Greenville Leader

State Rep. Chris Huff (R-Pelzer), the recently elected South Carolina State House representative for District 28, is a vocal critic of the growing influence of left-wing special interest groups in state politics.

In June, Huff won the Republican primary runoff for South Carolina House of Representatives District 28 on June 25, defeating Kerri Smith, with 66.5% of the vote.

During the primary, Huff raised questions over Smith’s role as President of Self-Help Credit Union, which through its advocacy arm, the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), has received millions of dollars from leftist billionaire George Soros’ Foundation to Promote an Open Society. 

One of Huff’s key critiques of Smith’s candidacy was the perception that she would be beholden to special interest groups if elected. 

“Anybody that's connected to Soros or Soros strategy or Soros money, any strategy that is connected to that is not going to be something that I'm going to be in favor of, obviously,” Huff told the Greenville Leader. “I'm concerned about the strategy that's being pushed.” 

Self-Help Credit Union, which has been the recipient of more than $502 million in federal grants to support its operations, has been involved in offering mortgages to illegal aliens. 

This practice has sparked considerable debate, as it raises questions about the allocation of taxpayer funds and the broader implications for the housing market. 

Former president and president-elect Donald Trump's proposed ban on mortgage loans for illegal aliens would affect Self-Help Credit Union. 

“I just don't see how that's a good business model,” Huff said of lending to illegals. “Again, we're back to some sound business practices. I can't see how that would be an advisable business practice to be loaning money to somebody that you then can't track again. You have no guarantee of being able to collect from. It's not my business, I'm not going to get to make decisions for them. But that sounds to me like that would be an extremely risky business model. So I would certainly not be in support of them.”  

Huff expressed concern that, like the subprime mortgage crisis of 2008, pushing risky loans on high-risk borrowers could endanger South Carolina’s financial health. 

“I'm all for people owning homes, but I would say we saw back in '08 what happens when the government props up loans that are unsustainable and people end up upside down on mortgages,” he said. “And so anytime we're putting people in a financial situation that's unsustainable. I don't want to be setting people up for failure. I would just say let's just try to make sure that they were helping people and not putting people in a position to fail.” 

Huff’s concerns about the potential dangers of government-backed, high-risk loans are compounded by his broader worries about the political and financial influences shaping state policies.  

“I would hope that they would all take into account, number one, the history. 2008 is not that far removed and we saw what happened with government subsidized loans to high risk,” he said. “Let's help people succeed and not set them up to fail.” 

IRS filings reveal that George Soros' "Foundation to Promote an Open Society" provided over $3 million in payments and approved future grants to the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), the advocacy arm of Smith’s employer, the Self-Help Credit Union, between 2018 and 2022. 

While IRS records report $2.385 million in grants, the foundation's website lists a total of $3.27 million in approved funding since 2018.

In the last legislative session Self-Help actively lobbied for Senate Bill 910, a controversial bill that sought to regulate how lenders market installment loans to households in South Carolina. 

Though the bill failed to pass in the 2024 legislative session, its backers, including Self-Help, are expected to renew their lobbying efforts against installment loans in the upcoming year.

“I'm not really a fan of the strategy,” he said. “I'm for the free market and I think this is based on what I've seen. What they're lobbying for would go against my understanding or my idea of free market principles and the lending and the lending practices.”

During the last state legislative session, critics of Senate Bill 910 raised concerns that it could limit credit access and restrict how lenders market their services, particularly for vulnerable populations. 

The bill's support from Soros-backed groups sparked frustration among some lawmakers who argued that special interest influence undermines consumer protection and economic freedom.

As the next legislative session approaches, Huff said he hopes that more lawmakers will take a stand against what he sees as a growing problem of lobbyist-driven policy. 

While Huff acknowledged that individual lawmakers are free to make their own decisions, he reiterated that he would be pushing back against any efforts associated with Soros. 

“I'm not sure how much of an effect that will actually have on other legislators,” Huff said. “I would certainly want to distance myself from anything related to Soros. And I would hope other Republicans in the House would want to do the same thing. But, you know, to each his own, they get to make their own decision in that regard.”