What N.C. candidates can learn from Rom Reddy’s campaign launch

South Carolina’s newest gubernatorial candidate is doing something most state-level Republicans never even try: building real hype.

I don’t often venture south of the border for this newsletter, but I’ve been watching Rom Reddy’s launch in the South Carolina governor’s race with real interest because it’s unlike anything I can remember seeing at this level.

By all the normal external metrics, I have no particular reason to believe he’s a serious candidate. He’s so new to the race that he hasn’t shown up in the polling yet, but his social media following is abysmally low and he’s said he’s not raising money. That’s really not a flex because self-funders should still raise money to help validate a candidacy, and more importantly, turn out voters. But that’s a separate newsletter.

And yet, if you just dropped into this race cold, you’d assume he was the front-runner. There’s just so much activity. That’s what has my attention.

Reddy is a wealthy businessman with a Wharton finance degree and a private-sector turnaround story. He first waded into South Carolina politics in early 2025 with DOGE SC, and now he’s using that…