Contained in the Meltdown: GOP Backlash Derails South Carolina’s Incumbent Safety Act (H.3643) – The Washington Normal

January 21st, 2026 — The long-anticipated House Constitutional Laws Subcommittee hearing for the Incumbent Protection Act, also known as H.3643, delivered exactly what our team was expecting: establishment Republicans doing everything possible to pretend this bill isn’t designed to keep challengers off the ballot.

Following the release of our exclusive article that first highlighted the major problems with H.3643, Republicans across the state started pushing back on social media, contacting legislators to tell them not to pass the bill, and showed up in mass on the day of the hearing to the point there were people waiting outside and legislative staff had to open up an overflow room. 32 House sponsors removed their names from the bill. Many started advocating for H.3310, a much cleaner closed primary bill that had been filed by the SC Freedom Caucus and scheduled for a hearing immediately after H.3643. Inside the South Carolina Republican Party, the executive committee became heated over several email chains debating the pros and cons of these bills. Media picked up on the quickly escalating argument among party members, both in and outside of the club.

Many supporters showed up to speak in support of H.3310, a cleaner closed primaries bill introduced by the SC Freedom Caucus that was scheduled to be heard after H.3643. [PSWF/Alaina Moore]

The pressure from all of these factors started to boil over as the SCGOP poster child and primary bill sponsor Representative Brandon Newton gave an opening statement before opening public testimony to a room that was obviously against the bill, besides the one row of SCGOP insiders that had conveniently been scheduled to speak first, in favor of H.3643. Most notably missing from this line up was SCGOP Chair Drew McKissick, who ran an intense social media campaign and even penned an OP-ED to garner support for H.3643, which massively failed. Instead of facing his party and supporting his bill, McKissick sent former SCGOP Chair and current Newberry County GOP Executive Committeeman Chad Connelly in his stead to deliver supportive commentary.

Chad Connelly delivering comments in favor of H.3643. [PSWF/Alaina Moore]

Brandon Newton’s Meltdown

In Newton’s seven-minute statement, which resonated more as a five-year-old toddler justifying why they disobeyed their parents rather than a grown man and sitting legislator, he complained that the division of the two closed primary bills have “truly put I believe the party into a civil war” and that its the “nastiest” internal debate that he has ever witnessed in the party [03:12].

If you have paid any attention to internal battles of the SCGOP between its establishment and members over the past five years (which Brandon Newton has played a major role in), you know that this debate does not compare to previous strife. The difference with this debate was that the establishment was losing the majority.

In a move to punish opposing party members, Newton signaled that didn’t want to move either bill forward now. He highlights that Governor McMaster has already promised to veto either bill and that the Senate has “shown zero interest” in the topic. Newton stated that the General Assembly should not be asked to “create a kumbaya moment between two warring factions”. He urged the party to “unite around one idea” before asking the legislature to act. [Timestamps: 03:55 through 04:42]

FITSNews summarized everyone’s thoughts after watching Newton’s hissy-fit meltdown when he realized he had lost the majority of Republican support last week:

Key Candidates Who Spoke Out

Both GOP D-01 congressional candidates and military veterans Tyler Dykes and Alex Pelbath were in attendance and planned to speak. If H.3643 was passed, both candidates would be removed from the republican ballot. One of their opponents for D-01 is Representative Mark Smith a sponsor of H.3643 who spoke in favor of the bill. Dykes gave an impassioned speech against H.3643, stating that it would “not only ban myself and David Pascoe from being able to run for office, but very many large other numbers of people in this state who sacrificed their lives and were incarcerated to fight against the rigged elections that were happening in 2020.”

Related Post: Republican Leadership Takes Aim at David Pascoe, Schedules Incumbent Protection Act (H.3643) Hearing

“During that time I was fighting against the law system and defending myself in the courts and I was unable to vote in those party primaries…if this bill passes, I would be banned and not allowed to run for congress to represent seat D-01.” Dykes further explained that statistically, very few citizens vote in party primaries. “You’re actually knocking out 95%, 96% of the people from being able to participate and run for office.”

Dykes lamented on how this bill discriminates against military veterans and Gen Z. As a service member in the marine corp, Dykes stated, “When I was in the desert of 29 Palms, California, voting in the South Carolina primary was not at the top of my agenda.” As for Gen Z, Dykes added that it would result in the generation being “banned for three or four years after hitting 18 years old from being about to run for office.”

Tyler Dykes speaking against H.3643 that would disqualify his candidacy since he was prosecuted and jailed following attendance of January 6, 2021 and was not able to vote.

Alex Pelbath later posted on social media that he “was the only person they refused to let take the microphone.” In the same post, Pelbath slammed Representative Mark Smith for refusing to remove his name as a sponsor of H.3643, “demonstrating his commitment to establishment party leadership instead of allowing the voters in SC-01 to decide the outcome of this election.”

Committee Refuses to Take a Vote

At the end of the committee hearing, there was no vote that was taken for either bill, rather, Chairman Jay Jordan insinuated that the right bill has yet to be created.

“If this issue is going to be successful and we are going to go from sentiment to policy, which is where I think we are stuck right now, we are stuck with how we shape a sentiment into a policy.” Jordan continued, “And if we are going to create policy that is right and stands up to court testing…we’ve still got a ways to go.”

Chairman Jay Jordan (right), Representative Weston Newton (left) [PSWF/Alaina Moore]

Jordan said that his colleagues in the House have serious concern regarding not allowing unaffiliated voters to participate but also making the taxpayers foot the bill, “we are going to have to wrestle with that issue too.”

Jordan made it clear that they are not done with closed primaries, but rather “just beginning” the discussion.

Since the full hearing was posted under the wrong committee, to watch the full hearing from 1/21/2026 you will need to go to this link and click on the Ways and Mean Committee — Criminal Justice Budget Subcommittee from Wednesday, January 21, 2026.