SC House votes to name roads after Charlie Kirk, Donald Trump, over Democrats’ protests

COLUMBIA — Proposals to name roadways after Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist shot to death on a Utah college campus last year, and President Donald Trump drew the ire of the House’s Black Democrats before advancing Thursday.

Two of the resolutions would put Kirk’s name on roadside markers: A portion of Highway 76 in Laurens County would become “Charlie Kirk Memorial Highway” and a McCormick County bridge along Highway 378 would be “Charlie Kirk Memorial Bridge.” Another would dub the so-far nonexistent Interstate 73 through Marlboro, Dillon, Marion and Horry counties the “President Donald J. Trump Highway.”

Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, the longest-serving member of the House, took issue with all three, causing a rare debate on road-naming, which is usually a routine process.

“I am so amazed at this rush to honor people who have no honor, in my opinion,” the Orangeburg Democrat said from the floor Thursday, with most of the Legislative Black Caucus gathered behind her.

Kirk, founder of conservative advocacy organization Turning Point USA, was fatally shot in the neck Sept. 10 while holding one of his signature “prove me wrong” debates at an outdoor amphitheater at Utah Valley University.

Kirk would invite college students to argue with him, often in front of crowds of hundreds or thousands of their peers, on hot-button topics. Kirk’s supporters lauded the events as a way of hearing from both sides, but his opponents argue he didn’t argue in good faith and instead used the events as a mouthpiece for his own divisive views.

“Tell me, what did he do to deserve honor?” Cobb-Hunter asked her colleagues. “Divide?”

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Kirk frequently made polarizing remarks about women, LGBTQ people and people in racial minorities during those events and on his podcast, The Charlie Kirk Show.

Rep. Hamilton Grant, a Columbia Democrat, quoted some of Kirk’s comments disparaging Black people from the floor Thursday.

Those are “nasty, disgusting things” to say “about the people who sit with, about the people you collaborate with,” said Grant, who is Black.

“What are you saying about us with this vote?” Grant said.

Rep. Luke Rankin, who sponsored the bill renaming the highway after Kirk, called Kirk a “unifier” who invited different viewpoints and encouraged college students to get involved in politics.

Kirk, who has no ties to South Carolina, inspired 28-year-old Rankin, who frequently listened to the activist’s podcast, the Laurens Republican told reporters.

“His passing affected me deeply and profoundly and will have a lasting impact on the rest of my political career,” Rankin said. “People need to know that Charlie Kirk was a champion of the pro-life cause, was a strong and devout Christian (who) advocated for family values.”

The road-naming bill passed in a vote of 75-31, primarily along party lines. Reps. Neal Collins, of Easley, and Tom Hartnett, of Mount Pleasant, were the only Republicans to vote against it. No Democrat voted for it. The bridge-naming resolution passed 75-29, with Collins as the only Republican “no” vote and Hartnett not voting.

No Republican voted against naming the proposed Interstate 73 through the Pee Dee after Trump, though Democrats raised similar concerns to the resolutions about Kirk. The resolution passed 76-28.

The interstate has been on the wish list of Myrtle Beach-area officials for decades as a way to provide tourists a four-way, nonstop path to the Grand Strand. In 1991, Congress called a Michigan-to-Myrtle Beach route, via Interstates 73 and 74, a high priority. It’s been a topic of debate ever since.

Horry County Council approved a similar resolution last month, in the hopes that putting Trump’s name on the proposed interstate might spur him into offering the $2 billion necessary for construction. Plans for the first phase of work are complete, but transportation officials lack the money to actually get started.

Trump, “with his renowned business savvy and financial acumen, has championed this project,” reads the resolution, sponsored by Myrtle Beach-area Rep. Heather Crawford.

The state received a permit for construction in 2017, under Trump’s administration, though environmental groups challenged it in court.

Cobb-Hunter pointed to a New York jury’s conviction of Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records in 2024 as one reason the state shouldn’t name anything after him. The charges were related to payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of his 2016 win.

“I don’t think Trump deserves it,” Cobb-Hunter told reporters. “He’s a 34-time convicted felon. He shouldn’t even be president.”

Trump and his supporters contend the New York civil and criminal cases against him were part of a “political witch hunt” to keep him from getting back into office.

South Carolina voters chose Trump every time he was on the ballot. In 2024, he defeated Vice President Kamala Harris by 18 percentage points, the widest of his three general election wins for the Palmetto State’s electoral votes.