Democrats in South Carolina are demanding an apology from the state’s Republican Gov. Henry McMaster for comments he made at a GOP convention over the weekend.
According to The State reporter Joseph Bustos, McMaster told attendees at the convention that, “I look forward to the day that Democrats are so rare, we have to hunt them with dogs.”
A spokesperson for McMaster told Greenville News that the governor meant the comment as a “joke,” adding “McMaster has been making this joke at GOP conventions for years, and everyday South Carolinians understand that it’s a joke.”
But, Democrats do not see the governor’s comments as a “joke” and are demanding an apology.
“We cannot continue to normalize threats of political violence from the leadership of the Republican Party,” the Charleston County Democratic Party said in a statement.
Democrats in Charleston joined the Democratic party in Anderson to call on McMaster to “apologize and retract this racially-tinged dog whistle.”
Democrats say if the governor does not apologize, they will be asking the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to open an investigation into this “threat and incitement of political violence.”
