Aiken Republican Club

05/28/2026

The Club had great lunchtime presentations this week by Jeremy Cannon, candidate for SC Commissioner of Agriculture, as well as by David Pascoe, candidate for Attorney General.

Glad to have heard both of them speak!

Don't forget that early voting is ongoing now, with Election Day on June 9th. If you need more info, you can find it at https://www.aikencountyrepublicanparty.com/Elections

Next month, the ARC will have Gary Bunker, Aiken County Counsil Chair, as its lunchtime speaker.

05/17/2026

Our friends at the Aiken County GOP recently held a straw poll at their Stump Rally. See the results below.

04/28/2026

Great lunchtime presentation today by State Superintendent of Education, Ellen Weaver.

Did you know South Carolina is definitely moving in the right direction on education over the past few years? Teacher vacancies down, teacher starting pay up. College/Career Readiness up from 61% in 2021 to 75% in 2025.

Grades 3-8 reading up from 42% meeting/exceeding in 2021 to 60% in 2025. Like the "Mississippi Miracle", the "South Carolina Surge" is based on the implementation of Reading Science (pronounced "phonics").

Come join us next month! Stay involved! Learn about South Carolina!

03/24/2026

Thank you to Craig Bradford of Oliver Hospitality, who is obviously very passionate about their redevelopment of The Aiken Hotel and the surrounding area.

After hearing his presentation today over lunch, we are very excited about the soon to be started Oliver Hotel Aiken and their concepts for the surrounding properties.

02/24/2026

Great turnout today at the Aiken Republican Club! 🇺🇸

Thank you to Fred West, candidate for South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture, for an informative and engaging discussion. The Commissioner’s role touches our daily lives more than most people realize — from food safety inspections to fuel pump accuracy to supporting our farmers and agribusinesses across the state.

We appreciate everyone who came out, asked great questions, and stayed engaged.

📅 Join us next time as we hear from the Oliver Group about the exciting redevelopment of the historic hotel in downtown Aiken — a project that will have a real impact on our community.

We hope to see you there!

01/27/2026

Great lunch today at the Aiken Republican Club meeting at Newberry Hall. In addition to a fine speaker, James Edwards, talking about the distinctly American approach to creativity, ownership and intellectual property, we had a couple of special guests - Congressman Joe Wilson and Congresswoman Virginia Foxx.

We hope you'll join us next month!

05/07/2025

AIKEN REPUBLICAN CLUB MEETING NOTICE
May 27, 2025
Newberry Hall, Downtown, Aiken, SC
Doors open at 11:00am
Meeting start at 12:00 Noon

PLEASE COME AND WELCOME
OUR MAY GUEST SPEAKER

LT. GOVERNOR PAMELA EVETTE

We are excited to announce Lt. Governor Pamela Evette will be our upcoming guest speaker for our May luncheon. Lt. Gov. Evette is the founder of Quality Business Solutions, Inc. (QBS), a payroll, human resources, and benefits services firm headquartered in Travelers Rest. As President and CEO, QBS grew from start-up to an over a one billion-dollar enterprise. QBS has been repeatedly honored among the best places to work in South Carolina.

Register at:
https://www.eventcreate.com/e/may-arc-meeting

03/11/2025

AIKEN REPUBLICAN CLUB
Meeting Notice March 25, 2025
Newberry Hall Aiken, South Carolina
Doors Open at 11:00am
Meeting Start Time 12:00 Noon
Members $25.00 Per-Person
Non-Member Guests 30.00 Per-Person

WELCOME OUR MARCH GUEST SPEAKER
Mr. Mackenize Morris, DRAGOS Corporation

Mackenize Morris is a Principal Industrial Consultant at the industrial cybersecurity company Dragos, Inc., where he assists professional services teams in conducting network and vulnerability assessments. Mackenize engages with Fortune 100 companies to develop comprehensive cybersecurity strategies to ensure both public and private utilities are defended from cyberattack.
Mackenize grew up in Aiken attending both Kennedy Middle School and St. Mary's. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina where he received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering and Masters in Business Administration. Mackenize continued his education receiving a Masters in Information Security Engineering from the SANS Technology Institute. Holding over 20 certifications in engineering and cybersecurity, Mackenize serves as a national subject matter expert on defending critical infrastructure.

Newberry Hall 117 Newberry Street Southwest, Aiken, SC, USA
Date & Time
March 25, 2025 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM

We look forward to seeing you!
Click Event Create to sign up

© 2025. All Rights Reserve

Join us on March 25, 2025 Doors Open at 11:00am

02/16/2025

FEBRUARY 25, 2025 Meeting Notice

We apologize for the late meeting notice and registration for our February meeting. Thank you for your understanding as I am still learning the ins and outs of our several communication tools .

We are excited to announce that Alaina Moore of the Palmetto State Watch Foundation will be our guest speaker at our upcoming meeting. Alaina is a fresh face in the SC political arena and brings an insightful look at what the Palmetto State Watch Foundation is working on for this SC Legislative Session.
ALAINA MOORE – CO-FOUNDER PALMETTO STATE WATCH FOUNDATION Alaina Moore is a native of South Carolina. While being homeschooled, she quickly discovered her passion for law and the Constitution in the 7th grade. She cultivated this passion over the next five years by competing in multiple speech and debate categories garnering local, regional, and national recognition. For several years, Alaina traveled South Carolina teaching young students the art of public speaking, government, research, and debate. Alaina attended Furman University and was selected to compete on the Furman Mock Trial A Team where she assisted her team in winning multiple trophies across the nation. She graduated cm laude with a BA in Politics and International Affairs and Communication Studies, Media Track.

The goal of Palmetto State Watch is to serve as an accountability watchdog for the State of South Carolina by promoting election integrity, transparency, and holding our political leaders and government agencies responsible for their actions. By educating the public on current legislative issues, this organization will constantly strive to uphold the highest standards of ethics and morality to ensure that our nation does not fall into turmoil like every civilization has before.

Register at

Join us on February 25, 2025

01/18/2025

January 7,2025

FROM THE BOARD OF THE AIKEN REPUBLICAN CLUB

Happy New Year!!!
"Out with the old, and in with the new, cheers to the future, in all that we do. Here's to the year ahead—our brightest one yet! Wishing each of you happiness, more than all my words can tell.”

RSVP FOR OUR JANUARY 28, 2025 MEETING
We are pleased to announce that Mr. Michael Burris, Chief Executive Director of the South Carolina Policy Council will be our guest speaker at our January luncheon meeting at Newberry Hall January 28th starting at Noon. Doors open at 11:00. Please note that the cost of our meals has increased to $25.00 for Members and $30.00 for Non-Member Guests.

Michael Burris, Chief Executive Officer, South Carolina Policy Council, Columbia, SC
Michael brings extensive expertise to the South Carolina Policy Council (SCPC) from his previous role as Vice President of Operations at Acme Marinas, a Charleston-based real estate private equity firm. With 15 years of leadership experience across both the military and private sectors, Michael has demonstrated a consistent track record of success. His seven-year tenure as a naval officer included three deployments during the Global War on Terror, underscoring his commitment to service. In 2022, Michael was selected for the prestigious Presidential Leadership Scholars program, where he engaged with former U.S. presidents and cabinet officials, reigniting his dedication to public service. Michael holds a Master of Business Administration degree in Real Estate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina.

The South Carolina Policy Council was established in 1986 as an independent, private, non-partisan research organization with a mission to promote the principles of limited government, free enterprise, and individual liberty and responsibility in South Carolina.

MEMBERSHIP DUES
2025 Membership Form

You can call or email Judy Justice if you have any dues-related questions to [email protected] or Call 803-514-2956

Mail Checks Payable to ARC
Judy Justice, President ARC
312 Magnolia Lake Court, Aiken, SC 29803

MEMBERSHIP DUES: $20 FOR ONE PERSON OR $35 FOR A COUPLE

Aiken Republican Club 2025 Membership

Name:__________________________

Address:________________________

Telephone:_____________________

Email:__________________________