State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex today announced his campaign for Governor with a call for South Carolinians to put partisan politics aside and come together around the challenge of creating jobs, reviving the economy and improving education. During a statewide tour that included stops in Florence, Charleston, Columbia, Orangeburg, and Greenville, Rex said he would bring a new direction to state government.
“South Carolina needs a new direction. Our current leadership has failed, and the petty bickering, extreme partisanship and seemingly endless distractions have crippled our state government, which right now delivers way too little for what it spends,” said Rex.
“I am running to be a Turnaround Governor, and my mission will be to create jobs and a growing economy, a government committed to accountability and living within its means, a state committed to improving schools, and leadership that accurately reflects our values. For too long, our government has been distracted and defined by narrow special interests, and it’s time to put our people first,” Rex said.
Traveling alongside his wife, Sue, Rex said he decided to run for Governor because he found limitations to what he could accomplish as State Superintendent of Education given the state’s current political climate.
“I have learned that we cannot have a Twenty-first Century school system, or a Twenty-first Century competitive economy, within a state whose leadership is stuck in the past,” he said.
Rex highlighted a number of significant achievements during his time as State Superintendent of Education, including improvements in high school graduation rates, implementation of innovative new choices within the public school system for parents and students, and ramping up accountability measures, including firing teachers and administrators who aren’t delivering results.
“It’s clear that this new focus on innovation and choice is driving improvement. Last month, the annual Diplomas Count report rated South Carolina number one in the nation on improvement in on-time graduation rates, and we remain number one in improvement on SAT performance for states where over 50 percent of students participate,” said Rex.
Rex said it’s time to abandon the leaders and their old ideas that have not moved the state forward.
“I know we can turn our state around, but to do that we have to change the leaders who have failed, and we must abandon tired, old ideas that haven’t worked. When I look around at the others running for this office – in both parties – I see too many lobbyists and career politicians. I am neither of those, nor am I a political insider,” he said.
Rex said he will release detailed plans in the coming weeks related to jobs, the economy, education, the environment, and quality of life.
“I will be putting forth comprehensive plans for creating jobs and improving our economy; taking the next steps to move our schools forward; and addressing the need to improve the overall quality of life for our people. I will share my plans to rebuild a government that answers to people, not the special interests. And, I will work every day to re-create South Carolina’s image to ensure that we become the go-to state, once again, for tourism, job creation, and quality of life,” he said.
Rex concluded, “Today, I ask South Carolinians from all walks of life to join me, and together, we will turn South Carolina around.”
By Jim Rex
Tags: Governor