INTERVIEW: Jermaine Johnson Talks Running For Governor Of South Carolina, Affordability, Education + More

Summary

The Breakfast Club: Jermaine Johnson Talks Running For Governor Of South Carolina, Affordability, Education + More

Podcast: The Breakfast Club (iHeartPodcasts)
Date: December 15, 2025
Hosts: DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne Tha God, Lauren London
Guest: Jermaine Johnson (SC State Representative and Democratic Candidate for Governor)

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Episode Overview

This episode features an in-depth interview with Jermaine Johnson, State Representative of South Carolina and current Democratic candidate for governor. The discussion covers his personal journey from homelessness to public office, his vision for South Carolina’s future, and detailed plans to tackle the state’s pressing issues. Topics include infrastructure, mental health, education reform, economic empowerment, and the realities of southern politics. Johnson also shares personal anecdotes and touches on the emotional toll of politics, the importance of family support, and his approach to both adversaries and allies.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Jermaine Johnson is Running for Governor

• Johnson asserts that South Carolina is overdue for a real change, citing alarming statistics such as 600+ unsolved murders since 2020, dangerous roads, and high percentages of crumbling infrastructure.
  • “South Carolina deserves a change. It's time for a new beginning… Yet, we have leaders that want to look at other states and countries and talk trash, when really South Carolina needs all the assistance it can get right now.” (03:49)

2. His Background—Personal and Professional

• Johnson’s impressive resume is unpacked: Dr. of Business Administration, former pro athlete, pilot, motorcycle club member, fluent in Spanish, on an HBCU business school board, first Black state representative for his district.
• Emphasizes the vital support of his wife (a pharmacist/doctor) and family.
  • “I've just been a blessed individual to have the support of my family to allow me to do the things that I need to do.” (05:18)
• Shares that he met his wife at College of Charleston and brags about defeating Steph Curry’s Davidson team in college basketball. (05:38)

3. Facing the Challenges of the Gubernatorial Race

• States he’s not nervous, citing overwhelming support: “The people of South Carolina are just ready for something different.”
• He speaks candidly about his upbringing: moving through seven high schools, enduring homelessness, barely scraping through with a 0.8 GPA, but ultimately persevering—serving as proof for young people that difficult beginnings do not preclude success.
  • “Kids know it's possible.” (07:06)

4. South Carolina’s Infrastructure Crisis

• The state’s population growth has far outpaced infrastructure upgrades.
  • “You can literally see the line in the road about how bad it is…” (07:40)
  • Links the state’s high car insurance rates and road fatalities to this crisis.

5. Top Priorities as Governor: Mental Health

• Johnson’s initiative: bringing former gang members into disenfranchised communities for dialogue.
  • “Every last county said mental health.” (08:17)
• Advocates for mental health providers in every police department and school in the state.

6. Relationship with Andrew Yang

• Originally supported Cory Booker, then shifted to Yang for his Universal Basic Income idea and prescient talk about AI.
  • “A thousand dollars a month would have really changed my life. It would have kept me out of those hoods, kept me out of motels.” (09:16)

7. Boosting Economic Empowerment, Especially in Rural Areas

• Launched the Lower Richland Tech Academy, teaching “low coding/no coding tech” and sparking 40+ businesses in a largely Black and Brown rural area.
• Proposes the “South Carolina Resiliency Act,” aiming for the state to produce at least 25% of its food and resources (currently at only 11%).
  • “We have to import all our food from other states, from other countries... Let’s produce our own stuff.” (10:08)

8. Education Reform

• Points out South Carolina’s ranking: 43rd in the country.
  • “We're more concerned with banning books… We're the number one state of banned books.” (12:37)
• Calls for a statewide audit comparing high- and low-performing schools, assessing funding, administration efficiency, and teacher pay.
• Describes current efforts to divert funds from public to private schools as deeply inequitable.

9. Working with Political Opponents, Including Donald Trump

• Takes an independent, South Carolina-first stance:
  • “If Donald Trump wants to do good for South Carolina, I will gladly work with him. If he wants to do bad, I’ll gladly stand against him.” (11:48)
  • Critiques current governor’s loyalty to Trump at South Carolina’s expense, notably deploying National Guard troops out-of-state during hurricane season instead of using them to address in-state crises.

10. Trade School Advocacy

• Champions vocational education as a practical solution to worker shortages.
  • “People could come out of these trade schools making $80,000 after two years… 19 years old, man!” (17:23)

11. Focusing on Real Issues — Affordability & Safety

• Criticizes the focus on national cable news narratives instead of substantive state issues.
  • “Life ain’t complicated. People just want some more money in their pocket and they want to feel safe.” (18:47)
• Reminds that South Carolina has no statewide minimum wage, highlighting stark economic challenges.

12. Revealing Political Theater and Frustrations

• Describes bipartisanship in South Carolina politics as largely performative:
  • “Behind closed doors, it is all a show… Some of these Republicans come with me in the back room and say, ‘Jermaine, I agree with everything you said’… and then go out there and say the complete opposite.” (20:21)

13. Memorable DEI Speech and Political Courage

• Recounts the story and impact of his viral DEI speech, confronting colleagues voting dishonestly on white supremacy funding
  • “I jumped up so fast… after I said what I had to say, I left out the back steps of the Statehouse… I actually cried, man. I was so hurt…” (21:47)
  • Ultimately led to the offending legislation being removed, with Republicans privately apologizing.

14. Mental Health Toll of Politics

• Details the heavy emotional burden of political decision-making and the need for personal support:
  • “I go to my wife a lot… my pastor… and I have a therapist that I go to. Let me make this PSA: Black folk—it is okay to have Jesus and a therapist.” (24:55)

15. Vision for South Carolina’s Identity

• Wants the state to shed reliance on Washington, D.C.:
  • “No DC in SC. I don't want Washington, D.C. to dictate what we do in South Carolina. I want us to be self-sufficient, addressing the needs of the people here.” (26:05)

16. Personal Triumphs and Humor

• Shares lighthearted but poignant details about growing up poor (e.g., cooking a frozen hot dog with a candle due to having no electricity).
  • “It tasted like burnt dog and wax, man. It was terrible.” (26:44)
• Reveals his hands-on approach to restoring a classic Corvette (and his large stature making it comical).

17. Views on Immigration and ICE

• Critiques the current practices of ICE, advocating for reforms that encourage amnesty and community trust.
  • “They're just looking for anybody who looks Spanish… There's clearly a better way.” (28:59)
  • “Incentivize people to come forward… but we have to start somewhere.” (29:20)

18. Final Call for Grassroots Support

• Urges listeners to donate and support his campaign, stressing the need for grassroots funding and involvement from Black voters especially.
  • “If all 8 million people just gave a dollar, we would have more than enough money to become governor of South Carolina.” (30:17)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On his vision for governing:
  “If it's not good for South Carolina, I'm not supporting it. I'm truly South Carolina first.” (11:48)
• On his childhood struggles:
  “I went to seven different high schools. I had a 0.8 GPA my freshman year… I was homeless most of my upbringing… But yet I still was able to graduate, go to college, get my doctorate, be a professional athlete…” (06:13)
• On why trade schools matter:
  “We put too much emphasis on these four year institutions… People could come out of these school, these trade schools making $80,000 after two years…” (17:23)
• On the reality of politics:
  “It is all a show… they might primary me if I vote this way… I'm like, man, y'all are some real live cowards.” (20:21)
• On balancing faith and therapy:
  “Let me make this PSA: Black folk—it is okay to have Jesus and a therapist.” (24:56)
• On the lasting trauma of politics:
  “The hard part about it is knowing that every time you push red or green, somebody’s going to die based on your vote. That's the hardest part about it.” (23:10)

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Important Timestamps

• [03:49] – Jermaine discusses motivation for running and problems facing SC
• [05:18] – Talks about family support and education
• [06:13] – Shares personal story of hardship and resilience
• [07:40] – Assesses the state’s dire infrastructure
• [08:17] – Highlights mental health as a core issue
• [09:16] – Describes meeting Andrew Yang, influence of UBI
• [10:08] – Economic initiatives, tech academy, and rural investment
• [12:37] – Outlines vision for education reform and critiques book bans
• [14:11] – Critiques current governor’s loyalty to Trump
• [17:23] – Explains the case for elevating trade schools
• [18:47] – Addresses affordability and basic economic needs
• [20:21] – Exposes “reality TV” aspect of southern politics
• [21:47] – Recounts pivotal DEI speech
• [24:55] – Discusses balancing political stress through family, faith, therapy
• [26:05] – Outlines the “No DC in SC” credo
• [26:44] – Tells anecdote about cooking a hot dog with a candle
• [28:59] – Criticizes ICE, lays out alternative approach
• [30:17] – Calls for grassroots donations

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Tone and Style

The interview is energetic, candid, and full of personal narrative, often playful but always direct about the challenges facing South Carolina. Johnson frequently pivots between heartfelt sincerity and humor, reinforcing core themes of empowerment, honesty, and grassroots organizing.

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Conclusion

This episode offers a comprehensive look at Jermaine Johnson's gubernatorial campaign and philosophy, weaving together policy, personal experience, and a strong call for systemic change in South Carolina. The exchange balances policy detail with inspiring life story, making the issues tangible and showing how leadership grounded in lived experience can drive meaningful reform.

Transcript

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[DJ Envy]

Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy. Just hilarious. Charlemagne the guy. We are the Breakfast Club. Lauren the Rose is here as well. We got a special guest in the building.

[Lauren London]

Yes, indeed.

[DJ Envy]

He's running for governor of South Carolina. Ladies and gentlemen, Jermaine Johnson. Welcome, brother.

[Jermaine Johnson]

What's going on, man? Appreciate y' all for having me this morning. How you feeling? I'm feeling good this morning, man. It feels real good. You know, we got an opportunity to do some history making in South Carolina.

[DJ Envy]

Como style, stad, man.

[Jermaine Johnson]

More you be in more you can be in much a gusto.

[DJ Envy]

See, they said he speaks Spanish.

[Lauren London]

I don't speak Spanish. I don't like when you do that. You Dominican. He's Dominican, but don't ever want to claim it.

[Jermaine Johnson]

Okay.

[Lauren London]

Just break it out whenever you want to.

[DJ Envy]

Nah, they say he's fluent in Spanish. I'm trying to test him.

[Lauren London]

So I believe. Navidad.

[Jermaine Johnson]

I heard that favorite Christmas song, bro.

[Lauren London]

Why do you want to run for governor of South Carolina? What beautiful state.

[Jermaine Johnson]

Yeah, well. Well, South Carolina deserves a change. It's time for a new beginning for South Carolina. We've seen some crazy stuff happening in the state. We know South Carolina has over 600 unsolved murders just since 2020 alone. We have the highest percentage of bridges and disrepair in the entire country. Our roads are the top two worst in the entire country and most dangerous in the entire country. But yet we have leaders in South Carolina that want to look at other states and look at other countries and talk trash about them when really South Carolina needs all the assistance that it can get right about now. And we have a governor that decided to send our national guardsmen to Washington, D.C. because Donald Trump told him to do so. You know, it's time for somebody who really wants to just focus on the issues that are happening to everyday South Carolinians.

[DJ Envy]

I mean, you know, talk about. Pause. Overachiever. I mean, how do you have the time? I mean, you talk about you have a pilot license, your motorcycle club, member of Phi Beta Sigma, your professor, your business school. On a business school board at Benedict College, which is hbcu. There's so many things that you do.

[Lauren London]

First black state representative to represent this.

[DJ Envy]

District, absolutely fluent in Spanish. So, like, when do you have the time?

[Podcast Narrator]

Why did you forget the University of Delaware?

[Lauren London]

What happened?

[DJ Envy]

I didn't wanna say that one. You received the University of Delaware's Biden Award.

[Jermaine Johnson]

Yes.

[DJ Envy]

We don't care. We don't talk about. But you're doing so much. So when do you have the Time, brother.

[Jermaine Johnson]

Oh, man, listen. I'm blessed with a beautiful wife, man, who's sitting here in the studio with me right now.

[Lauren London]

That's the key. A black woman.

[Jermaine Johnson]

That's the key. Very important.

[Lauren London]

A black woman.

[DJ Envy]

That's the key.

[Jermaine Johnson]

And my. My. My wife, she's, you know, very successful in her own right. She's a pharmacist as well, so she's a doctor. So I'm a doctor of Business administration. I. I've just been a blessed individual to have the support of my family to allow me to do the things that I need to do. She's not. Not a selfish individual, so she just supports me when I have to go out here in the community and just make the changes I need to make.

[Podcast Narrator]

Did you guys meet at Benedict?

[Jermaine Johnson]

No. So we went to College of Charleston. Shout out to College of Charleston. Yeah. So I played basketball at the College of Charleston the same time that Stephen Curry was at Davidson, and let Steph know right now that we beat them. That's why he ended up going to the NBA that year, and we put him out the tournament, you know, and I was part of that team down there at College of Charleston. But that's where we met at, and we've been together ever since.

[Podcast Narrator]

I was gonna say, you are the second Democrat to launch a campaign for governor. Talk to us about just the feats and the things that are about to be ahead of you, like, what are you nervous about? What are you excited about? About the McHistory?

[Jermaine Johnson]

Well, I'm not really nervous about anything. The people all across South Carolina, they want to see something different. They've been excited ever since I decided to announce my run for governor because they know I've been the one who's been fighting on their behalf for years now. I think most of y' all probably saw that DEI speech that I did that has been seen BY over about 7 million people at this point. People all across this country decided to reach out to me and say, jermaine, we would love for you to run for higher office, to do some things. So the people of South Carolina are just ready for something different. I will be the second black nominee in the history of South Carolina. That is a. That's a big deal right now. And even if, you know, by. Even if I don't win, some young boy or some young girl will look at me and say, man, I can now be that guy. I can. I like. It's possible I can grow up to be him when I, you know, when I get up there. So you Know, I went to seven different high schools. I had a, you know, I had a point, a gpa my freshman year of high school. I was homeless most of my upbringing. I lived in motels. Yeah, the 0.8, man. Yeah, yeah, I lived in motels. I lived in a Evergreen Motel, a Travel Lodge Inn and all these different places and slept on friends couches and things like that. But yet I still was able to graduate, still was able to go to college, still was able to get my doctorate, still was able to be a professional athlete. You know, a whole bunch of stuff. So kids know it's possible.

[Lauren London]

You know, you mentioned the highways in South Carolina. Anybody that's been to South Carolina, you just see how much is growing, right? Like, I mean, traffic is crazy in Charleston. Traffic is crazy in places like Mount's Corner. Does the state have the proper, Proper infrastructure to accommodate the. The growing population?

[Jermaine Johnson]

Heck, no, man. And I know you've seen it yourself, man. I mean, listen, anybody who was driven between South Carolina and North Carolina, you can literally see the line in the road about how bad it is. Like, you can feel the. The. You can feel how bad it is. And because people are dying every single day. This is why our. Our insurance is so high. Like, car insurance continues to go up. And it's partly because of how bad our infrastructure is. And we're. We're not truly addressing these issues. People are dying every single day on these roads, man. And until we start to take this thing serious, you know, I don't know what, I don't know what's gonna happen.

[DJ Envy]

I was gonna ask, you know, you talk about the murders, you talk about the roads, what's the first thing you wanna do when you get in office?

[Jermaine Johnson]

Well, the biggest thing I'm all about is mental health. I traveled the state about a year and a half ago with a bunch of former gang members, Bloods and Crips and gds. And we went to different communities where they felt disenfranchised. And we asked them, well, how can we solve the issues in your communities? And these are places that were not in my district. I went all over the state. I went to about 30 different counties, and every last county said mental health. Every last one said mental health. Mental health. Because of these kids are out here, you know, we have a bunch of people who are running around with undiagnosed mental health concerns. And then they're raising kids now also with undiagnosed mental health concerns. And then we also have given them access to guns by the Constitution, carry and all Those different types of things. So it's caused so many problems. Well, I want to make sure that police officers actually have the support in terms of having a mental health provider on, you know, on the staff with them. I wanna make sure that the schools have mental health workers in every single district in the state. I wanna make sure people have that work.

[DJ Envy]

Now, Andrew Yang is also a supporter.

[Jermaine Johnson]

That's my guy.

[DJ Envy]

How did you and Andrew Yang get up?

[Jermaine Johnson]

Oh, man. So in 2019, when. When I was looking at who I was gonna support for President of the United States, I was actually a Cory Booker supporter. Shout out to Cory Booker. But what Cory Booker was talking about wasn't really, in my opinion, talking about solutions. And then I came across the Asian guy talking about he wanted to give everybody $1,000. And when I thought about it, I said, man, a thousand dollars a month would have really changed my life. It would have kept me out of those hoods. It would have kept me out of living in those motels. That would have really changed everything about me. And when I met him, it was like he was talking about AI and all these other things that literally we are seeing every single day now. Like, everything he said, he was right about everything. And that's what led me to him. And I said, man, let me go ahead and help you. And we've been friends ever since.

[Lauren London]

You talk a lot about economic empowerment. What's the specific plan to bring, like, real investment, real jobs, real estate, you know, real entrepreneurship into rural counties, you know, in South Carolina?

[Jermaine Johnson]

Well, one of the things that I've already done is in my district, I created something the Lower Rich and Tech Academy. And what that does is it teaches low coding and no coding technologies to the people in the rural community and allows them to start their own entrepreneurial businesses in those areas. So in east over South Carolina, we have started at least 40 different small businesses right there in that rural area. And these are majority black and brown people that started these different businesses down there. I want to take that entire program across the state. I also want to work on this, my South Carolina Resiliency Act. So what that's going to do is going to mandate South Carolina to be able to produce or manufacture at least 25% of the resources that we need in South Carolina. Right now, South Carolina only produces 11% of the food that we consume every single year. 11% is not enough. So we have to import all of our food from other states, from other countries. I want to say, listen, let's produce our own stuff. What? That's going to do is that's going to help out our rural, our rural communities as well as our farmers to put them back to work, allow them to expand the farms and say, listen, we're going to, we're going to get our own produce from the people who are right here in South Carolina.

[Lauren London]

When did you learn to start projecting your voice every time you talk? I want to do push ups or something.

[Jermaine Johnson]

I got a nap, get up and.

[Lauren London]

Running planes and stuff.

[Jermaine Johnson]

Listen. Well, I actually, I got a degree in communications, but my thing was I was always loud. Little boy, they always said I was loud, man. I've always been a loud speaker. They've always confused me with saying, hey man, you talk a lot. Like, no, I don't talk a lot. I just talk loud, you know, and I want to be heard. I need to be heard when I'm speaking up for people.

[DJ Envy]

So people always ask, if you do become governor, well, we said, when you do become governor, how would you work with Donald Trump?

[Jermaine Johnson]

Oh, man, listen, man, you gonna bring that man up, up ahead, man, Listen. So my thing is, and what I've told everybody, I don't care who's in the White House, I don't care if it's Republican, I don't care if it's a Democrat in the White House. If it's not good for South Carolina, I'm not supporting it. I'm truly South Carolina first. We have these crazy people who are running for office to call themselves Trump conservatives. I was like, what the hell is a Trump conservative, man? Like, you know, you let one man define what a conservative is and that's the problem. So if Donald Trump wants to do good for South Carolina, I will gladly work with him. If he wants to do bad, I'll gladly stand against him. And I've been an independent thinker. I don't care, you know, what party you decide to be with. If it's not good for the people of South Carolina, I'm not supporting it.

[Lauren London]

What's your plan to overhaul education so students graduate in South Carolina either career ready, college ready, or are business ready. Because, you know, we, we lag behind national averages, man.

[Jermaine Johnson]

We're 43rd, 43rd in the country.

[Lauren London]

Lord have mercy.

[Jermaine Johnson]

Yeah, it's bad, man. And we haven't, we haven't done anything about it. So, you know, places like Greenville are receiving more funds than places like Denmark. Right. So we have an issue where we're not funding these schools adequately. So I want to do a full on public education audit. What I want to do is I want to compare the rural schools that are well performing with the rural schools that are poor performing and the urban schools with the, you know, the urban schools that are well performing with the urban schools that are poor performing. I want to look at the administration and overhead and to see if there's any wasteful spending with the administration. And I also want to look at teacher pay. I want to look at all that and compare them all across the entire state and create this. After this entire audit, I wanted to get all the information together and then make best practices from there. So to make sure that we have all the information we need to make the best decision. Right now, we're not doing anything. We're just looking at social issues. We're more concerned with banning books in South Carolina. We are the number one state of banned books. South Carolina is. We want to look at all the crazy stuff going on. Instead of actually investing, we want to take away public school money and give it to private damn schools, man. I mean, that is a problem right there. And in these private schools, if you want to send your kid to this private school, they. They literally can say, your kid can't come to the private school, but my kid can come, but your tax dollar is going to pay for my kid to go to the private school that your kid can't even get to. And that's a problem in South Carolina. So we have to truly look at public education to make sure we're fixing and addressing these issues.

[DJ Envy]

What's the one thing the governor is doing wrong? The governor right now, what's one thing that he's doing wrong? If you could pick out all the things, one thing that really irks you.

[Jermaine Johnson]

Kissing Donald Trump's butt. I mean, I mean, just to be honest, he sent 200 of our National Guardsmen to Washington, D.C. and when he sent them up there, what they're doing is they're literally on the side of the road picking up trash in D.C. right now. Well, if those 200 National Guardsmen didn't have anything to do, well, how come they're not in South Carolina helping to solve those 600 unsolved murders that I talked about? Like, they could. They could have easily been put to work doing something better for the people of South Carolina. But no, every time Donald Trump calls, he answers. And that's the problem that we have. We need to be addressing these issues that are in South Carolina.

[Lauren London]

But when the President calls, aren't you supposed to answer them?

[Jermaine Johnson]

You're supposed to answer, but you don't got to like, do everything that this man say every time he say send you. I mean, and he did it during hurricane season. I mean. I mean, come on, man. Like, we're sitting in a situation where it could be seriously dangerous putting more South Carolinas at risk because you want to appease one man. That's the problem.

[Podcast Narrator]

What would be the consequence saying no to him?

[Jermaine Johnson]

You're just not going to be best friends with him anymore. I mean, I'm.

[Lauren London]

He could stop federal funding.

[Podcast Narrator]

You can get your resources for, like, when there's, like, emergencies in South Carolina or even funding for, like, the schools and the stuff that you're talking about right now.

[Jermaine Johnson]

Yeah, I mean, he could talk about. He could talk about all different types of federal funding issues, but we're seeing federal funding cuts already, so, I mean, it doesn't really matter. He's going to cut us anyways if he doesn't like us, you know, and he might threaten. Once I become governor, he might threaten the. To cut funding then anyways, just because I'm a black Democrat. You know what I'm saying? I'll be a D. I'll be a di. Right. But I would say, listen, call me D. I definitely earned it. That's the type of person I am.

[Podcast Narrator]

So how do you make sure that, like, when you go in and do all the testing in those schools and you, you know, raise those numbers to get the funding and stuff, that the teachers are still really connected to the students? Because I've been like, I went to an inner city school, and when we got more, better numbers, score numbers, test numbers, more money, the teachers they brought in were so disconnected from us. Like, it changed the environment of the school, and it was like it caused more students to not come back to the school. And I think that happens a lot, especially in the inner city school. So how do you, like, do good in those schools, but also make sure the teachers are still, like, invested in the student?

[Jermaine Johnson]

Right. Well, the thing is, you have to make sure that you are connected with the school. So one thing that I've done, even as a state representative, I decided to go and become a substitute teacher. So I went into the public schools.

[Lauren London]

To go do it. What haven't you done?

[Jermaine Johnson]

Yeah, it is. I do a lot. But I wanted to go in there because I wanted the teachers to one know that I cared about. I wanted the kids to be able to see me and say, man, like, that's a state representative, he's a politician, but yet he's still, like, he's one of us. And I Can be him and I can see him and I can touch him, you know. So I went in there to really assess the situation and I think you lead by example. And I don't plan to stop any of the work that I'm doing once I become governor. I plan to continue on going into these schools. I plan to continue on going in there and advocating for them. I even filed a bill that would mandate that the members of the General assembly would have to do at least five days a year of volunteering or substitute teaching in the public schools because I need them to see it.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, we always, always talk about trade schools, right? I'm salute to Lincoln Tech. I'm an ambassador for Lincoln Tech. I love trade schools. But you really love trade schools. Explain why and why you think trade schools are so necessary.

[Jermaine Johnson]

Well, I mean, listen, we put too much emphasis on these four year institutions. I think if you're not an athlete or you're not going to be a lawyer or a doctor, you should be looking at trade schools. And we have allowed people to really just keep overselling these four year institutions all the time. And trade schools, we have a lack of workers right now. We have a lack of electricians, we have a lack of plumbers, we have a lack of engineers. You know, my son right now is going to Midlands Technical College to get his mechatronics degree right now because Scott Motors needs more workers that's, that's coming to South Carolina. Michelin said about 65% of their workforce for retiring over the next few years. We have a lack of these, these industrial workers. And I think we need to put an emphasis, I mean people could come out of these school, these trade schools making $80,000 after two years. I mean they'll be 19 years old, man. Like you got to think about that, you know, helping these kids to learn how to invest in their futures.

[Lauren London]

I got cousins, man, in monks corner who were doing H Vac soon as they got out of high school. They ain't missed the meal in 25 years.

[Jermaine Johnson]

That's right. That's right, man.

[Lauren London]

And I love you the conversations you're having because you're talking about economic empowerment, you're talking about mental health. You know something else you were talking about trade schools. Like all of that stuff to me is just about affordability and how to keep people safe. Why is that so hard for politicians? Life ain't complicated. People just want some more money in their pocket and they want to feel.

[Jermaine Johnson]

Safe because they allow on Fox News and CNN to be the driving talking point And I think that's the problem. We do the same thing in South Carolina. The Republicans, they quote Fox News, Democrats quote cnn, you know, and I think we need to get away from that. I think we need to get back to addressing the issues. I mean, I'm all about affordability. People are hungry, man. Like, people are starving out here. We don't even have a minimum wage in South Carolina. Like, people always say, let's. Let's raise minimum wage. We don't have one. We have to establish a minimum wage before we can raise the dang minimum wage. You know? So, I mean, it's issues like that. And minimum wage is 725. Who was living off of 725? You know, I mean, we have these issues all over the place. And I don't know why people want to hit on these big social issues and talk about abortion every single year and talk about, you know, guns every single year. I mean, man, people just. People want the same thing. They want food, they want safety, they want good schools, they want good roads, they want good jobs.

[Lauren London]

Is South Carolina a good reflection of politics everywhere? And the reason I asked that, because South Carolina is the only place where you might be with Bakari Sellers in the morning, but be with, you know, Lindsey Graham in the afternoon. You know what I'm saying? You might be with Tim Scott on a Tuesday, Jim Clyburn on a Wednesday. You might be with a Nancy Mace on a Thursday, and then, you know, some other Jamie Harrison on a Friday. Like, it's such a unique place. Is there any place else like that?

[Jermaine Johnson]

I haven't seen any other place like South Carolina, man. South Carolina, we get together a lot. Like Republicans and Democrats get together a lot. Now, the issue that I see is that in Behind Closed Doors, it is all. Listen, it's all a show, y'.

[DJ Envy]

All.

[Jermaine Johnson]

It is all a show. A TV show, Reality TV show. Because I've had, you know, some of these Republicans come with me in the back room and say, jermaine, I agree with everything you just said, man. Like, I'm with you. I'm with you. I'm with you. And then go out there and say the complete opposite thing. And then I'd be like, bro, like, don't come to the back room and apologize to me, you know, after you just said this other stuff back here, man. But they might primary me if I. If I vote this way or if I do that. But, you know, I'm gonna help you on the back end. Or I'm do this. I'm like, Man, y' all are some real live cowards. Like, you're a coward. And I. And I say this all the time. I say, listen, let's tell the truth. Let's talk about it. Let's be honest about this stuff, you know? And they're just a bunch of cowards in there, man. And I think that's the problem.

[Lauren London]

And that's why I liked your DEI speech. And everybody should go watch it if they haven't. But you directly confronted colleagues, as you just kind of put it. But you said, friend are friends behind the scenes, but vote for racism when it matters.

[Jermaine Johnson]

That's right.

[Lauren London]

What, did you want to speak that boldly?

[Jermaine Johnson]

Yeah, man. So I was so mad when I had to give that speech, man. I didn't plan none of that stuff, man. I was sitting at my desk, and I was ready to go. Honestly, it was like a long day. Uh, but there was an amendment that went up there that said no public dollars would go to white supremacy programs. And now I'm thinking these. These people over here are my friends, right? So I'm thinking they're gonna say something about this amendment. They're either gonna pass it or they're gonna say something, and then table it, man. Nobody said anything. Nobody said anything. One of the Republicans just walked by the. The speaker of the House and just put his hand up like this, said, move the table. Didn't say nothing, bro. I was so mad.

[Lauren London]

And it said, white supremacist.

[Jermaine Johnson]

White supremacist. And I was like. I said, yo, come on, man. So I jumped up so fast and ran to the front, and the ladies behind the desk were trying to calm me down. So if you. If you see in that. In that video clip, I have a cup of water up there, it was because the lady behind the desk gave me a cup of water, trying to calm me down. And I was like, man, I had to. So I said what I had to say. But what happened after that? After I said what I said, I left out the back of the steps of the State House, and I sat down. I actually cried, man. I cried because I was so hurt. I was so hurt that these people that know my kids, that know my family, I know their family, you know, we've hung out together and this. And y' all have the audacity not to even stand up on my behalf, like, not to say nothing, you know? But after that happened, so what. What happened is, as I was sitting outside, people started coming out to the back steps of the State House saying, jermaine, we Won. I was like, what you mean we won? It said we pulled the whole proviso out of the budget. They got rid of the whole damn bill. And because. And one by one, Republicans came up to me as I was coming back to the State House. They were like, jermaine, we apologize. We're sorry we did this in poor taste. We, you know, we shouldn't have did it this way, but it shouldn't have never got to that point. They should have spoke up on the front half and made it known to the people of South Carolina that white supremacy has no place in South Carolina as a politician.

[Podcast Narrator]

Because in your speech, too, you also said that they let you down every time when you were talking about them voting. Right? As a politician, when you're disappointed like that, how hard is it to next day get up and still fight the good fight?

[Jermaine Johnson]

Yeah, man, it's difficult every day. It is difficult every single day because you have to go in there and you got to put yesterday behind you. But the hard part about it is knowing that every time you push red or green, somebody's gonna die based on your vote. That's the hardest part about it. And I truly don't believe that you could be a politician for 30, 40 years and truly care about people. I don't think you can, because it weighs too much in your conscience if you truly care about people. I mean, it kills me every single day knowing how people across South Carolina are suffering because of what we're doing up there. You know, even when I was on the Richland County Recreation Commission, I didn't feel right about writing policy without actually talking to the people. So I drove around all the parks and met all the employees and met everybody because I wanted them. I wanted to know what they were doing every single day. I didn't feel good about making laws and making things about them. And I had never even seen what the people on the ground are doing. It's tough. It's tough. And honestly, I don't have an. I don't have an answer to it, man, because it's so hard dealing with these individuals every single day knowing that some of them just don't give a damn about you.

[Lauren London]

Have any of the other legislators in South South Carolina, like, changed the way they approach you since. Since you made that speech?

[Jermaine Johnson]

Yeah, man. Listen, they. They. A lot of them got started getting afraid. They thought, I get afraid. I've had some. I've had some closed doors come to Jesus meetings, man. Six, seven, six, seven.

[Lauren London]

Black, man. That's gotta be a part of your campaign in some way.

[Jermaine Johnson]

Yeah, listen, I got my. I got my daughter working on something, man. I got my daughter working on this good six, seven jump, man.

[Podcast Narrator]

Yeah, but who do you. Just to piggyback off of Lauren's question, who do you go to in those vulnerable moments?

[Jermaine Johnson]

I mean, I know you have a.

[Podcast Narrator]

Beautiful wife that you know, but like, is it therapy? Is it your pastor?

[Lauren London]

Is it, you know, all of those?

[Podcast Narrator]

You got a lot of weights.

[Jermaine Johnson]

Yeah, yeah. I go to my wife a lot. I lay a lot on her shoulders. A lot of the things that I got to deal with. And then I also go to my pastor. I've called my pastor, I don't know how many times I've caught him crying and talking about the issues, talking about the concerns of the people. I mean, I had one person, man, who didn't want me to come. This is right when Covid had started and he didn't want me to come pass out masks down in his church because he was more interested in his political position than me actually saving lives. And I was so hurt by that, man. And I've talked about those type of situations. You know, I have a therapist that I go to listen and let me make this psa. It is black folk. It is okay to have Jesus and a therapist, you know, because we always talk about praying things away. Listen, I pray and I go to therapy and I need the assistance that I can to help me deal with some of these issues and concerns that the people are having. Yeah, but it's heavy. It really is.

[Podcast Narrator]

Yeah.

[Lauren London]

What's the identity you want South Carolina to have under your leadership? Because you know, people will say it's like a lot of old south politics that still shaped the state today. What is it going to look like under you?

[Jermaine Johnson]

Yeah, no, DC and Essie. I said it all the time. No DC and SC. Right now we are too reliant upon Washington D.C. in federal policies. I don't want Washington D.C. to dictate what we do in South Carolina. I want to make sure that we are just self sufficient and that we are addressing the needs of the people of South Carolina. No matter if it's red or blue, whatever's going on, we need to address the issues of South Carolina. So that's gonna be our main thing. No, DC and sc.

[DJ Envy]

Well, we appreciate you for joining us. I gotta ask, is it true that you were so poor you cooked a frozen hot dog with a candle?

[Lauren London]

Is that true?

[Jermaine Johnson]

Yeah, that's true, man. That's true. I mean, listen, how long did that Take. Bro, listen. And I don't. I do not recommend it, man. I do not recommend it, bro. It tasted like. Like burnt dog and wax, man. It was terrible. But, yeah, so, you know, we had no pot. Listen. No, there was no electricity or nothing.

[DJ Envy]

Oh, okay.

[Jermaine Johnson]

Say that.

[Lauren London]

I'm like, huh?

[Jermaine Johnson]

Yeah, there was no electricity, so. Because there was no electricity, bro. It was like I had to get like a. You know, it was like the. You know, after the electricity go up, like, the refrigerator is still kind of cold. So I had to get one of the hot dogs and got one of the hot dogs and. And lit the candle, man, and. And put it on top of the. The candle. And the outside was burnt, but the inside was frozen, man, that thing was terrible, man. I don't recommend.

[Lauren London]

I would hate to see you hungry.

[Jermaine Johnson]

Oh, bro. But thank God I had some people that looked out for me too, man. You know, my childhood wasn't all bad, man. You know, I had people that looked out for me and gave me opportunities and things. So I'm a blessed man, honestly, man.

[Lauren London]

Yeah. And how do you fit into this little ass car, man?

[Jermaine Johnson]

1977 C3 Corvette, man, ain't no way.

[Lauren London]

In hell you fit into it.

[Jermaine Johnson]

So. So again, you gotta. You gotta, like, put the seat all the way back. It's a custom seat that I'm putting in that thing. And then I got the T top, though. Yeah.

[Lauren London]

So you ain't got no backseat, basically?

[Jermaine Johnson]

Yeah, there ain't no. There's no backseat in the C3.

[Lauren London]

Okay, okay, okay. You driving?

[Jermaine Johnson]

Yeah, I'm restoring it now. I ain't driven that thing, like, top.

[DJ Envy]

Pause because he can't. He can't get under the day. Like, who you got restoring it?

[Jermaine Johnson]

Yeah, I'm restoring me. I restored myself. Really? You a mechanic, too?

[Lauren London]

Come on, Jermaine. Now, how do you believe all of this?

[Jermaine Johnson]

Yeah, seriously.

[Lauren London]

What you mean, yeah?

[Jermaine Johnson]

I been restoring myself, man. I done did. I done rebuilt the whole front end already. I got all the break there. I got all the new brakes on that thing. Yeah, I was going to recommend somebody to you, but I do it all myself.

[Lauren London]

Okay.

[Jermaine Johnson]

Como state D. Say governor en espanol.

[Lauren London]

What? Don't worry about it.

[Jermaine Johnson]

Yeah. Guber.

[Sophie Cunningham]

Oh.

[Podcast Narrator]

Go.

[Lauren London]

Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

He's running for governor.

[Lauren London]

They don't know.

[Jermaine Johnson]

They don't know I speak Spanish.

[Lauren London]

She married a Mexican a year ago. Now, Speaking of which, are you worried about ICE in South Carolina, man?

[Jermaine Johnson]

Listen, ice, the issue that I have. So I don't have a problem with ice. I have a problem with what they're doing and how they implement it right now. So they are. They're like, literally, they're just looking for anybody who looks Spanish crazy, anybody who looks like that, or anybody who has a name like that. That's who they're attacking. Like, that's who they're going at. And because that's the issue, that is my problem.

[Podcast Narrator]

Like, don't take Chris.

[Jermaine Johnson]

I mean, there's. There's clearly a better way that we can do, you know, to look at this. This immigration issue. I mean, there's way we can do amnesty. I mean, we have amnesty for everything else. Like, you know, encourage people to come forward to say, hey, listen, we're gonna do this. We're gonna put you on probation for three years. We're gonna have you pay taxes. We're gonna do this type of stuff. And then, you know, the people who don't come forward, those are the people you go after. You know, I mean, we do some stuff like that, but incentivize people to come forward, man.

[Lauren London]

Yeah, well, wouldn't you be scared to come forward at a time like this?

[Jermaine Johnson]

Of course I would, because we ain't got no amnesty day. I mean. I mean, we don't. We don't. We're not incentivizing anybody to do it.

[Lauren London]

Like, why would I trust government? That's all. If I was, you know, even if that was to happen, why would I trust government?

[Jermaine Johnson]

Listen, but why. I mean, why do black people trust government right now? I mean, you know, it's a whole. It's a whole bunch of stuff, man, but we got to start somewhere.

[Podcast Narrator]

Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

All right, well, he's running for governor of South Carolina. Make sure you get out there and vote and support him.

[Lauren London]

How can people donate?

[DJ Envy]

If they want to donate, how can they donate, man?

[Jermaine Johnson]

Listen, I need everybody to go to johnson4sc.com j o h n s o n f o r scam. We gotta raise money, y'. All. You know. Y' all know that as a black guy running for governor of South Carolina, being the second, I'll be the second nominee in the history of South Carolina, we need to raise as much money as possible. I mean, honestly, y' all got over 6 million viewers right now, right? The Breakfast Club. My bad. See? Eight. There you go. See what I'm saying? If all 8 million people just gave a dollar, we would have more than enough money to become governor of South Carolina. But listen, we need $5, $10, $20. This is a real grassroots movement, and we want to go GR to grassroots.

[Lauren London]

Funded and that's just for radio. That don't count. Like the YouTube and the podcast.

[Jermaine Johnson]

We'll get it. We'll get them. We'll get them all to give a dollar, man. Get them out and give a dollar or get them out and give $20. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[DJ Envy]

It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning.

[Lauren London]

Every day I wake up. Wake your ass up.

[Jermaine Johnson]

The Breakfast Club.

[Podcast Narrator]

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[Jermaine Johnson]

Janice Torres here, and I'm Austin Hankwitz. We host the podcast Mind the Business, Small Business Success Stories, produced by Ruby Studio in partnership with Intuit QuickBooks.

[Podcast Narrator]

We're back for season four to talk to some incredible small business owners.

[Jermaine Johnson]

The big thing about working at tech is that it's ever evolving, ever changing. Everyone's a rookie. That's how fast the industry is changing. So what I'm really excited about is to be part of that change. So listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Podcast Narrator]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.