Krystle Matthews facts for kids

Krystle N. Matthews (born February 27, 1981) is an American politician and an engineering planner. She was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives for the 117th district. She served in this role from 2018 to 2022. Krystle Matthews is a member of the Democratic Party.

Krystle Matthews' Political Journey

Serving in the South Carolina House

Krystle Matthews was first elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2018. She won against the Republican who was in office at the time, Bill Crosby. This was a big moment because she became the first Black woman to represent her district.

During her time in the House, she was part of important groups called committees. These included the Medical, Military, Public, and Municipal Affairs committee. She also served on the Operations and Management committee.

Running for the US Senate in 2022

In April 2021, Krystle Matthews announced she would run for a seat in the United States Senate. This was for South Carolina's Class 3 seat in the 2022 election.

Phone Call Discussions

In June 2022, a recording of a phone call was shared by a group called Project Veritas. In this recording, Matthews talked about different ways to get money for her campaign. She also discussed some unusual campaign strategies. She later said that what she talked about was not untrue and that she had discussed these ideas before. She also said the conversation was "tongue-in-cheek," meaning it was not meant to be taken completely seriously. She apologized for her language in a private conversation.

More Recorded Comments

In September 2022, another recording of Matthews was released by Project Veritas. In this recording, she made comments that caused controversy and led to calls for her resignation from other politicians. Matthews confirmed it was her voice in the recording. She said the incident was an attack against her.

South Carolina House Race in 2022

In the 2022 general election, Krystle Matthews ran for two different positions at the same time. She ran for the US Senate and also for her seat in the South Carolina House of Representatives. She lost both races. She lost the Senate race to Tim Scott, who was already in office. She also lost her House seat to the Republican challenger, Jordan Pace.

About Krystle Matthews' Life

Krystle Matthews was born in Sandusky, Ohio. She finished high school in Sandusky in 1999. She lives in Ladson, South Carolina, and has five children. Before becoming a full-time politician, she worked as an engineering planner until 2021.

How Elections Worked for Krystle Matthews

Krystle Matthews ran for the South Carolina House of Representatives several times.

• In 2018, she won her election with 5,577 votes, which was 53.5% of the total. She beat Bill Crosby.
• In 2020, she won again, getting 8,902 votes (52.62%). She won against Jordan Pace that year.
• In 2022, she ran for the House again but lost to Jordan Pace. She received 4,874 votes (36.38%).

She also ran for the United States Senate in 2022. She received 627,616 votes, which was 37.01% of the total. She lost this race to Tim Scott.

See also

• Black women in American politics
• List of African-American United States Senate candidates