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SOUTH CAROLINA STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 114

KELLY HOUGH

LEADING CHANGE. TOGETHER.

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<h1 style="text-align: left;">Meet Kelly !</h1>As a proud South Carolina native, I’ve experienced firsthand the long-standing challenges our state continues to face.I’ve lived the education gaps, the financial pressures, the healthcare barriers, and the ongoing conversations around women’s rights and civil liberties. Challenges that have shaped our communities for generations.I’m a nurse, a mother, a wife, a daughter, and yes, a proud dog mom. I understand what families in South Carolina and District 114 are balancing every single day.As an alumna of Midlands Technical College, Trident Technical College, the College of Charleston, and the University of South Carolina, my education background spans healthcare, business, psychology, gender studies, communications, film, and real-world public service and community experience. I’m ready to bring that perspective to the State House.I was called to nursing because service has always been at the center of who I am. For years, I have served South Carolina families at their most vulnerable moments. During a COVID, I stepped into leadership roles when our healthcare system was stretched beyond capacity — supporting patients, guiding teams, and helping families navigate fear and uncertainty. Public service isn’t new to me. I've also served as a hospice nurse. Supporting families through their most vulnerable and scared moments, reinforcing my commitment to compassionate, patient-centered and as a South Carolina public servant.It’s time for action, responsible growth, strengthening our economy, investing in infrastructure, protecting healthcare access, supporting education, and standing up for women and civil liberties.Our state deserves leadership shaped by experience, grounded in community, and driven by action.I want to improve the state of South Carolina by "Leading change. Together".

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I’m not running because I love politics.I’m running because I love this community.I want our families kids to grow up here and stay here. They shouldn't be pushed out by costs they can’t control, infrastructure that works against them,I want growth that feels steady, responsible, and fair. Opportunity that feels real — not out of reach.District 114 isn’t just a growth corridor.It’s home.

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<h2>November 3, 2026</h2><h2>Times TBD</h2>(In person)

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Priorities

Smart Infrastructure That Supports Growth• Targeted funding to relieve high-traffic issues • Coordinated road planning before approving major developments • Strategic widening and intersection redesign. • Investment in alternative routes, bike access, and walkability. • Exploring responsible mass transit options for high-growth areasTraffic along our area steals hours from hardworking citizens who simply want to get home. The current infrastructure wasn’t built for this pace of growth, and now families are paying the price in time and stress.Every minute sitting in traffic is a minute away from your family. Every delayed road project is a hidden tax on working families.Growth should improve our economy. Not trap us in traffic.In South Carolina and District 114, we deserve infrastructure that keeps up with our success. Not one that punishes it.Smart infrastructure investment is economic policy.Flood PlanningRight now we often:<ul><li>Wait for flooding</li><li>Declare emergency repairs</li><li>Quick fix it or wait it out</li><li>Repeat</li></ul>Instead, we should: <ul><li>Push for long-term flood resilience planning</li><li>Coordinate across counties (Dorchester, Charleston, Berkeley)</li><li>Leverage federal mitigation grants more effectively</li><li>Preventative planning</li><li>Smarter spending. Not wasting more tax dollars on repeat fixes</li></ul>Fixing flood damage after the fact is more expensive than preventing it in the first place.I pledge to work hard on our infrastructure as SC State Representative and help our communities flourish responsibly.

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Investment in Infrastructure

In South Carolina, your rights shouldn’t depend on who you are or who you know.Defend Equal Protection Under the LawHuman rights start with the Constitution:<ul><li>Protection against discrimination based on race, religion, sex, or disability</li><li>Supporting equal access to housing, employment, and education</li><li>Ensuring state agencies treat citizens fairly and transparently</li></ul>Protect civil liberties and personal freedom<ul><li>Protecting voting access and election integrity</li><li>Safeguarding free speech</li><li>Protecting religious liberties</li><li>Guarding privacy rights</li><li>Protection against exploitation, including AI exploitation</li></ul>Freedom means the government doesn’t overreach, but also doesn’t ignore injustice.Protect Women, Children, and Vulnerable Populations<ul><li>Strengthen protections against domestic violence</li><li>Improve foster care oversight</li><li>Strengthen access against hate crimes</li><li>Strengthen anti-bullying regulations</li><li>Seriously address human trafficking and AI related sexual misconduct related to any person, especially minors</li><li>Support disability rights and elder protections</li></ul>Ensure Fairness in Healthcare &amp; Public Services<ul><li>No discrimination in healthcare access</li><li>Protecting patient dignity</li><li>Expanding mental health services</li><li>Ensuring rural communities are not left behind</li></ul>Human rights include the right to dignity when you’re sick, vulnerable, or in crisis.Accountability in GovernmentHuman rights are protected when government is accountable.<ul><li>Full transparency in state decision-making</li><li>Ethical standards enforcement</li><li>Protecting whistleblowers</li><li>Ensuring agencies follow the law</li></ul>Balance Security with Humanity<ul><li>Support lawful immigration processes</li><li>Oppose cruelty and unnecessary family separation. Keep families together</li><li>Support due process</li></ul>Term Limits &amp; Accountability<ul><li>Reasonable term limits for state legislators.</li><li>Leadership should rotate so fresh ideas can move our state forward.</li><li>No one should hold power so long that they become disconnected from the people they represent.</li><li>Transparency, ethics reform, and stronger accountability standards must accompany any term limit reform.</li><li>Voters deserve representatives who serve with urgency, not comfort.</li><li>The State House belongs to the people of South Carolina, not career politicians.</li></ul>I pledge to work hard on our Human Rights and Liberties as South Carolina State Representative and help our communities flourish responsibly.

Human Rights and Civil Liberties

Medical debt remains the largest reason for debt and bankruptcy in America. Healthcare should be accessible, affordable, and built around working families. People should not be refused insurance and life insurance for pre-existing conditions.1. Make healthcare&nbsp;accessible, not exhausting<ul><li>Reduce&nbsp;weeks-long waits&nbsp;for specialists and mental health care</li><li>Expand&nbsp;local access&nbsp;so families don’t have to drive an hour or more for basic services</li><li>Support&nbsp;tele-health&nbsp;while protecting in-person care</li><li>Medicaid and Medicare cuts affect pediatric and pregnant people first. Children and pregnant women need healthcare.</li><li>Funding cuts cause affect everyone. When hospitals in rural areas to close, nurses and doctors lose jobs and move, patients in those areas no longer have hospitals to go to. This in turn causes bad outcomes for patients. Larger hospitals then get overcrowded, and all patients are getting less care. This increases the healthcare issues.</li><li>Veterans deserve stronger healthcare support. Our veterans kept their promise to serve this country. We must keep our promise to care for them — with timely access, mental health support, strong community partnerships, and healthcare that honors their sacrifice.</li></ul>Healthcare shouldn’t take months to get, hours to drive to, or multiple days off work to access.Help lower costs so healthcare doesn’t bankrupt families<ul><li>Address&nbsp;surprise billing and rising out-of-pocket costs that outpace insurance and paychecks</li><li>Protect families from choosing between&nbsp;medical care, prescriptions, and calling 911 versus groceries or housing</li><li>Support policies that lower costs for prescriptions and routine care</li></ul>Maternal &amp; Women’s Health Gaps<ul><li>Address South Carolina’s&nbsp;poor maternal and infant health rankings. South Carolina State is one of the worst in the nation for fetal-maternal outcomes. That includes preventable outcomes.</li><li>Expand comprehensive prenatal, postpartum, and mental health support. Stronger acknowledgement and support for&nbsp;black mothers, who face higher risks</li><li>Protect access to&nbsp;comprehensive women’s healthcare, not just emergency care</li></ul>Even in developed areas, access can be uneven.Treat mental health like physical health<ul><li>Expand access to&nbsp;mental health and addiction services</li><li>Support school-based mental health resources for children and teens</li><li>Reduce stigma and increase early intervention</li></ul>Patients belong at the center of healthcare<ul><li>Healthcare should be&nbsp;helpful, healing, and compassionate</li><li>It should be&nbsp;easy to access, easy to understand, and worthy of trust</li><li>Decisions should be driven by&nbsp;patients and providers, not special interests</li></ul>Healthcare should never bankrupt a family. It should serve patients, families, and the communities it’s meant to protect.Healthcare should be healing, accessible, and compassionate. Not confusing, delayed, unaffordable, or impossible to trust.We should work on affordable healthcare that helps and heals families.I pledge to work hard on our Healthcare as South Carolina State Representative and help our communities flourish responsibly.

Healthcare That Helps

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Dorchester County Democratic Convention

Speakers will be Kelly Hough, and Preston Smelt .<a href="https://www.dorchesterdemocrats.com/upcoming-events" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sign up here.</a>

1. Affordability for hard working families <ul><li>Rising prices for homes, homeowners insurance, flood insurance and car insurance outpace paychecks</li><li>Groceries cost more.</li><li>Childcare costs are wiping families out.</li><li>Utilities and gas prices have risen.</li></ul>Families feel like they’re barely treading water. These economic issues are squeezing hardworking people tight.Growth without balance is stretching our community thin.Working families are being priced out of the communities they serve.Coastal growth has driven up property values, but wages have not kept pace. Families should not have to move an hour away just to afford to live. 2. Workforce Gaps <ul><li>Children's schools are overcrowded. More teachers are needed at livable wages.</li><li>Waiting weeks for a specialist doctor appointment. Increased population and not enough healthcare speciality providers. Leading to adverse outcomes.</li><li>Overall emergency response times are longer due to staffing and wage gaps.</li><li>More workforce gaps are: skilled trades, pubic safety workers, childcare workforce, healthcare specialists, and mental health providers.</li></ul>Our growth is outpacing our workforce pipeline. If we want strong schools and strong hospitals, we must make it sustainable to work and live here.3. Income, Property, Tax Policy. Small businesses and workforce. Fiscal responsibility.<ul><li>Responsible income tax reform that benefits working families. Not just the highest earners.</li><li>Ensure any tax cuts are sustainable and do not undermine funding for schools, healthcare, infrastructure, and public safety.</li><li>Simplify the tax code to make it easier to understand and more fair to navigate.</li></ul><ul><li>Fight for property tax relief for homeowners facing rising housing costs.</li><li>Protect seniors and longtime residents from being taxed out of their homes.</li><li>Targeted relief for small businesses that are the backbone of District 114 and South Carolina.</li></ul><ul><li>Reduce unnecessary tax burdens on small businesses.</li><li>Encourage economic growth without shifting the burden onto middle-class families.</li><li>Ensure tax policy supports workforce development and local job creation.</li></ul><ul><li>Balance tax relief with responsible budgeting.</li><li>Prioritize essential services: education, roads, healthcare access, and public safety.</li><li>Demand transparency in how taxpayer dollars are spent.</li></ul>I pledge to work hard on our economy as SC State Representative and help our communities flourish responsibly.

Economic Stability &amp; Sustainability

Our children deserve school funding. Recent legislative decisions to defund schools and the education has created increased strain on all families and those who lift our education system up, including teachers, volunteers, and especially our children.Students who can't afford meals at home, often eat at school. Defunding our programs increases strains on everyone, and often leaves our children hungry.Additionally, South Carolina State is one of the worst in the nation for education. Our children and families deserve better!Our children are an investment. We should treat them like they are.Smart School Funding Means:<ul><li>Investing in literacy, teacher retention, and safe classrooms before adding new requirements unrelated to academic funding achievement.</li><li>Paying teachers higher wages. Livable wages.</li><li>Children should not get left behind due to education disparities or lack of investment.</li><li>Expand access to Pre-K, and 4-K programs.</li><li>Ensuring funding actually reaches the goals of classrooms and schools.</li></ul>Affordable Child Care Means:<ul><li>Expanding access to quality early childhood programs</li><li>Supporting local child care providers so they can stay open and staffed</li><li>Creating and supporting existing child-care tax credits or state-level support for working families</li><li>Treating early education as the workforce issue it truly is</li></ul>Too many parents are forced to choose between:<ul><li>Working full-time and paying most of their paycheck to child care</li><li>Cutting hours and losing income</li><li>Or leaving the workforce altogether</li></ul>This is not sustainable for families and leaves in impoverished or in debt for decades while they try to catch up. If childcare costs the same or more than a mortgage, families can't survive.When we invest early, we:<ul><li>Strengthen our economy</li><li>Support working parents</li><li>Reduce long-term social costs</li><li>And give children a fair start by investing in them!</li></ul>I pledge to work hard on our Education and Child-Care as South Carolina State Representative and help our communities flourish responsibly.

Smart School Funding &amp; Affordable Child Care

Stand with Women and Families. Trust Women.<ul><li>Children, pregnant women, and families should not suffer from healthcare challenges.</li><li>Our children should come first. Children should never suffer from lack of access or finances for healthcare.</li><li>South Carolina ranks one of the worst in the nation for fetal-maternal mortality. Meaning mother-baby deaths in the whole nation.</li><li>Black women in our state are significantly more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women. Regardless of income or education. The right to survive childbirth should not depend on race, income, or zip code.</li><li>Many pregnancy-related deaths are preventable with earlier intervention, better monitoring, and improved postpartum care.</li><li>Expand access to pediatrics and prenatal care in rural and underserved communities.</li><li>Increase support for OB/GYN providers, nurse midwives, and maternal-fetal specialists in high-need areas.</li><li>Strengthen Medicaid postpartum coverage and ensure continuity of care beyond childbirth.</li><li>Address hospital closures in rural communities that force women to travel long distances to deliver safely, or to get access to miscarriage management.</li><li>Support community-based maternal health programs led by trusted providers within communities.</li><li>Invest in doula programs and culturally competent care models that reduce complications and improve outcomes.</li><li>Improve screening and treatment for maternal mental health conditions, including postpartum depression.</li><li>Increase data transparency to identify gaps in care and hold systems accountable for disparities.</li><li>Ensure women are listened to. Especially when reporting pain, complications, or concerns during pregnancy and delivery.</li><li>Safe pregnancy and childbirth are fundamental to human rights and dignities.</li></ul>South Carolina has a responsibility to ensure women's basic safety standards in medical care based on research, data, trends, and direct reporting. Trust women know our bodies.We cannot claim to value life and families while ignoring preventable maternal deaths.Strong communities are built when women are safe, supported, respected, and in charge of their own bodies.I pledge to work hard on our Championing women and families as South Carolina State Representative and help our communities flourish responsibly.