Johnnie Garmon
Republican | South Carolina
Candidate Profile
Leans Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Johnnie Garmon
Party
Republican
Election Year
2026
Election
Republican Primary
Race
State Representative, District 115
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Mount Olive University, Mount Olive, BS, 1998-2002
Webster University, Saint Louis, MBA, 2003-2005
WORK & MILITARY
None
AFFILIATIONS
James Island Christian church, Other / Volunteer / Member, 2022-2026
Rock Hill Gravity Center (Mentorship), Mentor, 2022-2024
Board Member, 2022-2024
Columbia International University, BCDC Board Member, 2022-2026
Charleston Southern University, Adjunct Instructure, 2025-2026
Greater LowCountry Republican Club, Board Member, 2025-2026
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
None
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
SC House District 115
ENDORSEMENTS
CONSERVATIVE (3)
Jordan Pace
James Teeple
Cindy Costa
OTHER (3)
Americans for Prosperity AFP Action South Carolina
Wes Climer
Joe Bustos
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (1)
Americans For Prosperity
OTHER INFORMATION
Johnnie Garmon took the Equal Protection South Carolina pledge in 2026.
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Agree
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
Life of the Mother, rape or incest.
Human life deserves legal protection from conception until natural death.
Strongly Agree
The lives of human embryos created through artificial methods ought to be protected from purposeful destruction.
Strongly Agree
The Comstock Act, which bans interstate transportation of abortion-inducing drugs, should be enforced.
Agree
ECONOMY
What is your position on the minimum wage?
Success is driven by incentives & personal responsibility, not guarantees. Raising minimum wage can increase costs and reduce jobs without improving outcomes. Real growth comes from opportunity free markets, lower regulation, and a culture of work.
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Agree
List your top 3-5 priorities to eliminate government waste.
Automatic sunset laws and provisions for agency programs. Zero based budgeting for the same. Using technology such as AI for administrative duties and functions. Streamlining agencies and reducing vertical hierarchies and government siloes. Mandated transparency for all interdepartmental agencies with posted KPIs and Benchmark quality indicators that focus on outcomes not attempts at outcomes.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?
The government may not establish a national religion, and it must not restrict the free exercise of faith. Individuals are free to practice or not practice religion, while maintaining the right to express those beliefs in public life without government interference.
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
In a representative republic, individual rights are protected but limited by the equal rights of others. Freedom of speech includes both the right to express ideas and the right not to be compelled to speak, but it does not extend to actions that infringe on the rights of others.
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.
C) Medicaid and Medicare should remain available while both are needed to be reformed. Healthcare is complex and there is no single cause, no simple fix. Costs rise from bureaucracy, misuse of insurance, and cost-shifting to paying patients. Real solutions focus on speed, transparency, and responsibility: streamline approvals, restore true insurance use, and expand market competition to lower prices and increase access.
The government should keep a database of people with various ongoing medical illnesses to assess the economic burden of treatment.
Agree
It is important for stakeholders to know the medical issues that need to be triaged and may become pandemic. However, this would need to be done without personal information attached. No identifiers of patient information, just the raw data and demographics. We must protect patient privacy.
NATIONAL SECURITY
The Chinese Communist Party poses serious military, cyber security, intellectual property, and global economic threats to the United States.
Strongly Agree
Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?
Yes. I believe all free representative republics or democracies are important for western values and freedoms.
IMMIGRATION
I support the existence of sanctuary cities to protect undocumented persons.
Strongly Disagree
I support legal immigration and compassionate enforcement of immigration law.
EDUCATION
I support eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and giving control back to states and communities.
Agree
Bureaucracy that adds no value only raises costs, reduces accountability, and lowers standards. Education works best when states act as incubators testing and scaling what delivers results. A one-size-fits-all national model has failed, as shown by our lagging performance versus other developed countries. It is not a lack of resources, we spend more than others on education, it's a lack of resourcefulness and proper accountability and funding.
Foreign governments should be prohibited from funding American education.
Neutral
VALUES
Government should recognize and support the fundamental right and essential duty of parents to direct their child's health and educational well-being.
Agree
Attempts to physically or socially transition a child to the opposite sex constitute child abuse.
Strongly Agree
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
Traditionally marriage as an institution has been viewed as a religious term. Civil Unions have been viewed as a legal term and have been viewed as separate but equal under the law.
I support the expansion of gambling in my state.
Disagree
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a Christian saved by the blood and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
Voting is a sacred right that deserves the protections equal to its importance.
EQUALITY
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Strongly Disagree
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.
Strongly Agree
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Man-made climate change is a global threat and requires urgent political action.
Disagree
Climate policy should protect both the environment and individual freedom. The science is debated, and natural factors may play a role, so sweeping mandates risk overreach. Real progress comes from innovation, market solutions, and practical steps that reduce emissions without sacrificing economic growth or personal liberty.
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
Fusion holds the promise of reliable, and near-carbon-free energy. While technical hurdles remain, rapid advances in science and engineering are bringing it closer to reality, with the potential to deliver safe, scalable power.
ABOUT YOU
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?
Lean Conservative
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
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
What should be the goal of the criminal justice system?
The primary goal is to protect society and the innocent and ensure that justice is carried out. Second where feasible should be to educate, and develop skills and talents through other interdepartmental agencies to ensure that inmates leave better than how they entered.
Government has a responsibility to protect children from sexual exploitation during online activities.
Strongly Agree
Sharia law should not be accepted or incorporated in any form within the legal framework of the United States.
Strongly Agree
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
Public safety is best protected by enforcing existing laws, not restricting the rights of law-abiding citizens. Focus should be on keeping firearms out of the hands of violent criminals, those with mental health challenges, and those legally prohibited, while strengthening background checks, prosecuting illegal trafficking, and supporting responsible gun ownership, training, and safe storage.
