Byars launches campaign for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District

The speculation is over.

At the Ashley River Park amphitheater on Wednesday, Sept. 17, Dorchester County Council member and Summerville resident Jay Byars launched a campaign to be the United States Representative of South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, pairing national themes with day-to-day Lowcountry concerns.

“This decision has been a difficult one and a long time in the making,” he said. “(My wife) Amber and I have prayed over it many times. I love the job that I have now. I love this community and the work that we have done for the last few years, and I’m excited about the work to come.”

Byars framed his platform around infrastructure, conservation and a promise to “build bridges.” He said he “fully supports” President Trump’s “America First” agenda and would “fight for every federal dollar that we are owed back to this district” for roads and land preservation.

“That money is going somewhere, whether it’s Oregon or North Dakota or Alaska, we need to make sure that we’re getting what we need here, because it doesn’t take you long to drive around here and see that our infrastructure is way behind,” he said. “It’s more than 40 years behind, and I’m going to focus on that.”

To illustrate the stakes, he pointed to the Berlin G. Myers Parkway in Summerville.

“That Parkway started off as a $50 million road and ended up as over $150 million 20 years later because it took so long just to get through the government permitting process. We’ve got to improve that. That should have been done five years ago. We did not have representation who was hyper-focused on things like that. For the love of country, I will be hyper-focused on that. If the mayor of Charleston, Hilton Head or Summerville calls and they need something and they need help, I’m going to help them with the regulation side of things.”

He tied his governing style to consensus-building.

“I believe firmly in making a phone call and sitting down with people, because you've got to build a consensus to be able to make things happen,” he said. “We’ve been doing that with the county council for the last 15 years. The only reason (Ashley River Park) was built is because we work together as a team. Right now, I think we have elected leaders who don’t work well as a team. They’re really just there for themselves, and that’s not why I serve.”

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