Friday, October 2, 2026

Opinion Editorial: Why I'm Supporting Jenny Costa Honeycutt for Congress

Charleston Mayor William Cogswell (Published in Charleston Mercury)

Charleston's biggest challenges don't stop at the city limits. Flooding, traffic and the cost of housing are local problems, but solving them takes a partner in Washington who understands how the work actually gets done on the ground. That is why I am supporting Jenny Costa Honeycutt for Congress.

Since I took office, I have worked across the table from Jenny on Charleston County Council. I'll be honest: we haven't always agreed. She is a tough negotiator. She has pushed the city to justify what we ask for and made sure county taxpayers were treated fairly. That is exactly what you want from someone responsible for public money.

But she also gets to yes. When it came to allocating funding to the Battery Extension, she made the case that flood protection downtown is about whether an ambulance can reach the hospital when the streets are underwater. When talks over county land for affordable housing on Morrison Drive stalled, she kept working toward a solution when it would have been easier to walk away. And she has been a steady voice for fixing the roads and infrastructure our growth has left behind.

Much of that work will depend on federal partners, from the Army Corps of Engineers to transportation funding. Our next representative needs to understand these issues firsthand, not learn them on the job. Jenny has spent years in the details of local government, and she knows the Lowcountry because she was raised here and has served here.

The Lowcountry needs someone in Congress who will show up, do the homework and deliver. Jenny Costa Honeycutt will do that, and I'm proud to support her.

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William Cogswell is the Mayor of Charleston, South Carolina, and a former member of the South Carolina House of Representatives.