Local businessman Jay Kilmartin filed for House seat 85 March 29th, at the Lexington Election Commission. Kilmartin owns the Melting Pot Restaurant in Columbia, and has been involved in local ministry for years doing everything from serving food to the homeless to restoring a local forgotten and neglected cemetery.

Kilmartin said after filing as a candidate that he initially “had no intentions of running”. He remarked outside the Lexington Election Commission, “We’ve got a problem at the state House. We’re supposed to be a conservative state, a red state, but we can’t even get women’s sports [bill] passed. Amazing with a super majority. I think we’re going to have a conservative wave in November. Not just a red wave, I think we’ll get conservatives in there. As we’ve seen in our state, red doesn’t mean conservative.”

The restaurateur brings a message of standing against the actions of the Biden Administration, protecting individual freedoms and empowering the families of Chapin and Irmo. Kilmartin’s campaign for the June 14th Republican Primary for State House District 85, came after the current office holder Rep. Chip Huggins announced his retirement from the seat. Huggins has held the seat for 24 years, since 1998. Huggins ran unopposed last election.

Local businessman Jay Kilmartin just filed to run as a candidate for House Seat 85 in Irmo-Chapin area. The seat being vacated by Chip Huggins.

“Our country and our state are in crisis mode and the people of Chapin and Irmo deserve a representative who will fight every day for them,” Kilmartin said. “We cannot have candidates with platitudes. We must have conservatives who will uphold the Constitution, end the possibility of mandates, rid our educational system of racist Critical Race Theory, give parents a choice in their child’s education, reform our election system, protect women in our everyday lives, be a sanctuary for the life of the unborn and reverse the attack from the left on our values.”

Kilmartin serves as the current 3rd Vice-Chairman of the Lexington County Republican Party. He said “I had no idea that Chip (Huggins) wasn’t going to seek re-election. I could just enjoy life and watch things happen.” He continued that “My history of activism in the district and state for the values we believe in wouldn’t allow me to just sit back. We are at a point in time where we cannot just sit by and let the dominoes fall.”

Kilmartin said that some friends had called him and asked him to run. One of them told me “the right lane is wide open.“ Kilmartin said, “I live in the district and don’t want to be scratching my head for the next two years. The conservative caucus in the state house needs back up.”

Kilmartin is married to his wife Elizabeth and they have two children – Ian and Rhys. They own and operate the local Melting Pot restaurant as well as other businesses. Ian serves in the US Coast Guard and Rhys attends Southeastern University.

The campaign can be reached at JayforHouse85.com.

Michael Reed is Publisher of The Standard newspaper, print and online, and TheStandardSC YouTube channel where many video reports may be found. Please share freely and donate to The Standard on this page to assure the continued availability of news that is ignored too often by the dominant media.

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