Civic Compass race research snapshot Race: South Carolina House of Representatives — SC House District 4 Data source: Database-backed profile Coverage: Basic Election slug: sc-candidate-profile-enrichment Open online: https://www.ballotvibe.com/races/sc-2026-south-carolina-house-of-representatives-sc-house-district-4?election=sc-candidate-profile-enrichment Open ballot plan: https://www.ballotvibe.com/plan?election=sc-candidate-profile-enrichment#plan-sc-2026-south-carolina-house-of-representatives-sc-house-district-4 Flag race evidence: https://www.ballotvibe.com/trust?election=sc-candidate-profile-enrichment&claimReference=South+Carolina+House+of+Representatives+%E2%80%94+SC+House+District+4#corrections Exported: 2026-11-08T13:02:13.777Z Candidate profile links - Clay Counts: https://www.ballotvibe.com/candidates/clay-counts-republican?election=sc-candidate-profile-enrichment - Derrick Kruse: https://www.ballotvibe.com/candidates/derrick-kruse-democratic?election=sc-candidate-profile-enrichment Why this race matters Candidate profile enrichment race created from official filing rows and candidate evidence sources. Evidence coverage Candidates loaded: 2 Claims loaded: 69 Shared issue areas: Campaign finance, Election integrity Candidates without evidence: 0 Claims needing review: 24 Stale source count: 0 Candidate comparison 1. Clay Counts (Republican) Evidence: 16/45 source-backed; 11 high-confidence Issues: Civil liberties and privacy, Campaign finance, Healthcare, Election integrity Values: Civil liberties, Personal privacy, Government transparency, Anti-corruption, Healthcare access Public gaps: age_fact, career_or_role_fact, official_voting_record_positions Sources: National Defense — https://ivoterguide.com/issue/30; Clay Counts - Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/Clay_Counts; Right to Life — https://ivoterguide.com/issue 2. Derrick Kruse (Democratic) Evidence: 12/24 source-backed; 11 high-confidence Issues: Cost of living, Campaign finance, Education, Election integrity Values: Economic opportunity, Fair taxation, Government transparency, Anti-corruption, Education quality Public gaps: age_fact, campaign_policy_claims, career_or_role_fact Sources: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/South_Carolina_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2026; Derrick Kruse - Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/Derrick_Kruse; South Carolina House of Representatives District 4 - Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/South_Carolina_House_of_Representatives_District_4 Research queue Candidate follow-up: Clay Counts, Derrick Kruse Source refresh: No stale sources flagged Source-backed claims 1. Derrick Kruse — Cost of living — supports Derrick Kruse's ballotpedia.org questionnaire answer indicates a stated position on Cost of living: District 96 Vivian Elston * Perry Finch Hunter Hackett Scotty Whetstone District 97 Cathy Jaggars *   Robby Robbins * (i) District 98 Sonja Ogletree Satani * Greg Ford * (i) District 99 Jacob Goddard Samuel Price Jarrod Brooks Kristy Gore David Quote: “District 96 Vivian Elston * Perry Finch Hunter Hackett Scotty Whetstone District 97 Cathy Jaggars *   Robby Robbins * (i) District 98 Sonja Ogletree Satani * Greg Ford * (i) District 99 Jacob Goddard Samuel Price Jarrod Brooks Kristy Gore David Herndon Shawn Pinkston District 100 Crystal Campbell * Sylleste Davis * (i) District 101 Roger Kirby  (i) Martin Cunningham Cheryl Lane Arnie Borowsky * District 102 Montez Aiken Katie McCravy Harriet Holman * (i) District 103 Carl Anderson  (i) Wendell Padgett The Republican primary was canceled.” Source: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/South_Carolina_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2026 Report source issue: https://www.ballotvibe.com/trust?election=sc-candidate-profile-enrichment&claimReference=Derrick+Kruse+%E2%80%94+Cost+of+living&sourceUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fballotpedia.org%2FSouth_Carolina_House_of_Representatives_elections%2C_2026#corrections 2. Derrick Kruse — Campaign finance — supports Derrick Kruse's Ballotpedia questionnaire answer indicates a stated position on Campaign finance: Campaign finance summary Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets . Quote: “Campaign finance summary Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets .” Source: Derrick Kruse - Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/Derrick_Kruse Report source issue: https://www.ballotvibe.com/trust?election=sc-candidate-profile-enrichment&claimReference=Derrick+Kruse+%E2%80%94+Campaign+finance&sourceUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fballotpedia.org%2FDerrick_Kruse#corrections 3. Derrick Kruse — Education — supports Derrick Kruse's Ballotpedia questionnaire answer indicates a stated position on Education: Who represents me? What's on my ballot? • Elections in 2026 • How to vote • How to run for office • Ballot measures Government Who represents me? • U.S. President • U.S. Congress • Federal courts • State executives • State legislature • State and local courts • Countie Quote: “Who represents me? What's on my ballot? • Elections in 2026 • How to vote • How to run for office • Ballot measures Government Who represents me? • U.S. President • U.S. Congress • Federal courts • State executives • State legislature • State and local courts • Counties • Cities • School districts • Public policy Retrieved from " https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Derrick_Kruse&oldid=11241586 " Categories : 2026 challenger 2026 general election 2026 primary (winner) Democratic Party South Carolina South Carolina House of Representatives candidate, 2026 State House candidate, 2026 State house candidates Information about voting” Source: Derrick Kruse - Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/Derrick_Kruse Report source issue: https://www.ballotvibe.com/trust?election=sc-candidate-profile-enrichment&claimReference=Derrick+Kruse+%E2%80%94+Education&sourceUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fballotpedia.org%2FDerrick_Kruse#corrections 4. Derrick Kruse — Election integrity — promised Derrick Kruse's Ballotpedia questionnaire answer indicates a stated position on Election integrity: Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey? Any candidate running for elected office, at any level, can complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Survey. Completing the survey will update the candidate's Ballotpedia profile, letting voters know who they ar Quote: “Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey? Any candidate running for elected office, at any level, can complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Survey. Completing the survey will update the candidate's Ballotpedia profile, letting voters know who they are and what they stand for.  More than 29,000 candidates have taken Ballotpedia's candidate survey since we launched it in 2015. Learn more about the survey here . Help improve Ballotpedia - send us candidate contact info . Campaign finance summary Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets . That information will be published here once it is available. See also 2026 Elections” Source: Derrick Kruse - Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/Derrick_Kruse Report source issue: https://www.ballotvibe.com/trust?election=sc-candidate-profile-enrichment&claimReference=Derrick+Kruse+%E2%80%94+Election+integrity&sourceUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fballotpedia.org%2FDerrick_Kruse#corrections 5. Derrick Kruse — Infrastructure — supports Derrick Kruse's ballotpedia.org questionnaire answer indicates a stated position on Infrastructure: Atwood Tom Hartnett  (i) District 111 Wendell Gilliard  (i) District 112 Jenna Arsenault   Joe Bustos  (i) District 113 Courtney Waters  (i) District 114 Kelly Hough   Gary Brewer  (i) District 115 Nick Uricchio Johnnie Garmo Quote: “Atwood Tom Hartnett  (i) District 111 Wendell Gilliard  (i) District 112 Jenna Arsenault   Joe Bustos  (i) District 113 Courtney Waters  (i) District 114 Kelly Hough   Gary Brewer  (i) District 115 Nick Uricchio Johnnie Garmon District 116 Clay N.” Source: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/South_Carolina_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2026 Report source issue: https://www.ballotvibe.com/trust?election=sc-candidate-profile-enrichment&claimReference=Derrick+Kruse+%E2%80%94+Infrastructure&sourceUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fballotpedia.org%2FSouth_Carolina_House_of_Representatives_elections%2C_2026#corrections 6. Derrick Kruse — Election integrity — supports Derrick Kruse's ballotpedia.org questionnaire answer indicates a stated position on Election integrity: The candidate list in this election may not be complete. Quote: “The candidate list in this election may not be complete.” Source: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/South_Carolina_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2026 Report source issue: https://www.ballotvibe.com/trust?election=sc-candidate-profile-enrichment&claimReference=Derrick+Kruse+%E2%80%94+Election+integrity&sourceUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fballotpedia.org%2FSouth_Carolina_House_of_Representatives_elections%2C_2026#corrections 7. Derrick Kruse — Election integrity — supports Derrick Kruse's ballotpedia.org questionnaire answer indicates a stated position on Election integrity: Derrick Kruse (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 4 without appearing on the ballot. Quote: “Derrick Kruse (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 4 without appearing on the ballot.” Source: South Carolina House of Representatives District 4 - Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/South_Carolina_House_of_Representatives_District_4 Report source issue: https://www.ballotvibe.com/trust?election=sc-candidate-profile-enrichment&claimReference=Derrick+Kruse+%E2%80%94+Election+integrity&sourceUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fballotpedia.org%2FSouth_Carolina_House_of_Representatives_District_4#corrections 8. Derrick Kruse — Healthcare — supports Derrick Kruse's Ballotpedia questionnaire answer indicates a stated position on Healthcare: Supreme Court Federal courts State government Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Recalls Education policy on Ballotpedia Public policy Administrative state Criminal justice policy Education policy Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) F Quote: “Supreme Court Federal courts State government Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Recalls Education policy on Ballotpedia Public policy Administrative state Criminal justice policy Education policy Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) Federalism Unemployment insurance Work requirements Policy in the states More...” Source: Derrick Kruse - Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/Derrick_Kruse Report source issue: https://www.ballotvibe.com/trust?election=sc-candidate-profile-enrichment&claimReference=Derrick+Kruse+%E2%80%94+Healthcare&sourceUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fballotpedia.org%2FDerrick_Kruse#corrections 9. Derrick Kruse — Cost of living — supports Derrick Kruse's Ballotpedia questionnaire answer indicates a stated position on Cost of living: Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government List of school districts in South Carolina Newsletters The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Quote: “Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government List of school districts in South Carolina Newsletters The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel External links Search Google News for this topic Personal Facebook Footnotes [show] Current members of the South Carolina House of Representatives Leadership Speaker of the House: G.” Source: Derrick Kruse - Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/Derrick_Kruse Report source issue: https://www.ballotvibe.com/trust?election=sc-candidate-profile-enrichment&claimReference=Derrick+Kruse+%E2%80%94+Cost+of+living&sourceUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fballotpedia.org%2FDerrick_Kruse#corrections 10. Derrick Kruse — Cost of living — opposes Derrick Kruse's wbtv.com source gives a direct Tier 1 answer on Cost of living: Are you voting by mail this election? For example, a South Carolina voter could be a registered Republican, but could vote in the Democratic primary. Voters have a choice of which primary they will cast a ballot in. The purpose of the primary is to narrow down a political party’s Quote: “Are you voting by mail this election? For example, a South Carolina voter could be a registered Republican, but could vote in the Democratic primary. Voters have a choice of which primary they will cast a ballot in. The purpose of the primary is to narrow down a political party’s field of candidates. The candidates with the most votes in their respective primaries will then appear on the November ballots as their party’s candidate. Early voting Early voting for the June 9 primary in South Carolina opened Tuesday, May 26, and ran through Friday, June 5. There was a record turnout for the early voting period for South Carolina’s 2026 primary election. Click here to see a data breakdown. ---> Related story: South Carolina Senate rejects President Trump’s call to redraw congressional maps South Carolina governor candidate breakdown - primaries With current Republican Gov. Henry McMaster nearing the end of his almost decade-long tenure, there’s no incumbent on the ballot this year.” Source: 2026 primary: Tracking election results for South Carolina House of Representatives - all districts — https://www.wbtv.com/2026/06/08/2026-primary-tracking-election-results-south-carolina-house-representatives-all-districts/ Report source issue: https://www.ballotvibe.com/trust?election=sc-candidate-profile-enrichment&claimReference=Derrick+Kruse+%E2%80%94+Cost+of+living&sourceUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wbtv.com%2F2026%2F06%2F08%2F2026-primary-tracking-election-results-south-carolina-house-representatives-all-districts%2F#corrections 11. Derrick Kruse — Public safety — promised Derrick Kruse's ballotpedia.org questionnaire answer indicates a stated position on Public safety: District 104 George Blumenthal * William Bailey * (i) District 105 David Wilson *   Kevin J. Quote: “District 104 George Blumenthal * William Bailey * (i) District 105 David Wilson *   Kevin J.” Source: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/South_Carolina_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2026 Report source issue: https://www.ballotvibe.com/trust?election=sc-candidate-profile-enrichment&claimReference=Derrick+Kruse+%E2%80%94+Public+safety&sourceUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fballotpedia.org%2FSouth_Carolina_House_of_Representatives_elections%2C_2026#corrections 12. Clay Counts — Civil liberties and privacy — supports Clay Counts has a source-backed statement on Civil liberties and privacy: Constitutional right of our citizens to free speech." (pg. Quote: “Constitutional right of our citizens to free speech." (pg.” Source: National Defense — https://ivoterguide.com/issue/30 Report source issue: https://www.ballotvibe.com/trust?election=sc-candidate-profile-enrichment&claimReference=Clay+Counts+%E2%80%94+Civil+liberties+and+privacy&sourceUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fivoterguide.com%2Fissue%2F30#corrections 13. Clay Counts — Campaign finance — supports Clay Counts's Ballotpedia questionnaire answer indicates a stated position on Campaign finance: Campaign finance summary Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets . Quote: “Campaign finance summary Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets .” Source: Clay Counts - Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/Clay_Counts Report source issue: https://www.ballotvibe.com/trust?election=sc-candidate-profile-enrichment&claimReference=Clay+Counts+%E2%80%94+Campaign+finance&sourceUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fballotpedia.org%2FClay_Counts#corrections 14. Clay Counts — Healthcare — supports Clay Counts has a source-backed statement on Healthcare: It is expanding reproductive health care for service Quote: “It is expanding reproductive health care for service” Source: Right to Life — https://ivoterguide.com/issue Report source issue: https://www.ballotvibe.com/trust?election=sc-candidate-profile-enrichment&claimReference=Clay+Counts+%E2%80%94+Healthcare&sourceUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fivoterguide.com%2Fissue#corrections 15. Clay Counts — Election integrity — supports Clay Counts has a source-backed statement on Election integrity: For example, to notify you of future elections, we must give your email to our email service provider. Quote: “For example, to notify you of future elections, we must give your email to our email service provider.” Source: iVoterGuide - Privacy Policy — https://ivoterguide.com/privacy Report source issue: https://www.ballotvibe.com/trust?election=sc-candidate-profile-enrichment&claimReference=Clay+Counts+%E2%80%94+Election+integrity&sourceUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fivoterguide.com%2Fprivacy#corrections 16. Clay Counts — Cost of living — supports Clay Counts's Ballotpedia questionnaire answer indicates a stated position on Cost of living: Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government List of school districts in South Carolina Newsletters The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Da Quote: “Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government List of school districts in South Carolina Newsletters The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel External links Search Google News for this topic Candidate South Carolina House of Representatives District 4 Website Facebook Instagram Personal Facebook LinkedIn Footnotes [show] Current members of the South Carolina House of Representatives Leadership Speaker of the House: G.” Source: Clay Counts - Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/Clay_Counts Report source issue: https://www.ballotvibe.com/trust?election=sc-candidate-profile-enrichment&claimReference=Clay+Counts+%E2%80%94+Cost+of+living&sourceUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fballotpedia.org%2FClay_Counts#corrections Use this as a portable race comparison snapshot; verify live sources before making final voting decisions.