Ralph Norman visited Winthrop on Oct. 25 to speak with students about the upcoming midterm elections and the republican party in South Carolina.
Winthrop’s College Republicans hosted an event in which several republican officials that work for the Rock Hill government and they shared their experience and knowledge of the upcoming elections.
Some of these elected officials included Representative Raye Felder, Probate Judge Carolyn Rogers and Congressman Ralph Norman. There were six elected local officials that came to the event to speak.
Tyler Griffin, senior political science major, is the president of the College Republicans. He decided to put together this event so that students can become engaged and excited for upcoming elections especially for those that belong to the Republican party.
“Well we just wanted to give the community one big event to show the [local] republican ticket, get people excited and exposed to all these great candidates we have up and down the ballot,” Griffin said.
Students had the opportunity to watch some of the republican candidates running for office. The government officials said that they wanted to help the republican party get more supporter and help people become prepared for the midterms and upcoming election in Rock Hill.
Ralph Norman is running for his ninth year as a congressman for South Carolina and he said that he understands the high tuition costs and the controversy behind it.
“Well, government tuition is out of control. What’s being taught in the universities which was brought up tonight is we need to have a free flow of ideas on both sides. Teach one line of thinking and not have at least alternate courses in our constitution in what makes America great. Colleges aren’t teaching that and I know the students that go to college now are struggling and if you are conservative to present your views and have a honest discussion so the tuition cost has to go down. I think it has to be rethought and then the amount of support that the government gives we all got to take a look at like businesses have to do,” Norman said.
Norman also addressed the opening statement from Sept. 20 that he made about Ruth Bader Ginsburg and a joke about sexual assault.
“It was a light hearted joke that took five seconds out of a hour debate. The press totally in my mind portrayed it as something sinister and yet I got an opponent that beat up his wife twice and lost six women staffers and the paper will never report that to any extent. They have to take a small joke, everybody knows Ruth Ginsburg was not groped by Abraham Lincoln. I have some ladies that were mad and I told them do you think that was a possibility if so pay for digging up the grave and see if the DNA is on her which is facetious but it was a joke,” Norman said.
Norman also said that this upcoming election for the midterms on Nov. 6 is an important time to learn about politics and voting a democratic society.
“Because as I mentioned we are all in politics and you ought to ask questions and voting is in a democracy. I work for you and if there is somebody else you prefer you have a choice and government is expensive and is so much apart of our life and why not vote,” Norman said.
