Meet Rep.
Jermaine Johnson
Dr. Jermaine Johnson wasn’t born into power—he fought his way into it. He’s not a career politician or a wealthy insider.
He’s a husband, father, and fighter who knows what it’s like to grow up with nothing and still keep pushing forward.
Since 2020, Jermaine has served in the South Carolina House of Representatives,
standing up for working families in Richland and Kershaw Counties who are all too often ignored by those at the top.
Jermaine’s Story
Jermaine’s story starts in tough times. Raised by working-class parents, he grew up surrounded by poverty, gun violence, and homelessness. But he never gave up. He turned pain into purpose, using basketball as his way out. His talent earned him a full scholarship to the College of Charleston, where he became a team captain and later played professionally in the NBA’s D-League and across the globe.
After years abroad playing basketball, Jermaine made the choice to come back home and give back. He earned a doctorate in Organizational Leadership, and when he saw people in his community struggling to find good jobs, he didn’t wait for someone else to fix it—he rolled up his sleeves and built a solution.
Jermaine founded New Economic Beginnings Foundation, a nonprofit that helps everyday folks get the skills and support they need to succeed.
In 2020, Jermaine shocked the political establishment by defeating a 22-year incumbent—proof that when regular people stand up and organize, they can’t be ignored.
Now, as a lawmaker, he fights for policies that lift people up: better jobs, stronger schools, safer neighborhoods, and a government that works for us, not just the well-connected.
Sam’s Story
Sam Skardon grew up in Mount Pleasant and went through South Carolina public schools from start to finish before heading to Emory University, where he continued playing the baseball he’d grown up loving. As a student, he organized for the 2008 Obama campaign in South Carolina and Georgia, and after graduating he spent four years on the Washington staff of Congressman John Lewis, where he learned Lewis’s civil rights story firsthand and helped fight to protect the Affordable Care Act. He later earned his MBA at Georgetown University before coming home to South Carolina to build his career.
For the past seven years, Sam has worked in community development lending, getting real capital into the hands of the small business owners and families South Carolina’s economy too often leaves behind, the line cook opening his own restaurant, the stylist building her own salon, and the clean energy projects powering the state’s future. He has served as a Commissioner of the Charleston Housing Authority, on the Charleston Women and Minority Business Empowerment Commission, and as Chairman of the Charleston County Democratic Party. Sam lives in Charleston with his wife, Leslie Skardon, who serves on Charleston City Council, and their twin sons, Lewis and Lawson, named for Congressman John Lewis and the Reverend James Lawson.
Rooted in Carolina.
Rooted in Service.
As the owner of Dream Team Consulting, an adjunct professor at Midlands Technical College, and a proud member of numerous civic, fraternal, and faith-based organizations, Jermaine is deeply rooted in service.
Jermaine lives in Hopkins, South Carolina, with his wife Dr. Evan Patrice Johnson and their four children: Jermaine Jr., Khloe, Kobe, and Kari.
Every decision he makes is guided by the belief that no child should be written off because of where they come from—and that real change is possible when lived experience meets bold leadership.
