MURRELLS INLET – Lee Hewitt, a Murrells Inlet realtor, SC Dept. of Health and Environmental Control board member and former Georgetown County Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals chairman, Wednesday officially filed for the S.C. House District 108 seat as a Republican.
“Since I announced my candidacy in November, I’ve been working hard to earn the support of voters and raise the funds necessary to run a winning campaign,” Lee Hewitt said. “I’ve been blessed with an outpouring of support and am glad to now be an official candidate.”
The filing period for candidates opened Wednesday and will close at noon on March 30th.
“I will fight for low taxes, better roads, the best education for our children, more jobs, and to protect our natural resources,” Hewitt said. “I share the conservative values of the district and will continue working hard to earn the support of Georgetown and Charleston County voters.”
Hewitt said his campaign has raised over $40,000 and has nearly $30,000 in the bank. “We’re on target to fund a very good campaign. I’m grateful for all of our campaign donors who have given very generously,” he said.
Campaign Chairman Dan Stacy said he’s impressed with the support Hewitt has received. “Lee has earned an impressive number of endorsements, including a significant number from public and GOP officials and community leaders,” Stacy said. “It’s easy to see why Lee is widely supported and is the right person to represent District 108. Lee is a respected and experienced community and state leader, who is thoughtful and possesses the skill sets to be an effective state Representative on day one in office.”
Click here to view endorsements.
Incumbent district Rep. Stephen Goldfinch, R-Murrells Inlet, is seeking the District 34 state Senate seat of retiring Sen. Ray Cleary.
Hewitt, 55, has lived in Murrells Inlet for nearly 40 years. He is owner of Garden City Realty and has served as President of the Coastal Carolina Association of Realtors and on the board of the state Association of Realtors. He is a Certified Residential Specialist, a Certified Professional Mediator, and a graduate of the Realtors Institute.
In 2014, Hewitt was appointed by Gov. Nikki Haley and confirmed by the state Senate as the 7th Congressional District Representative to the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control Board of Directors.
Hewitt has served as chairman of the Georgetown County Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals and on the Georgetown County Comprehensive Land Use Plan Committee, Grand Strand Area Transportation Committee, and the Southern Evacuation Lifeline Road Task Force.
Hewitt is a charter member of the Murrells Inlet Rotary Club, an AAU youth basketball coach, and a founder and current Co-Chairman of the Murrells Inlet 4th of July Boat Parade.
He is a 1982 graduate of Coastal Carolina University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
Hewitt is an active member of Belin Memorial United Methodist Church. He and his wife, Whitney, have two sons, William, a senior at the University of South Carolina, and Coleman, a sophomore at Waccamaw High School.
Hewitt’s campaign website is HewittForHouse.com.
House District 108 includes all of coastal Georgetown County, except for the city of Georgetown, and the northern coastal portion of Charleston County to Mt. Pleasant.