Last Wednesday, Mac Deford held a political rally in Charleston to garner support in his bid for Congress. The 1st Congressional District seat is currently held by Nancy Mace, a Republican representative recently endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Deford addressed a crowd at Tradesman Brewing Company to discuss the importance of heading to the polls and making your votes count.
Deford was introduced by several members of his team and influential members of the Charleston community. Among them was Michelle Brandt, the third vice chair of the South Carolina Democrats. Brandt stressed the importance of young voters and the need for people of all ages to vote for Deford. Another speaker, a local student at the Charleston School of the Arts, expressed her choice to stop “doom scrolling” on social media and her desire for a brighter future. She called for young voters to actively believe in and champion good politicians.
Deford, a Coast Guard veteran and alumni of the Citadel and Charleston School of Law, took the stage to address some of the most pressing issues the Lowcountry faces and his concern for the direction the country is going. He spoke passionately about the need for generational perspective within local politics and explained his realization that “we need good people to step up."
One of the issues most passionately championed at this rally was protecting women’s healthcare. For Deford, this is an issue that is near and dear to his heart. He told the story of a woman named Adele, who had eight children by the age of 31. While pregnant with her ninth child, Adele’s husband suffered a fall at work and was out of a job. She made the agonizing choice to seek out an abortion in a time when they were illegal, leading her to receive a back-alley abortion. The surgery backfired and a few weeks later Adele died, leaving her children to be placed in foster care. Among those children was a young girl named Robin, who later grew up to become his mother. Deford argued that protecting the dignity of the individual, such as Adele, was a fundamental right that he would protect once elected.
Deford ended his speech by calling for people to be engaged, informed, and to get out and vote. Deford concluded by encouraging those in attendance not to give up, saying, “Whatever you do, stay in the fight.”
