André Bauer believes one of the most important things a public official can offer is business experience. André's own successful business career began in his early teens when he started his own lawn-mowing business. He also previously owned a national wholesale sports products firm, supplying retailers such as Wal-Mart nationally.

André believes elected officials should run government like a good businessman runs his own company - by maximizing results while keeping overhead low. His advocacy of smaller, more accountable government led to strong GOP involvement. So André Bauer became active in the Republican Party, beginning as a youth volunteer for then-president Ronald Reagan and for George Bush, as well as Congressman Floyd Spence and other local Republicans.

It is that same desire for less government with more accountability that prompted him to run for the S. C. House of Representatives in 1996, at age 27. "I believe that government should do only those things we cannot do for ourselves," André says.

André also placed a high premium on helping residents of his previous districts cut through government red tape, whether it involved patching a pothole or helping a student find a scholarship. By his second term, diligence and a passion for constituent service became his trademark. He earned the moniker, "South Carolina's hardest-working legislator."

Heavily involved in his church and his community even before he ever considered running for public office, André was especially noted for his commitment to education. He volunteered hundreds of hours in his local school district. He also has volunteered as a substitute teacher at schools in his Senate district. He has put his firsthand insights into public education to work at the State House, pushing through such common-sense school discipline legislation as the Corporal Punishment Act that protects school districts who use spankings -with parental permission -from lawsuits.

During his campaign for Lt. Governor, André Bauer took a unique approach. He embarked on a 500-mile marathon walk of South Carolina, which he termed as an expansion of similar walks through his House and Senate districts. He concluded his first Senate campaign with a 4-day, 125-mile walk through all four counties in his district. His win in rural District 18 set an all-time voter turnout record. During his November 2000 re-election battle, Bauer repeated the 125-mile walk and won the election with a resounding 64% of the vote. "These walks are symbolic of my hard-working style of constituent service which is what I want to bring to the Lt. Governor's office," André said.

During his many years of public service, André has been known for giving his constituents an unprecedented level of access. He uses such methods as Constituent Service Days and Morning Roadside Chats to allow residents, especially those with busy schedules who ordinarily might not have many chances to talk with their elected representatives, to meet with him and voice concerns or ask questions.

"I believe in keeping an Open Door Policy with the people I represent," André says. "I find that when people have regular access to their elected official, that elected official tends to be more responsive and will more accurately reflect the values and needs of the constituents."

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January 14, 2003www.scstatehouse.net