We are at a crossroads of the conservative movement, and the path we choose from here will have profound consequences for the future of our country. The modern conservative movement has been defined by a coalition brought together by Ronald Reagan consisting of fiscal, social, and national security conservatives. This is the winning coalition for conservatives, and is the philosophy to which I personally subscribe. The Republican Congress will govern best when it adheres to this agenda that has endured for over three decades.

For this reason, I am closely watching a special election for the 5th Congressional District here in my home state of South Carolina. The vacancy created by Mick Mulvaney’s appointment to White House Budget Director has set-off a wild, eight-way primary fight for the GOP nomination. The SC-5 special election has become a test of the continued power of the conservative coalition, as the candidates run the philosophical spectrum. One candidate, Tom Mulliken is, in spite of Rick Santorum’s endorsement, an Al Gore Democrat who recently donated to Democratic U.S. Senator Kay Hagan. Two of the others are veteran members of the SC House of Representatives, both of whom are moderates critical of the House Freedom Caucus. Only one serious candidate in the race represents a consistent conservative: Chad Connelly.

Connelly is the former Chairman of the SCGOP, who recently served as the first-ever Faith Outreach Director of the RNC. He is a consistent, Reagan conservative who cares about fiscal, social, and national security issues, all of which recently earned him the endorsement of conservative champion Congressman Jeff Duncan. If Connelly prevails in his bid to become Mulvaney’s successor in Congress, I will feel good about the state of conservatism in South Carolina and the country. We cannot keep the conservative movement together if we do not equally continue to adhere to the three columns of conservative conviction.

As goes SC-5, so goes the conservative movement, and as goes the conservative movement, so goes the country. In order to preserve American culture, defend the free market, rebuild our military, revive our economy, and defend religious liberty, we need candidates like Chad Connelly not only to run, but to win. In the fight for the future of our country, there is no substitute for conservative victory.

If Republicans cannot deliver conservative reform with control of the House, the Senate, and the White House, then the future is bleak. The American People voted for less government and more freedom, and that is what Republicans must deliver. If 2018 comes around with Obamacare still in place, the deficit still sky-high, and taxes left untouched, then Nancy Pelosi will have her best shot in nearly a decade to reclaim the Speaker’s gavel. If a conservative warrior like Chad Connelly is elected to Congress, however, her chances will dim considerably. I pray the voters of South Carolina’s Fifth District do Freedom a favor by sending my friend Chad Connelly to Capitol Hill.