Julie Cofer Hussey
Democrat | South Carolina
Candidate Profile
Liberal
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Julie Cofer Hussey
Party
Democrat
Election Year
2024
Election
General
Race
State Senator, Dist. 43
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
University of Georgia, Athens, BBA, 1998
WORK & MILITARY
Cofer and Company, CEO, 1
Carolina Workshops, CFO, 10
Civic Communications, LLC, Public Information and Engagement Consultant, 30
AFFILIATIONS
The Episcopal Church of the US, Grace Episcopal Charleston (1993-2021); St Stephens Episcopal Church (2021- present) Prayer Team
The I'On Assembly, Board Member (2019 -2025) President (2022-2023)
Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, Minority Business Accelerator Advisory Board Member and Business Coach (2022- present)
South Carolina First Steps Board of Trustees, Senate ProTempore Appointee (2011- 2020), Vice Chair (2015-2020)
League of Women Voters, Member (1991 – present); LWV of the United States/LWV Educational Foundation Board of Trustees (2018-2020), DEI Committee (2018-2022); LWV of South Carolina, Co-President (2015-2018); LWV Charleston Area, DEI Committee (2019- 2022) Nominating Chair (2019-2022), President (2011-2015), Education Director (2010-2011), Transportation Committee (1993-1996)
Lucy Beckham High School Improvement Council, Elected Member (2020-2023), Chair (2020-2022)
East Cooper Montessori Charter School Board, Community Representative (2010-2011)
Charleston Charter School for Math and Science, Founding Board Member (2007-2008)
Emerge Training, Graduate 2024
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
ENDORSEMENTS
LIBERAL (3)
South Carolina Democratic Party; Moms Demand Action; Planned Parenthood Votes South Atlantic
OTHER INFORMATION
Candidate Interview. Frogmore Stew with Grace Cowen. 4 Jun 2024.
Candidate completed Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
SC has a 6-week abortion ban with limited exceptions. These exceptions do not provide the clarity needed for women experiencing miscarriages who need a D&C, women who are taking medication or receiving healthcare for mental or emotional issues which will be exacerbated by a pregnancy, or families with genetic diseases which they do not want to pass along to offspring. All women & families deserve the ability to make healthcare decisions about their bodies without government intervention.
Chemical abortion drugs should meet essential safety standards (such as in-person consultation with a medical doctor) and require reporting to gather evidence on reactions and outcomes.
Choose not to answer
Chemical abortion drugs should be approved by the FDA and the reporting which comes through that process.
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Disagree
The federal court has protected Planned Parenthood's rights to receive medicaid funds in South Carolina.
I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Neutral
South Carolina has not considered any 'aid in dying' laws and currently can revoke the license of any healthcare provider who provides suicide assistance.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Under what circumstances can government close churches?
South Carolina has a law which prohibits the closure of churches and other places of worship during a state emergency.
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Neutral
Freedom to practice one's moral and or religious beliefs is protected by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This same bill prohibits US public businesses from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion or national origin.
NATIONAL SECURITY
The Chinese Communist Party poses serious military, cyber security, intellectual property, and global economic threats to the United States.
Agree
The federal government should lead the determination and responses to international threats. I am running for state office.
Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?
Yes, the United State' relationships with all allies are important.
HEALTHCARE
What most closely matches your view on healthcare: A) Healthcare for all should be guaranteed and funded by the government with no private healthcare option. (includes "universal healthcare," "medicare for all," etc.) B) Healthcare insurance funded by the government should be available for all who want it, along with private healthcare options. C) Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other taxpayer-funded programs are necessary. D) Taxpayer funded health care should be abolished in all forms, and Medicaid and Medicare should be defunded.
B. Healthcare insurance supported by government tax breaks, payments to the providers, and large scale negotiations with healthcare and drug suppliers should be available for all who want it, along with private healthcare options.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
Requiring vaccines is a reasonable public safety measure by public health agencies, school, or employers as long as exceptions to those vaccinations are offered and clearly outlined. Vaccines certainly protected us from polio, smallpox, & measles.
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
I lead several families businesses, two of which are real estate management companies, have a public information and engagement consulting firm, and have been an angel and venture capital investor since 2012.
What is your position on the minimum wage?
Minimum wage creates a floor to avoid abuse of workers. All workers should be valued.
Should environmental and social issues, like ESG (environmental, social, and governance) ratings, be used as criteria in deciding where to invest public monies?
Choose not to answer
Investing public monies using an ESG rating is not allowed in SC.
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Choose not to answer
I do not currently live in a state along the southern border nor am I running for office to represent a state with a southern border; so at this time and for this election, I do not have enough connection to the situation to properly inform what "doing more" or even exactly how "physical securing" should be.
EDUCATION
The state should fund education by allowing dollars to follow the child through programs which protect parents' freedom to choose their child's school – public, private, or homeschool.
Disagree
The SC Supreme Court recently ruled that SC taxpayer dollars to fund private school tuition and fees in the state's recently passed K-12 voucher program is unconstitutional. I support the funding of preschool vouchers for qualified children, based on equitable and transparent defined criteria, into public, private, or in home care options which are committed to supporting proven brain development opportunities.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
I support redirecting funds from police departments to community programs.
Disagree
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
South Carolina is a state which is testing the consequences of a lack of restrictions on gun ownership and carrying. It is my greatest hope this lack of restrictions will make our state safer as was promised. I am very concerned about the number of children, law enforcement officials, groups of people, gun owners, and the average "person on the street" who will be injured or killed before restrictions are reconsidered. Safe storage laws would really help save lives, especially children's lives.
Should teachers be allowed to carry guns at school?
No
Public schools should be gun free zones.
ABOUT YOU
Have you ever been penalized for sexual misconduct in either civil or criminal court? If so, please explain.
No
Have you ever been convicted of a felony? If so, please explain.
No
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
Government is a reflection of our shared commitments to each other. It sets policies which we collectively have determined necessary to keep those commitments and the processes by which those policies are developed, recorded, enforced, and revised or removed.
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?
Moderate
My faith calls me to care for others, look for how God works miracles through and around us, and love others. My faith and experience has shown me that each of us wants to be good to and seen as good by others. I am able to learn from others, make decisions based on information received from a variety of sources preferably those who have made the decision or experienced its consequences, review the consequences of those decisions, and change my next decision based on the new information.
VALUES
Children are the most vulnerable members of society and must be protected from abuse, including gender ideology, grooming, and bodily mutilation.
Neutral
I believe children should be protected from abuse. I am not familiar with the term gender ideology.
Parents should have the right to make decisions for their minor children.
Agree
Parents have a responsibility to make decisions for their minor children. I found raising my own children that even if I had the right to make decisions for my sons, my responsibility as a parent was to encourage and develop my son's abilities to make their own decisions, while knowing I am right there to support them along the way to celebrate their good choices and learn from their poor ones.
Taxpayer funds should be used to provide gender transition services.
Agree
A federal appeals court has upheld the ability for state and federal healthcare funds to be use to provide gender transition services.
Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition.
Agree
Marriage is recognized as all of these things and more. The separation of church and state in our constitution keeps government from altering religious definitions.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
God is love. I am called by God to "act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly" with my God.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Disagree
People in South Carolina are required to present a photo id when they vote. If they do not have an acceptable photo id AND have reasonable impediment to obtaining one, they can sign an affidavit stating their impediment and vote with a provisional ballot.
States should join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact which makes the Electoral College irrelevant.
Neutral
Confidence in the integrity of our elections is absolutely critical for voters, elected officials, and our federal democratic republic. Voting is an act of trust with and in each other.
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
Prejudice, discrimination, marginalization, and antagonism divide us and threaten our country's security.
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Disagree
In 2021-2022 the South Carolina General Assembly passed a budget proviso prohibiting schools from receiving state funding from teaching specified concepts regarding race and sex, that proviso was extended by the 2023-24 session. As the great, great niece of a leader in the Lost Cause movement in Georgia and child born in the late 60's, I personally have given a lot of thought to how historic race relations have impacted my present and life in the south.
Biological males should not be allowed to participate in women's sports or occupy biological women's spaces whether it be bathrooms, locker rooms, sorority houses, women's shelters, or prison.
Choose not to answer
I am not clear how biological males and "biological women's spaces" are defined in this sentence.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Which comes closest to your view? (Select all that apply) A) Stricter environmental laws and regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the economy. B) Stricter environmental laws and regulations are worth the cost. C) Stricter environmental laws undermine U.S. energy independence and deter development of reliable electricity sources. D) Climate change is real and requires urgent policy action.
D. As a life long southerner who lives in a coastal city, it is clear to me this region is experiencing hotter days, more humidity, and higher tides. We need to find environmental solutions which support natural, cultural, social, and economic health.
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
Diversified energy sources which can be networked together.
