Dwayne “Duke” Buckner, a native of Colleton County, is officially running as a Republican for the 6th Congressional District against longtime incumbent and politician James Clyburn (D-Orangeburg). Buckner is a lawyer who has been practicing law for 10 years at his own office, Buckner Law Firm. He is also a former realtor, businessman and teacher.
Last week, Buckner explained why he is running against a career politician and why he wants to represent Clarendon and the surrounding counties in Congress. “We need to bring progress and prosperity to the 6th Congressional District,” he said. “I’m from here. The conditions of the district have been this way for 30 years. People need jobs, people need a reason to live where they are. Education has suffered in terms of standards, and our students are not graduating as prepared as they could be for the challenges they are going to face.”
Buckner says he wants to focus on three things while in office: Economic development and growth for all, reducing crime, and improving education. He decided on these three goals after talking to people in the 6th district, he said.
“We have the lowest income of any other district in the state with poorest counties in the state … They call it the ‘Corridor of Shame’ and there’s no reason for it to be that way when we’ve got I95, we got reasonably priced land, and we got folks who are wanting to work and willing to work.” Buckner is adamant about refocusing on bringing businesses to the 6th district and believes Clyburn has failed in this aspect of governing. “I think Mr. Clyburn’s focus has not been on these forgotten counties,” said Buckner. “His focus has been in historical preservation and cultural enrichment and making sure historically black colleges and universities are funded. And he has recognized individuals in the community. However, as it relates to economic development and growth, that has not been his focus. He has been effective in his efforts, but it’s time for the focus to shift.”
Buckner relates an uptick in crime to the decline of job availability and economic growth. “Crime is up throughout the district. Drug use, overdoses. These issues are a result of when you don’t have a job, you don’t have money then you’re more likely to get involved in crime.”
When explaining about the need for safe streets and neighborhoods, Buckner is a proponent of community policing and helped with such while he was on city council in Walterboro. “We need to support law enforcement. We need to ensure we enforce community policing … that the officers know the people they serve by living in the community that they serve.” Buckner would also support
de-escalation training for officers to make the citizens of the 6th district feel safer when confronted by local police.
Buckner’s third issue, improving education, is one he is very familiar with. Buckner is a former public-school teacher in Colleton County and has seen firsthand the challenges educators face in this state. While insisting that Title 1 funding needs to be reevaluated, Buckner points out how the current system is broken. “We got to take a look at that because that’s where the federal, the level I’ll be working in, gets involved in education … the students or the teachers and the districts are incentivized to remain poor because that’s how you get funding: based on economics. So, that needs to change. I think it should be funding based on performance, not what your economic status is.”
Buckner is also an advocate for school choice, maintaining that the “money should follow the child and not the institution. We need competition in public education. That will improve public schools, improve everything.”
It all boils down to leadership, says Buckner, who refers to incumbent’s governing as “stagnant” with no growth and no jobs. “The issue is leadership. The people are here. They are ready. My goal is to be a salesman for the 6th congressional district. Other parts of the state are booming … Berkeley County, Greenville county, Horry county … why aren’t we? We have the people.”
“Instead of having our children and our children’s children leave the district and we have to drive to see them, let’s build a community where they can live and thrive and stay, if they want to. We need progress and prosperity, for all.”
Buckner, 49, has a campaign office in Orangeburg and just open an additional office in Walterboro on April 14th. He will also be hosting many fundraisers and speeches throughout the 6th Congressional District, including Clarendon County. More information can be found on his Web site at www.voteforduke.com.
Buckner has previously served on Walterboro City Council and on the S.C. Commission for the Blind. He also ran unsuccessfully in June of 2020 in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Lindsey Graham.
