judges with South Carolina values.” His rock solid conservative beliefs and willingness to work for his constituents make him the clear-cut choice in this race.

MIKE ROSE (SENATE DISTRICT 38 – DORCHESTER COUNTY)

Mike Rose is a successful attorney and former state senator who served in the legislature from 1988 to 1997. At the end his second year in the Senate, Rose was recognized by a national think tank as one of the three most outstanding state legislators in the United States. He was also honored as the “Most Conservative Senator” by the SC Policy Council and as a “Friend of the Taxpayer” by the SC Taxpayers Association during his time in office.

On the other hand, Rose’s opponent has not voted like a fiscal conservative or a friend of taxpayers. Freshman Senator Randy Scott has consistently opposed efforts to restrain state spending and even voted in favor of wasting $950,000 in taxpayer dollars on the infamous “Green Bean Museum” in Lake City. He has also voted against cutting funding for the wrongly-named “competitive grants program” that has been called a “legislative slush fund” by newspaper editorial boards. In 2006, Scott requested a $2,500 “competitive grant” on behalf of a Ridgeville festival- wouldn’t you like to know that festival spent $750 of your tax dollars on an “Elvis” impersonator? Just last year, he voted to override every one of Governor Sanford’s cost-saving budget vetoes and in 2005 he voted against a 29% personal income tax reduction.

Rose recently said, “Over the past year, I’ve had more and more people ask me to return to the senate. State spending continues out of control and Senator Scott has proven to be part of the problem rather than a solution. I’m known for tackling the tough issues and getting things done. And that’s what we need right now.”

TOMMY STRINGER (HOUSE DISTRICT 18 – GREENVILLE COUNTY)

Tommy Stringer is a native of Greenville County and a respected businessman in House district 18. After Stringer earned an accounting degree from Bob Jones University, he founded a pension compliance company in Greer that provides oversight of millions of dollars in corporate retirement plans.

In 2006, the legislature chose Stringer to serve on the Coastal Carolina University Board of Trustees- quite an honor since Stringer is not a CCU graduate. However, he says he joined the board and makes the long drive to the coast for meetings “just to check up on how our tax dollars are being spent.” In fact, Stringer announced those intentions to CCU trustees at his very first board meeting and has been a leader in solving some tough financial problems at the university.

Most of all, Tommy Stringer understands the importance of defending taxpayers and small businesses. As a small business owner himself, he knows the harm that unchecked government can sometimes cause. As he recently said, voters “want a representative with conservative values who will fight to keep government, at all levels, from unnecessarily burdening their lives. “ Stringer’s vision for South Carolina and his success in defending taxpayers make him our choice for this open House seat.