By Alex Pelbath
Spend an afternoon driving on any road from Beaufort to Hilton Head, and it won’t take long to be hit with the glaring reality of the present infrastructure situation plaguing Beaufort County. Our roads are crumbling, bridges are in disrepair, and an antiquated system of moving people hasn’t been updated in a county that finds itself as one of the nation’s fastest-growing with thousands of new residents arriving each year.
Local and state politicians on the campaign trail tout all they have done for infrastructure, while Lowcountry residents see no tangible improvements or results to speak of. Better yet, those same politicians who have neglected our issues and remain unable to solve our growing infrastructure needs, now want a promotion to Washington.
Let’s be clear on the facts here. The State of South Carolina does not have a revenue problem; it has simply refused to devote the necessary funding to address our infrastructure.
We live in a state with higher taxes than any other state in the Southeast, yet we continue to struggle with fixing our roads, managing growth, and keeping the Lowcountry lifestyle affordable. All three of these major issues are connected.
The cost of living is high because local lawmakers have saddled us with an excessively high tax burden, overregulation, and little to no strategic planning. What my time in budgetary policy has taught me is if you want to see where someone’s priorities lie, watch where they spend their money. It’s obvious by their track record that our elected officials do not prioritize our needs.
The idea that we would promote one of them to represent us in Washington is nonsense. It’s time for new leaders with real-world experience and fewer of the career politicians that got us here.
If elected to Congress in South Carolina’s First Congressional District, I plan to bring mission-focused leadership and problem-solving experience. I have led through the toughest challenges when it mattered most for America, and I am the only candidate with federal-level policy experience and an actual plan to solve our infrastructure challenges.
As the air mission commander for the final evacuation of Afghanistan, I saw firsthand the devastating consequences of weak leadership from career politicians. While every other candidate was working their way up the political ladder, I was learning and leading on the front lines from the battlefield to the Pentagon.
My top priority in Congress will be to appropriate funding to the Lowcountry to help solve these infrastructure challenges that state lawmakers have failed to solve. Our district provides tremendous value to America through our five military bases including MCAS Beaufort and Parris Island, along with our critically important port. Because of that, federal dollars should be directly invested in our district, and I will fight to make that happen. Our region is a critical national security asset for our country, and South Carolina priorities deserve their share of federal support.
Locally, we remain burdened with these issues because we continue to elect the same kind of people. We need men and women of character — people who truly believe in service before self and who will always do the right thing, regardless of the consequences.
In the Air Force, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic, and I have held it as my guiding principle in life ever since. We need someone in Congress who understands the sacrifice this oath takes to live out. The uniform may be different, but the mission will be the same for me. It would be an honor and privilege to earn your vote in the June 9 primary.
Lt. Col. Alex Pelbath (ret.) is a decorated combat veteran and America First conservative running for Congress. Alex served 22 years in the U.S. Air Force. He flew more than 4,000 hours — including more than 1,000 in combat — and led special operations missions across the globe. In August 2021, during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, Alex was called to lead. He served as Air Mission Commander for the final evacuation from Kabul, overseeing all aircraft involved and personally flying the last American plane out for which he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and the “Sully” Sullenberger Award for Courage. A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and former Division I wrestler, Alex lives in Mt. Pleasant with his wife and two amazing college aged kids.