(WCIV) — Democratic state Rep. Jermaine Johnson, a former College of Charleston basketball player, planned to meet voters in downtown Charleston on Thursday at a meet-and-greet at Great Saint Luke AME Church as he ramps up his campaign for governor. Johnson said his focus is on connecting with voters and “meeting them where they’re at.” “We all want to just have a better life. We want to have better schools, we want to have better roads, we want to have better healthcare,” Johnson said. “And that’s what I represent.” Johnson, the District 52 representative, argued that South Carolina’s political landscape is shaped by voter participation. “I don’t believe that South Carolina’s a red state,” he said. “I believe South Carolina right now is just a state of people who have decided to check out and not vote.” On immigration enforcement, Johnson said he would aim to work with law enforcement, but does not support current Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the state. Asked directly whether he supports the operations, Johnson responded: “Not in the way that they’re doing it now. I would like the federal Administration to actually come to the state and work with us and talk to us. Don’t just do things like what’s happening in Columbia where they decided to lease a building and not tell any elected officials.” Johnson also addressed abortion rights, saying women should lead on the issue. “Men have no reason to be leading, trying to lead the charge on this. It should be women at the forefront of this,” he said. “I think it’s a shame that men want to go ahead and lead the charge on this reproductive rights issue. Since 1995, about 65 bills have been filed by men to restrict women’s reproductive rights. Since then, only about 11 bills have been filed by women.” Another issue Johnson is passionate about is raising the legal age to purchase a gun. “I think that we should believe in responsible gun ownership for all people,” he said. “We’re making guns available for kids who are 18 years of age, who are some of them who are still in high school, who don’t have the, the complete development of their, of their brains, yet they’re going to go out there and they’re going to make irrational decisions.” Categories: Local News, News, Politics, State Tags: Democratic Rep. Jermaine Johnson, Rep. Jermaine Johnson, South Carolina ...read more read less