Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jermaine Johnson has chosen Charleston clean-energy advocate Sam Skardon as his running mate, adding a Lowcountry political organizer and clean-energy finance specialist to the statewide ticket. The pairing puts Skardon alongside Johnson as Democrats prepare for a November matchup with Republican nominee Alan Wilson.
The announcement came Thursday, with The Greenville News reporting that Johnson highlighted Skardon's work directing financing toward South Carolina small businesses and clean-energy projects that traditional banks might overlook. That gives the campaign a running mate whose résumé is rooted less in elected office than in economic development, political organizing and climate-focused investment.
Skardon is the director of business development for the Clean Energy Fund of the Carolinas. The organization says he is leading its expansion into South Carolina, with a focus on building partnerships and making affordable financing available for energy-efficiency and electrification projects, according to the fund's official team biography. According to the Department of Energy's Solar Futures Study, "Pollin and Callaci (2019) estimate that each $1 million in clean energy investment generates 17 jobs across a range of occupations," which provides a national benchmark for potential job impacts from clean-energy financing.
He also brings a lengthy Democratic Party résumé from Charleston. The Charleston County Democratic Party previously identified Skardon as its chair and noted that he spent three years as a congressional aide to the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis.
The November Matchup Is Set
Johnson won the Democratic nomination for governor in June, while Wilson secured the Republican nomination after a June 23 runoff. The winner of the November 3 general election will succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, The Associated Press reported.
South Carolina voters will choose the governor and lieutenant governor as a joint ticket, making Skardon's selection more than a ceremonial campaign announcement. State law established that arrangement beginning with the 2018 election, according to the South Carolina Legislature.
The choice appears to give Johnson a partner who can speak to Charleston-area Democrats while also reinforcing a policy message around small-business capital, energy costs and the state's transition to cleaner power. Whether that combination can broaden the Democratic ticket beyond its traditional base will be one of the campaign's central tests as the general election accelerates.
