By Dr. Sam McCown
I am not a career politician. I am a physician, successful businessman, a husband, a father, Eagle Scout, and a Christian conservative who believes Washington has lost sight of the people it is supposed to serve.
For all of my life, I have worked outside of politics. I have cared for patients, started businesses, managed budgets, worked with families facing difficult medical decisions, and seen firsthand how government red tape can make life harder for the people who can least afford it. I have also seen what happens when bureaucrats and politicians make decisions without understanding the real-world consequences for families, veterans, small businesses, doctors, patients, and taxpayers.
That is why I am running for Congress.
Washington is broken. That’s not just a campaign slogan. It’s the reality that South Carolina families are living every day.
Families are paying more for groceries, housing, gas, insurance, utilities, and everyday essentials. Small businesses are being squeezed by higher costs and more regulation. Parents are worried about what their children are being taught. Seniors are concerned about whether Washington can be trusted to protect the programs they paid into. Patients are frustrated by a healthcare system that too often puts paperwork, mandates, and bureaucracy ahead of people.
And while families are forced to make tough decisions around the kitchen table, Washington keeps spending money we do not have.
Washington spends too much, wastes too much, borrows too much, and holds itself accountable too little. We see rampant fraud and abuse throughout government programs.
Families in South Carolina have to live within a budget. Washington should too. Every world power in history that has taken on the debt/GDP that we have, has collapsed with hyper inflation. If we collapse, then China rules the world.
Reckless spending has consequences. It drives inflation. It weakens our economy. It passes debt onto our children and grandchildren. It makes America more dependent on foreign creditors and gives our adversaries the upper hand. Every dollar fraudulently spent in Washington is a dollar taken from the hardworking taxpayers who earned it.
That is why I support cutting wasteful spending, reducing the national debt, and protecting taxpayers from politicians who believe every problem can be solved with more spending and higher taxes.
We need to follow the constitution and push power out of Washington and back to the states where it belongs. The proof is all around us. For years, Americans have been voting with their feet, leaving high-tax, overregulated blue states and moving to conservative red states because they want lower taxes, safer communities, better schools, more freedom, and a government that respects their values. Conservative states are leading the way and Washington should learn from that success, not stand in the way of it.
But spending is only part of the problem. Washington is broken because too many career politicians have forgotten who they work for.
Members of Congress should not go to Washington to enrich themselves, trade stocks on inside information, or build lifelong political careers while the country falls deeper into debt. Public service should be about service, not personal gain.
I support term limits for members of Congress. I support banning politicians from insider trading. I support strengthening ethics laws and holding elected officials accountable to the people they represent.
We do not need more career politicians who know how to work the system. We need leaders willing to change it.
As a physician, I also know how badly Washington interference has damaged healthcare. Patients and their doctors should be making healthcare decisions together. Not the politicians, bureaucrats, insurance companies, or federal agencies that treat patients like numbers on a spreadsheet.
I have seen how regulation, red tape, and top-down control drive up costs and limit choices. I have seen doctors spend more time dealing with paperwork than patients. I have seen patients frustrated by a system that is too expensive, too complicated, and too disconnected from their needs.
We need more transparency, more choice, less bureaucracy, and a healthcare system that puts patients and doctors back in charge. We should reject socialist healthcare schemes that would give Washington even more control over personal medical decisions.
We must restore trust in our elections. Election integrity should not be controversial. Every legal vote should count, and voters should have confidence that our elections are secure, transparent, and fair. I support strong voter ID laws, clean voter rolls, and common-sense reforms that make it easy to vote and hard to cheat.
America is the greatest country in the world, but greatness is not guaranteed. It must be defended, renewed, and passed on.
That means securing our border, standing with law enforcement, and stopping the flow of fentanyl into our communities. It means restoring American energy independence, supporting our military and veterans, and ensuring America leads the world in innovation, technology, and national defense.
I am running because I believe Washington needs a conservative prescription.
Term limits. A ban on congressional insider trading. Lower spending. Less debt. Secure elections. Supporting our veterans. Invest in smart infrastructure. Healthcare freedom. Parental rights. Get men out of girls sports. Stop the woke agenda. Strong borders. And a government that remembers it works for the people.
South Carolina does not need another career politician.
We need real-world experience, conservative principles, and the courage to clean up Washington. That is why I am running for Congress, and that is the fight I am ready to take on.
Dr. Sam McCown is a Republican candidate for the 1st Congressional District. Learn more at Sam McCown.com.