He lost a historic Senate race in SC. Now Charlamagne tha God tells his story in new film

A celebrity is using a documentary, featuring a historic U.S. Senate race in South Carolina, to help stir up voters who’ve historically been marginalized.

National radio host and television personality Charlamange tha God is promoting a new documentary film, “In the Bubble with Jamie,” featuring South Carolina Democrat Jaime Harrison’s 2020 bid for the U.S. Senate against powerful Republican Lindsey Graham, as a means of educating and registering voters in communities of color. A screening tour for the film is slated for the Palmetto State this November and will include events in Bamberg, Columbia, Florence, Laurens and Orangeburg.

The screenings are being hosted by 46 Hope Road, a Columbia-based nonprofit that aims “to engage the disengaged and to help people of color become registered voters.”

“I started 46 Hope Road in the wake of the 2020 election because I wanted to engage those in our state who have traditionally been overlooked by campaigns and political parties,” said 46 Hope Road founder Christale Spain in a news release. Spain is the chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party and was supported by Harrison in her recent election to the position. “I am excited about using a locally produced documentary film to bring out people, start conversations, and get more people registered in our communities.”

“In the Bubble with Jaime,” directed by Orangeburg native Emily Harrold, offers an in-depth look at the challenges that Harrison, a Black man raised in Orangeburg, faced running for office and how his campaign handled the racial dynamics of Southern politics, a news release said.

The State newspaper’s Joseph Bustos is also featured in the film in his role as a politics reporter following the 2020 election.

In 2020, Harrison set out to unseat long-time incumbent Graham in a race that shattered national fundraising records. Harrison’s campaign raised a staggering $130 million — more than any Senate candidate in history — to Graham’s $108 million.

In South Carolina and across the nation, Democrats rallied heavily behind Harrison, who would’ve been the first Palmetto State Democrat to win a statewide election since 2006.

But their hopes were dashed when S.C. voters decisively gave Graham a fourth term in the upper chamber. The Upstate Republican won by 10 percentage points and some 260,000 votes.

Now, Charlamange and Spain are using Harrison’s story to try to captivate voters in communities of color. Film screening events will include voter registration opportunities and conversations about how audience members can become civically engaged.

“Non-partisan post screening conversations will focus on voter engagement, historical trends, and the experiences of communities of color in South Carolina,” a news release said.

The film tour launches Friday, Nov. 3, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Spotlight Cinemas Capital 8 theater in Columbia. Following the screening, Spain will moderate a conversation about voter participation, which will include Harrison and Bre Maxwell, who served as the political director for Harrison’s 2020 campaign, according to the news release. The event is free and open to the public.

A second screening is scheduled for Nov. 14 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Orangeburg County Conference Center’s outdoor screening space. The post-screening conversation will feature South Carolina NAACP President Brenda Murphy and Orangeburg NAACP Chapter President Barbara Williams, the release said.