S.C. Democrats demand apology from Gov. Henry McCaster over ‘hunt them with dogs’ comment

South Carolina Democrats want Gov. Henry McMaster to apologize for joking he wanted to hunt Democrats with dogs.

A reporter for The State newspaper, Joseph Bustos, tweeted the remark after the Republican governor said it at a convention over the weekend.

“I look forward to the day that Democrats are so rare, we have to hunt them with dogs,” Mr. McMaster said.

Anderson County Democrats condemned the remark and called for an investigation.

“If the Governor is not willing to apologize and retract this racially-tinged dog whistle, Anderson County Democrats join the Charleston County Democratic Party in asking the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to open an investigation into this threat and incitement of political violence,” ACDP Chairman Chris Salley said in a written statement.

South Carolina Democratic Party Chairwoman Christale Spain called the remarks “chilling” and urged state GOP candidates for president — former Gov. Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott — to condemn them.

“The majority of the Dem electorate in SC is Black and our governor is saying out loud he can’t wait to hunt us down with dogs. This is absolutely chilling to hear from a Southern Gov who knows our history,” Ms. Spain tweeted.

Mr. McMaster’s team brushed off the criticism, saying the governor’s used the dog metaphor in a lighthearted way in the past and South Carolinians understand it is meant as a joke.

“If South Carolina Democrat partisans can no longer bear light-hearted jokes made at their expense, then maybe they should focus their energy on winning and not whining,” McMaster spokesman Brandon Charochak told the Greenville News.