Matthew Leber, a former combat veteran, told Breitbart News Saturday that he’s running for South Carolina’s House of Representatives in District 116 to be the regular guy who takes on Democrats and establishment Republicans.
LISTEN:
Leber spoke with Breitbart News Saturday host Matthew Boyle about New Jersey state senator Ed Durr’s inspirational win against the state’s former senate president. “I served eight years as a paratrooper two years in the Special Forces after 9/11. I worked for various federal agencies. I am the regular guy just like Ed, and it’s very inspirational,” he said. “It shows that this this sort of thing can happen. And we’re putting on the best campaign that we possibly can.”
Leber spoke about a local woman who complained to him about rising inflation while on the campaign trail and how that gave him a sense of responsibility. “You know Matt, the feeling of responsibility just overwhelmed my soul and my body and I said to myself, ‘You know what, I’m gonna win this race, for that little old lady and all the other thousands that are in my district that need conservative representation.’”
Boyle noted that the district Leber is running in had been represented by Democrats for a long time, but they supported Trump in the 2016 election.
“It is conservative. Trump did win, it was a very narrow win. It is pretty much a Purple district, but we are expecting a red wave in the future,” Leber said. “So we feel like it is time for the regular guys to stake the claim as well, and it’s not just the establishment politician that gets to ride this wave of discontent by the people.”
“I often say Columbia has enough attorneys as lawmakers, they need more paratroopers. So that’s why I’m running. I’m the regular guy,” he continued.
“I feel like we need to fortify the state of South Carolina against those mandates and other overreach by the federal government,” Leber said when asked what could be done to combat federal vaccine mandates and out of control spending. He discussed the possibility of South Carolina declaring itself a “sanctuary state.”
“So, you know, there’s pieces of legislation that would make some sort of a sanctuary state where we get to review these unconstitutional orders that are coming down and take a look at them. And if we determine through our Attorney General, and the assembly that whatever executive order has come is unconstitutional, then what we can do is forbid local police from enforcing these these laws.”
Leber criticized his Democrat opponent for not supporting constitutional carry, saying, “She’s not necessarily one that cares very much about constitutional rights.” He added, “That’s a big difference between me and her. I’m a constitutionalist. I believe in the rights of the people and the people should have their rights protected by governments.”
Boyle questioned Leber about his history as a combat veteran and asked for more information about his story.
“I served eight years in the military. Most of it was overseas. Five years of it was in Europe. I spent a year in Bosnia. So my life has been about service to my country and I’m just finally grateful that I can now serve the great state of South Carolina, and I’m really ready for that.”
Leber mentioned that his wife pushed him to run for state representative after watching the events of the 2020 election unfold. “One day my wife, who’s also a combat veteran, she came in and she said, If you don’t run for state house, you’re sleeping on the couch,” he said.
Boyle talked about a monthly meeting of South Carolina conservatives and asked Leber what advice he would give to people in other states that are upset with their local government.
“We all had the feeling that the red tide is going to happen in 2022, and the regular guy should stick a claim,” he responded. “Democrats shouldn’t run for these seats unopposed anymore. And we need to recruit good candidates, and we need to support them.”
Leber wasn’t shy to call out establishment Republicans either. “I want to win this so I can rebel at a higher level, you know, not just the Democrats. Some of the more established Republicans don’t necessarily get it,” he said.
Leber then called out his opponent for fundraising primarily from individuals outside of the state. “You know, Democrats are very good with their Act Blue sending money. My opponents, 66% of her money comes from out of the state of South Carolina, from places like San Francisco, New York, Washington, DC. A full 90% of my money so far is coming from in the state of South Carolina.”
As the interview concluded, Leber promoted an oyster roast event his campaign will hold on Saturday and shouted out to his father, who recently had bypass surgery.