TALK 94.5 Liz And Nick
TALK 94.5 Liz And Nick
GOP PRIMARY CANDIATE SC GOVERNOR RALPH NORMAN CHECKS IN 4/30/26
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Yeah, it's really nice to hear from you. Um I'm so glad you've uh decided to join us. There are a lot of great things that we've heard you say uh that are you know sets music to our ears. You're 100% pro-life, 100% pro-gun.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, Second Amendment was big.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, big, big uh thing. Term limits, we love that. Education, school choice. Um one of the things that I really wanted to ask you about was cleaning up Columbia and what you mean by that and how term limits plays into it.
SPEAKER_01Well, first of all, you know, when you you look at where we are in South Carolina, we've got a tremendous opportunity because of people that that are moving our way because they love the state. That being said, we have got a tremendous downside if we don't fix a lot of different things in South Carolina, but mainly, and I've let off with this, the corruption, the waste, fraud, and the abuse. That's that I see. Uh I see it in DC as a congressman, but I see it in Columbia as well. When you have when you find and some examples, when you find a billion dollars as they did last year, didn't know where it came from, they spent it. When you have a electric car company get a billion, a billion three of our tax dollars that they push through in 17 days. Liz and Nick, I've done a lot of real estate. If I sell you a house or really a car, it takes forty-five days to really understand it and and that's at a fast level. All that to say is you don't put up with that. And the legislators uh who and we've have eighty-eight Republicans and thirty-six Democrats. You have legislators who have campaigned on less government, less taxes, less bureaucracy. We've grown, we've doubled government in ten years. All that to say is it plays into the waste, fraud, and abuse and term limits is an 80-20 issue, meaning that 80% of the people approve of it. And we're gonna put that forward. I this just everything I'm saying is not just a slogan. I backed it up with my record, and I'll back it up when I become governor, which uh we're gonna win this race. And the people are desperate for, I think, new leadership and desperate for just accountability is the name of the game now, but uh interim limits heads of the list and then clean it up and being laser focused on where we spend our money, as every business and every family has to deal with.
SPEAKER_03Absolutely. And uh you are a native South Carolinian and you have seen many governors come and go. Uh, where did we go wrong during COVID? Because to me, that was the litmus test of a true leader, and there are many things that stick in my craw about how that was handled in this state.
SPEAKER_01Well, you know, and and to give Henry McMaster his due, he loves South Carolina. I mean, every speech I've heard him, he loves the state. That being said, to shut government uh the businesses down in South Carolina for 421 days because of an epidemic that was claimed by the WHO, the World Health Organization, which is controlled by China, uh to shut the businesses down is was not right. Uh Ron DeSantis got it right by not doing it under Ralph Norman. That will never happen. Uh I stood with the frontline doctors when no one, no other congressman did.
SPEAKER_03Did you? I I missed that part. So tell me, uh, how did you do that? That's important to us.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, we had a group of doctors who just who who said that the COVID was a hoax. The fact that they are saying that this is a national epidemic and that we have to shut the businesses down. No, it's uh and I went in front of the Supreme Court and uh had Black Lives Matters around us. They that quickly came, and the doctors just said, no, this is uh this is not something that we ought to let a an a uh organization run by China shut America down, and particularly South Carolina. So that's not gonna happen under Ralph Norman, and there will be another epidemic that's being claimed by the World Health Organization at some point. And we fought it fought it uh then and we'll fight it now, but South Carolina's not gonna get shut down.
SPEAKER_03The reason why I'm asking you that, and I'm so glad to hear you say that, is because of the fact that um we are still suffering from the consequences of how COVID was handled, not only uh our businesses, but um also people were forced to get their docks or walk from their jobs, leave their jobs, be fired. Uh we also have businesses that lost their businesses because of the restrictions and the fact that they were not essential or had to do all these crazy you know, hope that they had to jump through. And also entertainment suffered. So uh what do we need to do? What are you hearing specifically in our listening area or in Georgetown County from constituents uh that would be that would be, you know, apart voting for you or not? What have you heard from them as being the primary um issues for their home and their business and their families?
SPEAKER_01Well, the the overall umbrella that I would say that people are telling me uh that they want a businessman to run this state. They don't want another lawyer, they don't want somebody part of the establishment, which I'm not. I I spent 40 years in the real estate business and was successful. And we can be successful as a state, and that the core functions of government are infrastructure. How long are we gonna put up with roads that are that are a disaster? I travel them every day, Liz. Nick, and it's you take your life into your own hands. We have a thousand bridges that are deficient. How long are we gonna put up with that? Uh how long are we gonna put up with paying high utility rates? You know, the the Santee Cooper owes nine billion dollars. Uh, how long are we gonna put up with frivolous lawsuits uh that are plaguing, particularly the bars and the restaurants across South Carolina because of this joint several liability. If if you and I drink at one restaurant and go to another one and get intoxicated and whatever, they bring all the restaurants in. All that to say is I'm not gonna put up with that. We're going to run this state and show up to the to the people in South Carolina of what we're doing, starting off with what I feel is is waste, fraud, and abuse, starting out with a term limit bill, starting out with the way we pick judges, which is a to be one of two states that let trial lawyers pick judges who they appear before, ha that's a conflict of interest. And uh the analogy that I would tell you, and you listen, it's like telling South Carolina Clemson they can pick their own referees. It's not gonna happen. Now, all of this it's not gonna be easy, but if you look at my record, I've done everything that I've told people. I've got the most conservative record with over the last eight years, and that's what you you judge politicians on, not what they say, but what they do, and I can back it up.
SPEAKER_03So um we're speaking with Congressman Ralph Norman. If you had a question you'd like us to ask, and we have a couple actually already on the budget blinds text line, 843-798-talk 798-8255. Nick, could you ask those two questions regarding the same group?
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Uh where does Congressman Norman stand on uh property taxes for retired seniors? That was the first one.
SPEAKER_01We're going to increase the yeah, we're gonna increase well one, we'll increase the I mean we'll decrease the tax burden all uh at every level. The homestead exemption needs to be raised. You know, I think it's either fifty or seventy thousand. That needs to go up to a hundred. But uh Nick, the the main thing is when I when I take office, I will have a forensic audit of every agency. I mean, I can sit up here and tell you I'm gonna cut all your taxes in a hundred days like one of the candidates is doing. Well, what are you gonna cut out? I mean, if if you take out a part of your salary, you something's gonna have to give, and I will show people in South Carolina what I will advocate for not funding. And the the gummy beared museums are going uh by the wayside. The giveaways to to industries and companies that are taking advantage of us uh that are coming into the state, it ain't gonna happen with me. And I'm just saying uh, you know, all that to say is yes, I'll cut your taxes, but alongside of that, I would be disingenuous if I didn't tell you what's gonna have to be cut and have the debate ahead of time.
SPEAKER_03Okay.
SPEAKER_01So that's that's how I'll handle that.
SPEAKER_02Okay. And is there anything that uh you as governor could do to uh solve the the problem with you have a lot of individual seniors on fixed incomes, and the homeowners' insurance premiums have gone up twenty-one percent.
SPEAKER_03Electric bills too, by the way.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, of course, energy bills. But specifically speaking about the insurance premiums, uh is there anything that can be done or is that something that's out of the scope of a governor?
SPEAKER_01Oh no. No, I put uh I will put business people in charge of every committee, not not politicians who are who've given me money or have, you know, donated to my campaign. I I put people who are experts. As as it relates to insurance, uh, we have I will get some of the best insurance people to tell us what needs to be taken out where people can choose what they want to have covered. Uh as an example, my wife and I don't need maternity care now. We ought to be able to pick a policy uh because insurance companies are the ones that get sued, not businesses. And one size doesn't fit all. So that's the first thing I would do is highlight, have a commissioner, and highlight what uh needs to come out as being mandated, and then let the people choose the uh choose the policy that benefits the most. But if you ask the heads of insurance companies, they'll tell you the suits we're having to fight, you're gonna pay higher rates. That ain't gonna happen under me. We're gonna analyze it and do what we can to to let people pick the policies as you would a buffet. You pick the food that you want, you leave the food that you don't want.
SPEAKER_03Um, I I wanted to ask you, I mean, some people are asking on the text line um about where your campaign donations come from. Um, you know, the in particular, what was it, APAC, Nick? Yeah, that was one of the questions. Did you accept any APAC money? I don't know uh why that's important to this person.
SPEAKER_01Well, yeah, that's the the Israel PAC. Uh uh and yes, I've I've taken money from them. Israel is the our only democracy in the Middle East Middle East. Yes, I support Israel.
SPEAKER_03Okay.
SPEAKER_01And we we've taken money. But I've got also the main part of my money, and I'm putting my own money into this because the establishment is holding back with me because one, a lot of it is transactional, they want to see who the winner is. But secondly, uh I've gotten over fifteen hundred small dollar donations from five dollars up to you know the max of thirty five hundred. But mainly the people that give me ten dollars, twenty dollars, uh that's just as important to me as the bigger funds because you know they're gonna vote and they've got to they're vested in the campaign.
SPEAKER_03Now, um, Congressman Ralph Dorman, this is a a morning show that is opinion-based um and not just a straight news talk show. So one of the things that um bothered me um was that you did not endorse Trump, you chose someone else. So maybe you can explain why you did that and why you didn't want to endorse Trump in the last election, and where do you stand now on how he is governing the country?
SPEAKER_01Here here's I I endorse Nikki Haley because my wife and I had been friends with Michael and Nikki uh since the day she took office. We w we came in together in 2005, and uh we were just friends. I liked uh uh the she was a business lady. She I thought she did a good job as governor. That being said, I knew as I was the only one that endorsed. I knew Trump was gonna win the state. I don't pick make political decisions. I thought at the time, and I I called President Trump and told him what I was doing, and uh I called him when when he won the state. I've got the highest rating of pro-Trump supporting pro-Trump policies of any congressman in South Carolina, any of the seven. And so uh I don't apologize for that. Uh Trump knows, you know, why I did it, and um, and we're fine. And I s I support him, had it not been for Donald Trump, this country uh would would be a totally different countr country in a negative way.
SPEAKER_03So and before we go, Congressman Ralph Norman, I just wanted to give you the final 30 seconds to um you know uh just tell people uh why they should vote for you and what sets you apart. And uh and you have the floor.
SPEAKER_01What sets me apart is I'm not a lawyer, I'm not part of the system. We are getting up to elect for the next four years, and I would argue, Liz, eight years. We're locked into that one CEO for the state that advocates for your states that's policies. I'm the only one that will do it as a businessman and the only one that's not beholden to special interest groups. Uh, and I will cut the waste, fraud, and abuse, and everything I'm telling y'all on this radio show today will be in my state of the state, and uh we'll lay it out there for for everybody to to see, and I think they'll you'll be very excited about the results of what we'll have uh once I'm elected.
SPEAKER_03Do you have any upcoming events, uh any meet and greets in this area?
SPEAKER_01Or absolutely. Yeah, I've got uh and I will get I can get you all some. I've got uh Orie County is very important. Our company is very well uh invested in hotels that we're doing in Myrtle Beach. And by the way, Myrtle Orie County is gonna grow 250,000 the next 60 months. Wow. You gotta have a governor that's that's gonna put the the priorities in place to make sure it's just not clogged up with the people that are coming here because we've we've got to get our priorities in order.
SPEAKER_03Did you say that you your company uh is investing in hotels here?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, we've got a hotel uh going up in uh I think it's north Myrtle Beach right now. And uh we love the area. Yeah and have always liked it.
SPEAKER_03Okay, interesting. Well thank you so much, Congressman Ralph Norman. We appreciate your time. How can people find you or get in touch with you?
SPEAKER_01Ralph Norman for governor dot com.
SPEAKER_03Thank you so much. Good luck to you.