From 400 people to 2,000, here’s how Duncan’s annual SC barbecue became a GOP must attend

Jeff Duncan’s annual gathering started at a restaurant.

In 2011, the then-freshman congressman from South Carolina, who came in as part of the Tea Party wave, wanted to bring his friends and supporters together and and give them an opportunity for them to hear from from then-U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, a fellow South Carolinian on Capitol Hill.

Duncan and DeMint hoped some people would attend.

But 400 people showed up at Creekside Barbeque in Anderson.

“I didn’t know what I would get, but we had standing room only,” Duncan said, not knowing at the time attendees would want to have the event again to receive updates from Washington and hear from a conservative speaker.

In 2013, with increasing interest from the public and U.S. Sens. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, and Tim Scott, R-South Carolina, serving as featured speakers at his third-annual event, Duncan started to realize his Faith and Freedom BBQ had to move to a larger location.

That’s when he knew “this is an event (that) we can continue to grow and really get some headliners. I think that was the year,” Duncan said.

Now, Duncan’s annual gathering, which attracts about 2,000 people every year to the Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center, is entering its 12th edition.

It has become a prime speaking spot for Republicans seeking the White House. And when conservatives on Monday attend this year’s event, they will hear from two presidential hopefuls: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Scott, who has made appearances at the barbecue before.

Duncan said their appearances are not an endorsement of their campaigns. He invited them in order to attract a large crowd.

Duncan said he has also relationships with former President Donald Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and doesn’t he plan to endorse ahead of South Carolina’s Feb. 24 GOP primary.

“At the end of the day, I value all my relationships with all these candidates and want to be friends with them and know them,” Duncan said. “At the end of the day, they’re all better, every one of them that’s running is better than (President) Joe Biden right now. And I think they all bring good ideas to the race.”

Duncan has some built-in advantages that helped him make the barbecue a signature event. South Carolina holds the First in the South Primary. The Laurens resident represents a ruby red Upstate district. The event’s location is also accessible to other states, drawing attendees from Georgia and North Carolina in addition to people from other parts of South Carolina. Duncan’s campaign says the event has drawn people from 20 states over the years. The late-August timing also is helpful as children are going back to school and people start engaging in politics again.

As the barbecue has grown, notable names and future presidential candidates have spoken at the event including Paul, Haley, Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, and former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

Even former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford attended the barbecue in 2019 before launching a bid to challenge Trump. However, Sanford did not receive a warm welcome from the pro-Trump crowd.

“Candidates are always looking for an opportunity to get in front of other conservatives, particularly if you’re a Republican, and particularly now when we have some of your presidential candidates coming through South Carolina, who are looking at our First in the South primary, the jumping off point that it can be for them for Super Tuesday,” said S.C. GOP Chairman Drew McKissick. “So anytime they can get in front of a lot of conservative Republicans, they’re going to take that opportunity.”

Other politicians hold signature gatherings

Duncan isn’t alone in having a signature event in South Carolina. Democratic Congressman Jim Clyburn has his World Famous Fish Fry, which has served as a go-to event for Democratic presidential hopefuls for years.

Clyburn’s annual fish fry, which started in the 1970s to as event for campaign volunteers from across the state to meet each other in conjunction with the state party convention, started to gain more attention when the national Democratic Party decided to have South Carolina hold the First in the South Democratic primary starting in the 2008 cycle.

“Naturally, candidates started coming to the state, and then we started inviting them to the fish fry, and that’s how all of that took off,” Clyburn said.

Clyburn isn’t familiar with Duncan’s motivations for starting the barbecue but said, “I think it makes sense to give ordinary people something to do.”

Politicians’ signature events happen elsewhere in the country to allow their supporters and campaign volunteers to come hear from them and from top speakers from across the country.

But it helps if you live in a state that holds an early contest in the presidential nominating process.

For more than 30 years, former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat, held an annual steak fry at the Iowa State Fair, drawing Democratic presidential hopefuls starting in the 1990s.

Harkin’s successor, Republican Joni Ernst, started her own signature event in 2015. The annual gathering called the Roast and Ride drew eight Republican presidential candidates this year.

But back to its roots, Duncan set out out to make his barbecue an event for grassroots interaction among fellow conservatives. Although it’s technically a fundraiser for his own reelection efforts, Duncan says his campaign doesn’t net much money because of the expenses associated with the event’s size.

“It surprised me it’s evolved into what it is today,” Duncan said. “I’m just happy to continue to provide an opportunity for conservative speakers to come and for conservatives across this region to have an opportunity for fellowship and listen to a great speaker and kind of get excited for whatever is going on in the country at the moment.”

What does Jeff Duncan like when he eats barbecue?

Side order: Duncan says his preferred sides with his barbecue are green beans and slaw. He’s lost 20 pounds in the last four months as he stays away from carbs.

Sauce preference: “I’ve gotten to where I like the mustard base (sauce), which is more South Carolina, but I’m more of a vinegar based (fan) just because I grew up on the Lexington, North Carolina-style barbecue,” Duncan said.