Tennessee teenager travels to Charleston with a request for Nikki Haley

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)- A teenager from Nashville, Tennessee traveled to Charleston on Wednesday with a message for former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley as the politician launches her presidential campaign.

Hannah-Kate McFadden, 15, is the founder of ‘The Candidate Pledge,’ a document that asks candidates for public office to make civility a priority in their campaigns.

In 2020, McFadden was volunteering for a local campaign when one of the signs she put up was vandalized. “I wanted to quit. I was discouraged,” said McFadden, whose mother posted about the incident on Twitter.

The tweet caught the attention of journalist Maria Shriver, whose motivation gave McFadden inspiration to start the pledge.

The pledge is a bipartisan effort and McFadden has also come up with ‘The Elected Official Pledge,’ dedicated to similar values.

In the Volunteer State, multiple lawmakers and candidates have signed her pledges to promote respect across political party lines.

“Civility is not a weakness. It’s a strength. Civility isn’t dead. I’ve had people tell me that civility is dead, but it’s not. Civility is not dead, it’s on life support and my generation is bringing it back,” said McFadden.

During the 2024 election cycle, she is taking her message across the nation in hopes of increasing civility in politics.

Hannah-Kate says that she represents teenagers just like her who are not interested in politics because of the immature behavior of some politicians.

“I started with the basics. Be an adult. They are adults. They should act like adults. Nothing is going to get done if you’re not civil, if you scream and if you yell,” said McFadden. “Part of the reason that my generation is turned off is because of the toxicity. There’s something wrong with our society if we’re watching a political debate because of the lack of civility. That’s not a good form of entertainment.”

In Charleston, McFadden’s mission is simple, but she doesn’t want it to end in the Lowcountry.

“I really want Nikki Haley to sign the pledge. I want her to sign it, uphold it and promote it,” said McFadden. “I also want the President to sign it and those running for President to sign it.”

Haley will launch her campaign in Charleston on Wednesday morning.