SENECA — Charleston-based state Senator Larry Grooms brought his campaign for the Republican nomination as governor to the backyard of one of his principle foes this week.

Grooms made a stop in Seneca, just six miles from Westminster, hometown of U.S. Congressman Gresham Barrett, considered one of the early frontrunners in the race.

Grooms, who is considered one of the most conservative members of South Carolina’s General Assembly, acknowledged that he faces an uphill battle to garner votes in the Upstate. However, he said he is not willing to relinquish the area to Barrett or any of the other GOP candidates.

“I think if people get to know my heart, my character and what I have done, they will vote for me,” he said.

Grooms isn’t totally unfamiliar with the Upstate. His wife, Carol, graduated from Walhalla High School. The couple met while they both attended Clemson University.

“I think my message resonates in the Upstate,” Grooms said, pointing to his work to bring equity to school funding and his offering of the first comprehensive tax reform bill in nearly a decade.

He said today he is working for badly-needed changes to the way the State Ports Authority does business, claiming his Port Reform Act will ensure that South Carolina’s primary economic engines remain competitive tools for development.

Grooms represents parts of Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton and Dorchester counties. He is Chairman of the Transportation Committee and a member of the Finance Committee.

He and his wife have three sons, Taylor, 18, Hayden, 15, and Jack, 10. The family is active in Pointe North Community Church.