TALK 94.5 Liz And Nick
TALK 94.5 Liz And Nick
RALPH NORMAN STOPS BY (GOP SENATE CANDIDATE) 8/25/26
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We are the only new source I crossed. Decision 2026 with the Liz Callaway show in next summer. And joining us live is Congressman Ralph Norman. He is the GOP candidate for the Senate runoff. And uh I need to apologize. I gave you the wrong phone number. I am so sorry it was a typo.
SPEAKER_03No problem, Liz. Lane thing we got connected.
SPEAKER_01Yes, absolutely. So um today is election day, and for the Republican voters that are still undecided, Congressman Norman, why should we vote for you uh to be the next U.S. Senator of South Carolina?
SPEAKER_03Well, Liz, we're electing a person to for the next six years that you're basically going to be married to to go to the Senate and to unlock a body of people that is killing good legislation in in the Senate. And you can't have training on the job. Um I've got a conservative record that people know how I will vote. It's uh, you know, pro-Trump, it's pro-America, it's a record that I'm proud of. And um, you know, our real our real fight is with the Democrat Socialists that are trying to take over this country. And I will do that.
SPEAKER_01You know why I'm a You know why I believe you? Because you stood up for us during COVID and you stand up for life for the unborn. These are the two things that I highly regard this this vote for because life is so important. And if anybody believes in life, it's the true conservative Republican. And uh I did not see your opponent stand up for us ever. And when asked about life, she said, Hmm, I have to think about it. Very disturbing. So tell us a little bit about that regarding your history.
SPEAKER_03A couple of things. Yeah, I mean, if if you're not pro-life, I mean, what are we here for? I mean, you've got to protect our own. You guys you have to think about that. But Liz, my opponent, is it's common. I mean, look what she said about you know, having national security as a top concern. She didn't know about it. Look, this isn't a j this isn't a job that you can just learn on the fly. It's like putting a pilot in a seat that's never flown before. Maybe they've flown a kite. Uh, you gotta have somebody that's experienced. And, you know, when I stood up for the frontline doctors, that wasn't hard for me. When you advocate for pro pro-life positions, that's just not hard for me. Um, you know, it's it's second nature, and my my record is my resume. And you you you can't guess where somebody is is gonna vote. The other very disturbing thing about my opponent, look who is funding her campaign. Washington, D.C., which is broken. The Democrat Party is funding her to millions of dollars. She's outspent me five to one. We're gonna win this race against money and against the forces that are for some reason targeting me as not wanting to be in the Senate. Uh, I know why the left doesn't want me. Uh, having to battle the White House, to be honest with you, which is a little bit of a surprise. But look, we're gonna win this race, and the people in South Carolina are gonna pick the next senator, not not these private groups that are funding uh funding her campaign.
SPEAKER_01Speaking of uh the people, uh we have some uh maybe a question or two on our budget blinds text line, 843-798-talk 798-8255. Nick, do you have a question?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, actually, this person brought this up, and I've heard this before, and I think it's kind of nonsense, but I want you to answer it. They're saying the reason why Trump wants Darlene is because all of Lindsay's staff will go with her, stay there. They've been working with Trump. You're gonna bring in a new staff, and nobody knows you. And I thought I thought to myself on the outset, that seems kind of silly, but that's a question that just came in. How would you respond?
SPEAKER_03Oh, the staff doesn't vote. I mean, the staff I mean, it's who you put in who you put as senator that when you go in to vote, that's that's what it is. To say the staff's gonna vote, I've never heard of that. But um, you know, and Lynn, I will give Lindsay credit. He had a good staff. They, you know, carried out the constituent service in a good way, but no, you elect that person that'll sit up in the well and will do we'll cast the votes needed to save this country, and I will do that. And with the groups that are backing her, they're anti-America, anti-Trump. I mean, Lil Liz Mikowski, uh, you know, she's votes to kill a child, you know, at birth. She votes to the budget. She's is a spin thrift. All that to say is I'm the only one for this job that can really get it, and you know what you get with Ralph Norman.
SPEAKER_01So, Congressman Norrin, I, you know, people are using this phrase affordability, um, talking about grocery bills, insurance, housing, um, the high interest rates to buy a home and all these things. Not only that, they're worried about Social Security, Medicare. These are the things that they call kitchen table issues. What have you heard and how will you address and protect South Carolinians if you are um uh elected into the Senate?
SPEAKER_03Well, affordability is a huge issue. I mean, my my in in my business arena, I mean, we built houses, we built commercial buildings. I mean, I I see the affordability crisis, I see gas prices, I see everything they're talking about. But you gotta remember, this president inherited a disaster in Joe Biden. He's fixing it. But, you know, it's just gonna take time. The big beautiful bill is just that. Is the businesses are gonna see it. But what I will advocate for and use my voice and not just say it and then go home and not do anything about it, uh, we have got to make sure that we're not spending more than we make. It's to go further in debt to we just can't have. Social Security, I agree, it's going bankrupt, and it'll be before the six-year term. But you have to have somebody that's willing to advocate for to one, stop the spending spree, two, have legitimate cuts per the DOEGE Commission that'll put this country back on track. And uh, we're just not doing that right now. And the Senate is frozen, and I will do whatever it takes to unthaw the Senate and hold people accountable. And my opponent just does not have the experience to do that, nor the willingness with with, again, who's backing her, they're not gonna let her do it.
SPEAKER_01What do you believe needs to be done to safeguard Social Security and Medicare? Uh a lot of people call it a social entitlement program, but but the truth of the matter is at this point it's so ingrained and people are planning and living off of it, you know, they of off their planning for retirement at this point. So what can you say to people today? Many of our listeners are in the age bracket of of about to go on it or have been on it, uh supplement their uh pension or uh, you know, their planning. What can you say to them about what you're going to do to help safeguard those two entities?
SPEAKER_03Sure. First of all, Social Security is the taxpayers' money. It's not the government's money to spend it as they wish and to put a a worthless note in place of it. Uh first of all, we have to get make sure that have some plan that gives the m let lets the ones paying the into the 6.2 percent uh of the amount, let them invest it, you know, not not give it to the government and phase that in. Secondly, the 147,000 where the cap is for those paying in, people are working longer. They're they're not uh retiring uh as early, and even those retirees, a lot of them are coming back and getting into the workforce. Uh the the 147 needs to to basically take the limits off that.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_03Uh I ha have a lady in my office that was with Social Security for 20-some years. She brought up a a uh seemingly small item, but we issue a million new cards a year for Social Security recipients. They ought to have some type of a charge on that, and it amounts to the millions of dollars. And also I would add, Liz, the waste, fraud, and abuse, you've got to make sure that those who are collecting Social Security benefits are real American citizens, and if not, take the steps to get them off the roads. That's just the beginning. But we've got to it's kind of like health care. We have to put something on the table, and I will do that uh as as a senator.
SPEAKER_01South Carolina uh has been talking about data centers like many other states have been dealing with this uh question about do we, don't we, do we regulate it, how do we do it? Is it good for us, bad for us, electric water infrastructure? What is your um position and on data centers?
SPEAKER_03Here's my stance on this. Any community needs to take ownership and examine the water usage, electric electric usage, and make sure it fits the communities. They're the upset all over the state now because the ones that are going in are going their subdivisions and houses that I would make the argument that are it's the diminution of value for them. So you gotta st stop it. And I'm not for the federal government getting involved. I think each community ought to take ownership. And when that planning commission meets, show up in droves and say you don't want this in your backyard. Uh there's not enough thing, that there's not enough knowledge that people have about it. They're gonna have to sell it as to why it's beneficial for the communities. And I would also add, too, that there should be no subsidies that go to these data centers that they ought to pay for their own electricity, on water, if it's approved in in each of the communities. That's basic to me.
SPEAKER_01One of the things you pointed out in the last debate was how you were able to push back on the one big beautiful bill, uh Trump's bill, uh, to make it better. Can you explain that part a little bit more? Sure.
SPEAKER_03Sure, I was on the budget committee and it came through our committee and I voted against it and uh to stop it. Not to permanently stop it, but I wanted the the subsidies for wind and solar, for electric cars. They were dumb to me. That's not where the tax money ought to go, particularly when we're borrowing money anyway. The president called three of us in. I think it was me, Chip Roy, and maybe uh Andrew Clyde. And he said, What are you doing? I said, Mr. President, I'm doing just what you're doing. I'm negotiating. I knew I had another bite at the Apple, and he agreed with me. And it wasn't anything anything close to what my opponent is saying that I oppose the bill. If you look at the record, I voted for the bill. But I don't apologize for negotiating for the people in South Carolina. I do that on everything. And at the end of the day, I was gonna pass it. And let's say if we didn't get those things that I wanted, it had more good in it than it did bad. So, but I'm not gonna take anything at face value. In the business arena, you make the best deal you can. You don't let perfect get in the way of the possible. And I uh that's how I do things, and that's how I will do it when I become senator.
SPEAKER_01Uh Congressman Ralph Norman is who we're speaking with. He's running uh for the GOP uh nomination for the Senate, and we have election day today. Today is your final day to vote up until 7 p.m. Go to fvotes.org to see where you vote. If you have a question, you have time, 843-798-TALK, 798-8255. I want to talk about tariffs. This whole new economic D-Day uh that Trump was talking about regarding Iran and any of our any country helping Iran economically is going to get some sort of retaliation with tariffs. Also, we turned to Canada. I didn't even honestly, I didn't even know this was going to happen. If we I feel like it came out of the blue a little bit. Uh, I didn't even know we were having an issue with Canada. What is your understanding of the geopolitics regarding these tariffs regarding Canada? Is it going to hurt us short term, long term, it's a benefit? I'm uh and what about Iran? What you feel about that? I know those are two totally separate issues, but I just wanted to squeeze it all in.
SPEAKER_03Sure, that they they tie together. One, the president made the right choice to take out a a country that made it known that his their goal was to destroy America. They've been killing Americans for 45, 47 years. That being said, we've got to finish it. And for them to come out and say that uh they're gonna wait this president out is concerning. The Straits of Hamooz. We've got to make sure we control that. So I think economically what he's doing is putting uh using another another tool in the tool chest to disable Iran. He's doing the right thing. It's peace through strength. Now, I'm not for endless wars, and I think the president is gonna have to explain to the American people where we stand, what it's gonna take to end it, and do what needs to be done, and the sanctions are part of it. Now you mentioned Canada, uh, the 50% tariffs will be a a a problem, but what this president does, and what's the you're talking about negotiating? He's as good as anybody I have ever seen. And he you know, he's he's he raises the tariffs, then he takes them back. He wants he he doesn't he wants reciprocal trade. And he's using the tools in this case to further destroy a country that wants to destroy America. And so I think once he does that, you'll see gas prices come down, you'll see the affordability that we're facing all over South Carolina and other parts of the country, it will improve because you gotta remember uh he took over disaster from Joe Biden, who uh this country economically was was in the ditches.
SPEAKER_01Congressman uh Norman, I I need to ask you, because you you did run for governor and you were traveling the state then, um, getting a lot of uh, you know, the concerns, gathering the concerns of the voters. I have a question for you regarding the direction of South Carolina, especially under Governor Henry McMaster. We are like 10 years into this. Um can you tell me as Senator what you can do to help move us in the right direction? Where have we veered off course or you know, what is the big picture here? You've served in the state house uh uh state senate, you served in as a congressman, you know, you're part of the Freedom Caucus, you started it, um, you're co-founder. Where are we going wrong in the state of South Carolina? What would you like to see change?
SPEAKER_03The real issues we face in South Carolina, and particularly the Myrtle Beach area, look at the congestion, look at the condition of the roads, the infrastructure. Our company is doing a hotel down in Myrtle Beach. We're investing in an area that's gonna grow a quarter of a million people in the next 60 months. I don't know where they're gonna put the people, much less get them into the state. I'm as a developer, I like infrastructure, I like you know, putting things in place ahead of the growth. And Myrtle Beach is is a great area, but it's congested. Ask anybody that that gets on the roads down there. But if I had to say top concerns over the state, it's infrastructure, it's roads that have been dilapidated and shouldn't be. Secondly, our judicial system, the way we elect judges and let trial lawyers pick um the judges, is like letting Clemson, Carolina pick referees. You don't do that. You change the way that uh a judicial system, which affects everybody in South Carolina. And thirdly, why are we on our education system, why are we letting our education system continue to be ranked near the bottom? Uh our tech schools do a tremendous job of of not tr not only training people, but providing the workforce for the new businesses that are coming to South Carolina. And I can tell you, um, the giveaways that our General Assembly has has has done, uh, Scout Motors comes to mind, a B and three, under Ralph Norman, that's going to be broadcast if they make another mistake like that. Because it's you don't give away taxpayers' money and yet let the roads go to pot, let uh education and let our judicial system lie in in a state that we we cannot tolerate for that much longer. So um that's just a few of the things that I will be very vocal about because I believe in them, and uh it's gotta be changed, and I will use my voice as being one of the two senators to say that.
SPEAKER_01Uh some of us have a a hard time understanding the impact on the na the how what the impact of the national debt on our day-to-day lives. And this is something that you bring up a lot. You talk about fiscal conservatism and um you know stomping out fraud in in certain systems like social security. What are some of the things that you can do that would impact significant change in helping reduce the the national debt? What do you what will you bring into that Senate?
SPEAKER_03Some of the some of the problems we're having with when you when we say national debt, people don't really feel that. When they say $40 trillion, it hasn't affected them. Here's where that's gonna change. When they stop buying our bonds, uh that which is the only way that we're continuing to fund our our main programs across this country, then we're gonna see up uh uh that'll be a dead stop that I do not want to see happen. Now, what will I do? I don't think there ought to be any new spending without severe cuts. You know, we keep hearing the Doge Commission. And Liz, I saw when when when Elon Musk did a great service to this country, he was able to to crack into the U.S. AIDS and other agencies. It was just it was it was ridiculous. Yet when we had a chance to implement the the cuts that he identified, nine billion dollars was all we could do. Uh that's like a teardrop in the ocean. With the debt we have and with the opportunities we have to to make great cuts, uh, we just didn't do it. I will advocate for that. And it shouldn't be a dollar spent uh moving forward. And uh the appropriations, all the the spending and the uh that comes from the house from the house side, which is where I've I've been from the next last eight years. And uh, you know, I've been an advocate for cuts and more cuts and to get the financial house in order. Until we do that, then it's just we're just uh not doing our job. But it's gonna take telling groups and and telling uh different giveaways for like the Scout Motors and other chronic capitalism projects that look, we can't afford it. We're gonna we're gonna put this house in order, we're gonna stop the cancer that is affecting the whole nation.
SPEAKER_01Uh one more thing I just wanted to bring up. One of the criticisms is that uh, you know, that you are a career politician. That that seems to be a negative connotation uh because you run for uh run and have held a few different types of offices. You just ran for governor. When this position opened, you ran for Senate. Maybe you can just address that and and are you considered a career politician and also um uh give you an opportunity to at to ask for the vote in these final moments here.
SPEAKER_03Sure. Look, I made my money in the business arena. A career politician is somebody like Joe Biden who spent their whole life in government and is is being paid off the backs of the American people. Uh I that's the big difference between me and my opponent. She's been funded by these big groups, pack groups, most of them liberal. I'm funding my own campaign along with the donations from South Carolina. A career politician is one who games the system. They stay in government all their lives. I've term-limited myself every time I've been there. And look, I don't have to do this. I've my children were raised, I had a successful business, and this is a way to give back and add value back to the people. And I do that, and that's why they've elected me. And I was going to leave Congress anyway before the governance thing came up. When I ran uh in the uh to run in 2017, I gave up my house seat. Uh I don't run for two officers. I mean, I and I I you know you ought to ought to serve a short time, and whether it's three terms or four terms, go back and live under some of these laws that you put into place. That's that's easy for me. And I've given up each seat, and um, you know, I have no problem uh telling people that you should not make money while you're in Congress. Uh and many of them do. And the only senator that I've known that has not enriched himself is Jim DeMinn. And he's a he's a role model for me and others. And if you do, if you're honest, you'll lose money, and I've lost money, a lot of money since I've been serving. And Donald Trump's saying word.
SPEAKER_01Mm-hmm. Well, thank you for standing up for life. That is uh very important for us, and standing up for us during COVID. I just want to uh you have no idea how Nick and I have railed against the tyranny in the state since March 2020.
SPEAKER_00Yes, seeing you on those steps of those frontline doctors speaks volumes.
SPEAKER_01Yep. So thank you for that. Yep. Go ahead.
SPEAKER_03We just gotta what what's happening to kill a child is evil, just like it was Charlie Kirk. We gotta we we're up against this is a spiritual battle, and it's good versus evil. Killing a child or mutilating a child is evil.
SPEAKER_01You mean you don't have to think about that?
SPEAKER_03Uh no. No easy for me.
SPEAKER_01Exactly. Well, thank you so much. Good luck to you. I'll be voting for you later today, and uh we we wish you all the best. Congressman Ralph Norman, vote in the Senate runoff today. Uh thank you so much and uh take care. We'll talk to you. Uh hopefully when you become Senator, you'll you'll entertain an interview or two with us.
SPEAKER_03I will come back and you can count on that. All right.
SPEAKER_01All right, I'll hold you to your word. Thank you so much, sir. Good luck.
SPEAKER_03I just have a way to go with the next summer is back in a bit.
SPEAKER_01Dependable service plumbing in air. That's the company you can call.