Katie Hall is a Saluda County Republican, small business owner, and veterans advocate who has twice sought the South Carolina House District 39 seat as a constitutional conservative challenger to incumbent Rep. Cal Forrest.
Background and family
Katie Maxwell Prevatt Hall was born in Columbia, South Carolina, the daughter of Holland Ray Prevatt and Katheryn Madera Smith, and was raised in a multigenerational military family. Her father served in the U.S. Army, both grandfathers were World War II veterans, and that background shaped her identification with military and veterans’ causes.
Growing up as what she describes as an “Army brat,” Hall moved with her family and developed early pride in service and country, which later became central to her political message. She helped found Dreher High School’s NJROTC program, signaling an early interest in leadership, discipline, and civic responsibility.
Hall married young, became a mother of two sons, and devoted extensive time to their schooling and youth activities, especially Boy Scouts. After a divorce, she married Edward Allen “Pete” Hall, a retired U.S. Army serviceman, in 2007; Pete later adopted her two sons, solidifying what she frequently presents as a tightly knit, service‑oriented family. One son became a certified farrier and blacksmith, and the other, now a disabled veteran, served as a pilot in the U.S. Army, continuing the family’s military tradition.
Career and community involvement
Before running for office, Hall’s work centered on education, special‑needs advocacy, and small business. She has worked as a business owner and has also served as a teacher’s assistant, particularly aligned with special‑needs students in public schools. To better support nonverbal students, she studied American Sign Language so she could communicate directly with them in the classroom.
Katie’s civic engagement has included involvement with youth programs and veterans’ organizations, including affiliation with Disabled American Veterans. Hall emphasizes a grassroots style of service, presenting herself as a hands‑on volunteer, classroom aide, and local organizer rather than a career politician.
Political positions and message
Hall identifies herself as a “constitutional conservative” and has consistently campaigned on staunchly pro‑life, pro‑Second Amendment, pro‑law‑enforcement, and openly pro‑faith (“pro‑God”) themes. She brands herself as a “fearless fighter” for veterans, farmers, and working families in District 39, with frequent references to agricultural producers in western Lexington and Saluda counties.
Her public statements highlight concerns that state government spends too much, regulates too heavily, and fails to prioritize parental rights and local control in education. She has also criticized what she views as complacency and low legislative productivity in Columbia, arguing that her district needs a more assertive representative who will author and push conservative bills rather than simply vote with the majority.
Campaigns for House District 39
District 39 includes communities in western Lexington and neighboring areas such as Batesburg‑Leesville, parts of Gilbert, Samaria, and the Fairview Crossroads area. Hall first filed against Republican incumbent Cal(ly) Forrest in March 2022, launching a primary challenge framed around giving the district a more active and outspoken conservative representative. She argued that Forrest had introduced relatively little substantial legislation since his initial election in 2017, noting that one of his more visible bills dealt with unsolicited “junk mail.”
In the June 2022 Republican primary, Forrest defeated Hall, retaining the seat. Hall returned in 2024 for a second primary challenge, again running in the Republican primary for House District 39 with a similar constitutional conservative message. On June 11, 2024, Forrest once more prevailed in the Republican primary, and he went on to win the general election that November.
Across both campaigns, Hall leaned heavily on direct voter contact, social media, and local press such as The Lexington Ledger to communicate her platform, often using her Facebook page “Katie Hall for District 39” to highlight district issues, promote local farms and small businesses, and reiterate her commitment to veterans and conservative values.
