MTM - Interview with Mark Lynch

Lindsey Graham gets booed in his own backyard and a challenger steps forward with a very different pitch. We sit down with Mark Lynch, a Greenville business owner, church deacon, and longtime grassroots organiser, to hear why he’s running for the US Senate in South Carolina and why he thinks the upstate is ready to replace a career incumbent. Along the way, we talk candidly about faith, family, and the cost of standing in the fire once national money and attack ads show up.

We dig into the issue that matters most to us: pro life conviction with equal protection under the law. Mark lays out why he believes life begins at conception, why “15 weeks” still leaves room for injustice, and why laws should protect the unborn the same way they protect the born. We also wrestle with endorsements, asking how major pro life organisations can support candidates who accept later abortion limits. If you care about pro life legislation, Christian conservative politics, or how values translate into votes, this part will challenge you.

Then we shift to the mechanics of power: grassroots organising, prayer teams, Trump’s endorsement decisions, and why a constitutional voting record matters more than campaign branding. Mark also responds to drug related smear ads by clarifying his stance on controlled substances and sharing a personal addiction recovery testimony that reframes his past as redemption rather than scandal. We close with a practical push for South Carolina’s open primary, how to help, and where listeners can get involved.

Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of faith, culture, and public life, share this with a friend in South Carolina, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What do you want your next senator to defend first?

Transcript

Welcome And Programming Change

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Welcome to More Than Medicine, where Jesus is more than enough for the ills that plague our culture and our country. Hosted by author and physician Dr. Robert Jackson and his wife Carlotta and daughter Annabella. So listen up because the doctor is dead.

SPEAKER_02 0:21

My dear listeners, I apologize to you for postponing Miss Jackson's part two of her message on what is a strong woman. Due to time sensitivity, I'm going to play an interview with Mark Lynch, who is running for the state senate in South Carolina against Senator Lindsey Graham. It is a powerful and informative interview that I think you will enjoy thoroughly. I will run Miss Jackson's part two of her message next week, unless I am able to land an interview with Representative Ralph Norman, who is running for governor in South Carolina. If I'm able to get that interview, I will run it next week after the interview with Mark Lynch. If I'm unable to land the interview with Ralph Norman, then Miss Jackson's part two of her message, What is a Strong Woman, will run on May the 23rd. I appreciate your understanding.

How Mark Lynch Knows The Host

SPEAKER_02 1:26

Well, I'm delighted and honored today to have a good friend, Mark Lynch, who is running for political office in the state of South Carolina. Mark Lynch, welcome to More Than Medicine.

SPEAKER_03 1:40

Yes, sir. Thank you, Dr. Jackson. It's an honor to be on.

SPEAKER_02 1:43

Well, sir, uh first of all, how long have you and I known each other, Mark?

SPEAKER_03 1:50

Well, your father-in-law became our pastor at our at our company, um probably in 2004.

SPEAKER_02 2:01

Yeah, it was way back there, and he he was my surrogate father. My father died in an airplane crash when I was in medical school, and uh he became my surrogate dad, and he was a good surrogate father, and I loved him to death, and he became the chaplain at your your business, and um, and I I heard so many good reports from folks that valued his his presence there at your business, and he loved the position. He told me so many times how much he loved being the chaplain at your business.

SPEAKER_03 2:39

So anyway, we dedicated that chapel to him. He was our first pastor on staff. Yeah, so it's the Dr. Carlos Watson Chapel.

SPEAKER_02 2:49

How about that?

SPEAKER_03 2:50

And um what a great man and a uh just a joy when he spoke and he was so strong in his faith. Boy, you could just you could feel the Holy Spirit in the room when he presented every time. It was just awesome.

SPEAKER_02 3:05

Yeah, he was. He was he was a strong, strong man of God. Now, so here's I know this is the first question everybody asks you when they interview you, and everybody needs to know that you're running for the state senate. Running for the U.S.

Why He’s Running For Senate

SPEAKER_02 3:20

Senate. U.S. Senate, yep, and and against Senator Lindsey Graham, who's had that position forever and a day. And um I think the folks in this state are are looking for a change. So what prompted you to run for the state senate seat?

SPEAKER_03 3:37

Well, I've I've been asked by a lot of the people we you know, the patriots in South Carolina that know me in the fight we've been involved in. Um back to 2014, when I got uh introduced to John Guandolo, who's the head of the anti-terrorism division of the FBI for 13 years, and later he started his own organization called Understanding the Threat, which was uh educating and informing and training police and FBI and SLED agents on the local threat by Islam in our communities and how to deal with it. And during those presentations and training uh with over seven counties, sheriffs, and FBI agents, families ask us, you know, Mark, you should run for office with your knowledge of the deep state. And so we met with some families in 2019 and some of the House representatives and state senators in Columbia, and uh we met again on New Year's Day of 2020, and we all prayed, and uh I agreed to run for a state senate seat uh in 2020, and that was the year of COVID, and you know it's hard to get public uh meetings set and uh speaking events because of COVID, so we still did well. We we lost by just five percent, and after that we formed a political activist group called the United Patriots Alliance, right?

SPEAKER_02 5:07

Right.

SPEAKER_03 5:07

And that group is still going on. I had to resign because of a conflict, you know, for running for office, but um we've done a lot of work stopping bad bills, getting bad guys out of out of the house and the Senate, and getting good people in and supporting the Freedom Caucus and fighting for conservative values in our state. And over the last four years, with all the work we've done since 2020 uh through 25, people ask, you know, if I was gonna run for office again. And um I said, what would you have me run for? And so this office was suggested, and we prayed about it, and we talked to consultants, and we agreed to jump in and and and uh go up against Lindsey Graham to remove him out of the United States Senate.

SPEAKER_02 5:54

Well, he Lindsey definitely does not have much popularity in the upstate of South Carolina, and uh I remember when he was um when well when President Trump came to Seneca, South Carolina, and um uh he was received gladly, but Lindsey Graham was asked to stand on the podium and say a few words, and he was booed uh roundly, and that was in his own home territory, and it was so embarrassing for him. And um and he just doesn't get much love in the upstate of South Carolina.

SPEAKER_03 6:29

No, I'm that that video where they booed him for like seven minutes went viral all over the country. It did, it did, and Trump saw that boy, your own people hate you here.

SPEAKER_02 6:41

Yeah, yeah.

Pro Life Equal Protection Explained

SPEAKER_02 6:42

Well, now here here's the thing, Mark, that's of most importance to me. You you know that I've been a pro-life advocate since 1985 in the state of South Carolina, and I have appeared before uh judicial committees in this state uh on multiple occasions to advocate for pro-life legislation. And I noticed that you immediately signed on to the equal justice, equal protection uh legislation in the state of South Carolina. What would prompt you to do such a thing?

SPEAKER_03 7:15

Well, I'm a hundred percent pro-life. Life begins at conception. We don't we don't want to see the murder of children in the mother's womb up to twelve weeks. You know, when is it okay to murder another human being? You know, Ray Comfort in his 180 movie documentary talks about that and he asks people out in the streets, finally, as he walks them through it and just gets people to think about it, you know, a baby in the mother's womb is another additional life. If a pregnant uh mother is killed in a car accident and her and the baby dies, it's a double homicide. That's right. And, you know, our laws protect us adults out here walking around, and it also protects the murder of babies in the womb. That's another life. That's right. And it's it's not okay to kill God's creation. He he he decided to create that human being, formed it in its mother's womb, delicately knit together, and uh it's murder if we kill it. So, yes, I'm endorsed by Equal Protection, South Carolina, because the the baby in the womb again deserves the same protection of our laws as those of us outside of the womb. And I'm also endorsed by Abby Johnson, the most pro-life advocate in the country. Um, and so we're we're uh proud to be a part of that. You know, that's that's what our forefathers wrote in the declaration that we are endowed by our creator with certain God-given unalienable rights, and the first right is the right to life. So we have to protect the unborn.

SPEAKER_02 9:03

Well, contrary to you, Mark Lynch, Senator Graham has said that in his opinion that it's okay for abortions to go on up to 15 weeks, which makes me ill and it hurts my heart. And and just last week, South Carolina Citizens for Life and National Right to Life endorsed your opponent, which also makes me ill. I don't understand how they would endorse a candidate who thinks that it's okay to perform abortions up to fifteen weeks. How pro-life can those organizations be when they endorse a candidate who supports abortion up to fifteen weeks? That baffles my mind.

SPEAKER_03 9:45

Yeah, and also the Susan B. Anthony organization. Yeah, it just it just Yeah, those are like when I speak, I call those, you know, those are fake pro-life organizations if they endorse a candidate just for that.

SPEAKER_02 10:00

This throws me over the edge, my friend.

Grassroots Support And Trump Endorsement

SPEAKER_02 10:04

All right. So what kind of grassroots support have you received as you've been campaigning?

SPEAKER_03 10:10

Uh Dr. Jackson, it's been overwhelming. Um, just the amount of prayer teams across the state, people praying for my wife and I and the campaign team, and uh, because the attacks are coming. We're going up evil, up against evil, and uh the lies have come out, and uh I'm the guy that's uh got the the best ratings in the race, and uh Lindsay knows it, and so he's coming after me with everything he has, and you know that's that's his character. We've seen what a liar he is in in his um seat in the U.S. Senate over the years. He's got a 43% conservative voting record, he's got a 57% constitutional voting record, so he votes like the Democrats because really that's who he is. He comes to the right, you know, close to the election time to act conservative again, but he's not. And we just talked about his pro-life stance. So he doesn't honor his oath as a U.S. senator to defend against uh murder of babies or uh enemies of our nation, foreign or domestic enemies. You know, in fact, he he helped support some of those. We'll talk about that in a second, but um the the campaign's on fire. We've got people, we're in Myrtle Beach uh this weekend and speaking all over. And uh we're winning, our platform is winning everywhere we go. People are ready for a true conservative, a Christian. You know, I'm an ordained deacon in our church at Burnsview Baptist Church. I've been married 38 years. We have two awesome children. They're all saved, their spouses are saved. Everybody loves Jesus. Our grandkids, four grandchildren are just precious. God's blessed us with our business, you know, that that I've run the last 40 years with God at the center, with our chapel and teaching the word of God Tuesdays and Thursday mornings. Um God's blessed our company, and we've been debt-free since 1999. And um, that's Jeff Lynch Appliance Center in Greenville. But um, you know, I can show you fruit through my children in the business and our ministry work, helping people come out of addiction and come into freedom in Christ. Uh, probably 20% of our staff has walked out of the lives of addiction with drug addiction and alcohol, and uh, we've mentored many, many men and women in that ministry, and it's so rewarding. But um, so we've we've got we've got South Carolinians ready. We have a viable candidate in me, and how do we do this? You know, it just takes uh the voters out there to get involved and and help us like they are, and boy are they, because they've got a they've got a chance to replace Lindsey Graham finally.

SPEAKER_02 13:09

I hear you. I hear you. Now, why would President Trump endorse Lindsey Graham with with when he's got this conservative index voting record that's so poor?

SPEAKER_03 13:21

Yeah, all we can figure is it's a lean Senate majority in D.C. And Trump's a a winner. He's a smart business guy, he knows what it takes to win, and politics is such a dirty game. I hate it. You know, I'm not a politician, I'm just a statesman, I'm a a successful businessman. But um Trump knows he had to had to give something to Lindsay to make sure he could get his vote for his like the big beautiful bill and other things they needed to pass, because Lindsay will pull probably two other uh Republican senators with him. When he votes, they'll vote like he does, like when they voted for all of Obama and Biden's judge picks, you know, the Democratic judges that are stopping Trump's America First agenda at every chance they get. Uh so Trump knows. And so that's just he's just using Lindsay while he can until I get there.

SPEAKER_02 14:18

Yep, I understand that. Now, why does he lump you in with Senator Massey? Who he has a uh conservative index voting record of almost a hundred percent, and and he constantly throws Massey under the bus and he lumps you in with Senator Massey.

SPEAKER_03 14:34

Yeah, some of some of Lindsay fans attacked us on that when we had a social post uh uh a year ago that we wish more people in Congress voted, like you know, Thomas Massey and Matt Gates and Marjorie Taylor Green and Rand Paul. And, you know, Massey's uh voted uh against Trump on a few things because it's not constitutional and and he's honoring his oath to defend the Constitution. And people have asked me, so you endorse Massey? I don't endorse him, I endorse anybody that honors their oath to defend the United States Constitution. And he's one of the best guys we have in that area.

SPEAKER_02 15:20

And you know, much as we love President Trump, he he runs roughshod over the Constitution all the time. And I I respect Senator Massey and all these others you just named because they make the president tether to the Constitution. And that's that's what every elected official should be doing. They should be tethered to the Constitution. And it and it hurts my heart when when our elected officials run amok and are not honoring the Constitution. And your pledge is to do just that?

SPEAKER_03 15:55

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 15:56

Yes, that's right.

SPEAKER_03 15:57

I mean everybody in Congress, all the House representatives and senators, swore on the Bible to defend the U.S. Constitution. That's right, but not many of them are.

Attack Ads And Recovery Testimony

SPEAKER_02 16:10

So uh how do you respond to Senator Graham's television attack ads that uh regarding you and and wanting to promote cocaine and some of the other attack ads to talk respond to all that, uh, my brother?

SPEAKER_03 16:24

Yeah, and a new one just came out, I think yesterday. Uh I've seen it on Facebook, but it's just, you know, we knew the attacks would come, and um there lies Lindsay's targeting me because we're we're winning, and he's desperate, and he's gonna do whatever he can. So he's made up these lies that I'm for legalizing marijuana and cocaine. And that all started back in August at a liberal uh establishment group that supports Lindsay. And uh they took a statement just a few seconds out of my answer and didn't didn't play the whole answer when I said, you know, marijuana and cocaine and opioids and all the drugs we have, they're to remain controlled substances in their scheduled classification, only legal, only legal by a doctor's prescription for you know the purpose that they were created for. That's it. We can't have these drugs legal out in the streets where everybody can get to them. You know, alcohol got legalized, and uh that's the worst drug problem we have because it's legal.

SPEAKER_02 17:37

That's exactly right.

SPEAKER_03 17:38

And it's just yeah, and it's ironic, Dr. Jackson, that you know, I had a struggle in addiction back in 1984 and got arrested for a cocaine felony charge, which I received a pardon for. I went through a drug treatment program, and it's been over 42 years since that happened, and I'm getting attacked on that, but that's okay. It's it's a it's an offer opportunity for me to clarify that and give God's testimony because he walked me away from that. I met my wife in recovery at a narcotics anonymous meeting. We've started two Christian celebrate recovery programs in the upstate at churches and helped thousands of men and women hear the truth, you know, because the world will tell you it's a disease, and that's just the way it is, and you're always gonna have it, and you can only arrest it one day at a time. I'm telling you, it's just a lack of Jesus. That's right. Uh He's the answer. That's right. And uh we've been clean and sober, both of us over 40 years, helping many, many others.

SPEAKER_02 18:43

Yep. Preach it, brother. Tell him.

SPEAKER_03 18:46

Yeah. So it's just it's just part of my testimony. And I've spoken in churches all over the state and recovery programs, and I'll I'll tell everybody, yeah, you know, that was true. I messed up in 1984. But it's it's been awesome ever since. And probably, you know, up to 20% of our staff, we've mentored and discipled, working with Miracle Hill locally in Greenville with the Overcomers, uh, men and overcomers program and the women that have come through the uh program called Renewal. And we still support and help treatment centers and speak and disciple people and sponsor them all over the state.

SPEAKER_02 19:27

Yeah, that's exactly right. Love it. Love to hear it. I love to hear it. All right, let me ask you one other question before we run out of time. You know, uh J.D. Vance just said a couple days ago that uh his assessment of these primaries, these were not your normal primaries. How do you how do you respond to that?

Open Primaries And Constitutional Voting

SPEAKER_03 19:50

The well, these midterms are exciting, and you know, we have a major problem in South Carolina because we have open primaries. Yeah, you're right. We don't require party registration. So Democrats cross over and vote for Lindsey Graham and the bad people may upset the results of Republican elections. We had a bill, H. 3310, that was put up that had teeth in it to um make sure we have party registration, and it got knocked down and it's been weakened, and amendments have been added. So I don't I don't know if we've got to get people in the state house and in DC that are bold and courageous and they're not voting to try to manipulate their next election.

SPEAKER_02 20:40

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 20:40

That's right. You know, I'll never vote to get a vote. I'll vote the way God directs me through the word and through the Constitution. Yep. That's how I make a decision on what how I vote. And if people don't like it, that's okay. You know, we're not a democracy, we're a republic. If 51% of the people say we don't think we need guns anymore, well, that's not gonna happen. You know. That's right.

SPEAKER_02 21:09

You gotta vote according to the Constitution and according to the word of God. Exactly.

Vote June Ninth And How To Help

SPEAKER_02 21:15

All right, well, let me let me speak to my listeners a little bit. I know a lot of you out there are liking what Mark Lynch is saying, and if we're gonna elect us keep him in office, and that's only gonna happen if you talk to your ten good friends, your family and your friends, and you get them to the polls on June the ninth for this primary. And you're gonna have to call 'em, you're gonna have to talk to 'em about Mark, and you're gonna have to get them to the polls. And if everybody out there that likes what he's saying gets your ten best friends and family to the polls, we can get us a new senator. In South Carolina. And I'm challenging those of you who are my listeners to do just that. I'm pledged to do that. And I'm gonna get my ten f family and friends and I'm gonna get them to the polls and I'm gonna call them the day of the primary to make sure they go and vote. And I'm challenging all of you to do the same things. He probably would appreciate a contribution. How can folks send you a contribution, Mark?

SPEAKER_03 22:25

Yes, they can go to our website at Lynch for Senate, spelled out F O R, lynchfor Senate.com, and uh they can make a contribution there. They can write in comments or sign up to volunteer to knock doors and put signs out. And the main thing you know we need in this spiritual battle, because that's what it is, is we need prayer. But we also need action. So donate. Work. Call your call your friends, like Dr. Jackson said, and tell them about me. And uh join this grassroots movement that's on fire, it's it's going. And that's why all these attacks have come. That's just part of it. I hate it, but um you know, God tells us in his word, no weapons formed against us shall prosper. And so we're holding on to that and we know the truth, and we're ready to to send a godly candidate, a true conservative, that'll fight for South Carolina's conservative values and not betray the state or the nation or the president.

SPEAKER_02 23:29

I hear you, I hear you. I'm liking what I'm hearing. All right, I'm interviewing Mark Lynch. He's running for a state senate against Lindsey Graham, and I think it's time for a change. Mark, I really appreciate your time, and you got our prayers, you got our support, and uh may God bless you and God bless your campaign.

SPEAKER_03 23:51

Thank you, and God bless you too, Dr. Jackson. You're awesome. I'm I'm I'm honored to be on your show and appreciate what you're doing in this fight.

SPEAKER_02 24:00

Well, thank you kindly. May the Lord bless you and your sweet wife, may God bless your campaign. You're listening to More Than Medicine. I'm your host, Dr. Robert Jackson, praying that the Lord will bless you real good.

SPEAKER_00 24:14

Thank you for listening to this edition of More Than Medicine. For more information about the Jackson Family Ministry or to schedule a speaking engagement, go to their Facebook page, Instagram, or webpage at JacksonFamily Ministry.com. Also, don't forget to check out Dr. Jackson's books that are available on Amazon. The Family Doctor's Food, Twitch.