"I know that when we work together, Americans can solve any problem.
Our challenges are significant -- but our ability to overcome is never in doubt. ”
-- Martin Skelly

Martin Skelly is a successful, self-made businessman and job creator who has helped many companies grow and prosper, from major international corporations to the number one rated craft beer retail store right here in the Lowcountry.  He believes Congress needs more people with practical business skills who have an understanding of what it takes to balance a budget, to create jobs and to expand opportunities for all families.  In Congress, he’ll support the education of all to create the work force we need to grow our economy and solve our budget problems.

Martin Skelly is the son of Irish immigrants who came to America, the land of opportunity, to work for a better life for their five children.  He’s had jobs his whole life so that he could help pay his way and earn a living that would afford his family the financial security that we all deserve when we put in the hours and take the risks to improve ourselves. 

When he was 12, he borrowed $120 to buy a Lawnboy mower to earn money. He delivered newspapers, served as a dishwasher and fry cook in restaurants, worked the cash register at retail shops and cleaned class mates bathrooms to help pay to attend Harvard, where he earned a degree in economics and a Teacher’s Certificate.  He then returned to his public schools to work as a counselor and teacher, before earning his MBA at Virginia Tech on a state-funded merit scholarship.  He married Kelly Vest in 1991 and soon after the birth of their first son, they moved to South Carolina  in a Ryder truck where he developed his career as a businessman, learning how to help all his fellow employees contribute to the growth and success of companies in South Carolina and then internationally. 

Now he’s running for Congress because he wants everyone to get their best chance to achieve success. As he has done his entire life, he will bring people together to find common solutions and solve our most important problems, like schools and job-creation.

Martin shares his family’s commitment to repay the American community for all the opportunity that was created for his brothers and sisters and nephews and nieces.  He works hard to make certain that others have similar opportunities to improve their lives and reach their full potential. He and Kelly have been active volunteers and donors for numerous non-profit groups such as: WINGS for Kids, the College of Charleston, the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry, Charleston Philanthropic Partners, AlphaUSA, the Charleston Parks Conservancy, Charleston Food & Wine Festival, ETV and many, many more.

Martin lives in Charleston just off Folly Road with his wife, Kelly Skelly, and their three children: Angle (17), Ann Martin (13), and Campbell (7).

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