Descendent of Civil War legend Robert Smalls launches bid to flip gerrymandered South Carolina seat

Daily Kos Staff

Friday March 10, 2023 · 12:19 PM PST

2023/03/10 · 12:19

South Carolina congressional candidate Michael B. Moore — South Carolina Democrat Michael B. Moore next to a bust of his legendary ancestor Robert Smalls.

Businessman Michael B. Moore, who is the great-great grandson of the legendary Civil War figure and Reconstruction-era Rep. Robert Smalls, has announced that he’s seeking the Democratic nomination to take on Republican Rep. Nancy Mace. The current version of South Carolina’s 1st District along the state’s coast backed Donald Trump 53-45, which would make it a tough lift for any Democrat.

The constituency may be different next year, though, as a federal court in January struck down the current 1st District after ruling that Republican lawmakers intentionally discriminated against Black voters when they redrew it. However, it's likely Republicans will find a way to keep it sufficiently red even if they address the court's concerns about racial gerrymandering.

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Moore, who filed a fundraising committee last month, previously served as the founding president and CEO of the International African American Museum, a Charleston-based institution that’s set to open this year. The Democrat is a first-time candidate, but he comes from a distinguished family: Moore’s ancestor, Smalls, famously escaped slavery in 1862 when he and his compatriots stole a well-armed cotton steamer with 17 enslaved people and steered it past rebel ships to Union lines.

Smalls went on to provide vital military intelligence to the United States and helped convince Secretary of War Edwin Stanton to enlist Black soldiers. Smalls, who served in combat throughout the duration of the Civil War, went on to become a Republican state legislator after the conflict as well as a congressman during three stints that spanned from 1875 to 1887. Another Moore ancestor, great-grandfather Samuel Jones Bampfield, also served in the state House during Reconstruction.

Descendent of Civil War legend Robert Smalls launches bid to flip gerrymandered South Carolina seat

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