By admin 
Silfab Solar has fueled political conflict in York County for years. Now, it is entering South Carolina’s U.S. Senate race.
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The Fort Mill solar-panel plant drew a brief but pointed exchange during Tuesday’s Republican primary debate, when businessman Mark Lynch accused U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman of supporting Silfab and policies that benefited it. Norman dismissed the attack as political, and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in a Wednesday social media post objected to being cited in his defense. The dispute gives Norman’s rivals a distinctly local line of attack in York County where he lives and has built his political base.
Lynch brought up Silfab during a question about President Donald Trump’s tariff policies. He accused Norman of advocating for the company, supporting tax breaks and voting against tariffs affecting foreign solar manufacturers. He also made allegations about worker illnesses and environmental harm at the plant. Lynch later attempted to return to Silfab during a question about Social Security, saying he had recently met with Move Silfab, the community group opposing the facility.
Norman called the attack “silly season.”
“Silfab was supported by the governor. They were supported by the lieutenant governor,” Norman said during the debate.
He said the company took over a vacant building and defended efforts to bring “good-paying jobs” to South Carolina. He also criticized Lynch for not participating in earlier local discussions over the project. In an interview with McClatchy Thursday, Norman said he does not view his role as supporting or opposing individual companies.
“I don’t pick winners and losers,” Norman told McClatchy. “I didn’t then, and I’m not going to do it now.”
‘I don’t support or not support’
Norman said he was not part of the York County Planning Commission, County Council or other local bodies responsible for approving Silfab’s zoning and operations. He said regulators and courts should handle any violations.
“I don’t support or not support,” Norman said of Silfab’s current operations. “If there are violations, they need to be held accountable.”
Norman acknowledged hearing about concerns involving chemicals at the facility but said he had not seen evidence beyond the zoning dispute that the company acted improperly. He declined to respond individually to Lynch’s claims about tariffs and incentives, calling the allegations “bogus” and political.
“I like Mark Lynch, but he’s wrong on this,” Norman said.
Norman has previously faced criticism from opponents because of his public support for the solar industry and his refusal to intervene against Silfab if it received the required permits. He co-founded the bipartisan Congressional Solar Caucus and hosted a community forum in 2024 after Fort Mill residents raised concerns about the project. Norman has said those actions did not mean he helped recruit, approve or broker the Silfab development.
The issue also created friction with Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette after Norman invoked her during the debate.
Evette wrote on X that she and Norman had never discussed her views or “serious concerns” about Silfab and asked him not to speak on her behalf.
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Norman stood by his characterization Thursday, saying Evette had not publicly opposed the project when it was approved.
“She didn’t oppose it. She was lieutenant governor… never did she voice her opinion that it shouldn’t be there. I’ll let her explain whether she was secretly against it or secretly for it,” he said.
What do York County groups think?
York County Republican Party Chairman Scott Anderson said there is a segment of local Republicans for whom Silfab is a paramount concern. Some assigned Norman a share of the blame for supporting the project and are unlikely to vote for him in the primary, Anderson said.
But Anderson said the controversy does not appear to have significantly eroded Norman’s broader support within the county party. Norman received 85% in a recent internal poll of York County GOP members that included nine candidates, Anderson said. Lynch finished second with 6%.
Norman’s showing in York County during the gubernatorial primary also suggests he retains considerable support in his home county. Although he finished third statewide with about 17% of the Republican vote, Norman won York County with roughly 40%, ahead of Evette, who received about 23%. Norman finished third statewide.
“So, ultimately, I take that to mean that he will, again, despite the Silfab issue, do very well in York County in this primary,” Anderson said.
Anderson also questioned whether Norman should bear responsibility for the underlying permitting dispute. Anderson said he believes York County improperly issued light-industrial permits for what he considers a heavy-industrial operation, but said “it is a stretch to lay blame at Congressman Norman’s feet for this act.”
Advocacy group Move Silfab has not endorsed a candidate in the Republican primary, but Scott Jensen, who helps lead the group, said the organization has contacted all candidates. Mark Lynch and U.S. Rep. Russell Fry have been among the most responsive, Jensen said. Lynch has posted most frequently about Silfab. Jensen said he met personally with Fry.
The group has heard from every candidate except Norman, Jensen said, though it remains willing to meet with him.
Jensen said the group is nonpartisan and focused narrowly on stopping what members consider improper heavy industrial activity near Fort Mill schools. He said the group would amplify any candidate who supports its position but is not formally backing Lynch, Fry or anyone else in the primary.
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