Your SC politics briefing

Good morning, and welcome to your weekly South Carolina politics briefing, a newsletter curated by The State’s politics and government team.

Hopefully you stayed dry during Tropical Storm Idalia. The good news is the sun will be out and temperatures in the 80s for Labor Day weekend. But before you enjoy the unofficial end of summer and some college football, here’s a recap of this week’s political news.

South Carolina campaigning

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley looked to build on her debate performance by bringing her campaign to Indian Land. And the 1,000 people in crowd had to spill over into overflow rooms.

“She showed some real backbone, and that’s something I had not seen from her in the last couple of years, but I thought she really had the best performance among any of those guys,” Jude Sowell, 68, of Charlotte, said of Haley’s debate performance.

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott made four stops in South Carolina on Monday, including Jeff Duncan’s Faith and Freedom BBQ.

“We need to restore respect and admiration for law enforcement,” Scott said to the crowd of about 2,000 people. “When you demonize and demoralize the profession, fewer and fewer people want to do it.”

Scott was joined by Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis, who subbed-in for Gov. Ron DeSantis, who stayed in the Sunshine State because of the storm.

“You know when you put Ron DeSantis up in the White House he is going to stand up for your interests and he is never going to back down.,” Casey DeSantis said while delivering her version of her husband’s traditional stump speech. “We need a president with backbone.”

Read more: From 400 people to 2,000, here’s how Duncan’s annual SC barbecue became a GOP must attend

The race to succeed John Scott

At least three hopefuls will try to win the late John Scott state Senate seat: State Rep. Kambrell Garvin and Broad River Business Alliance Senior Director Javar Juarez both formally announced their campaigns.

Former Columbia City Councilwoman Tameika Isaac Devine confirmed to the state she will launch her campaign after Labor Day.

Their campaigns start off a sprint to the Oct. 24 Primary as the the Senate district is heavily Democratic, and whoever wins the nomination would more than likely win the the formal Jan. 2 special election.

Ultimately, the contest may be a money race. Garvin during a news conference estimated it could cost between $150,000 and $250,000.

More names may ultimately jump into the race. Filing for the seat is from Sept. 1-9.

2024 bites

▪ NY Times: DeSantis Super PAC’s Urgent Plea to Donors: ‘We Need 50 Million Bucks’

▪ NBC News: Pro-Ron DeSantis super PAC ends door-knocking in Nevada and Super Tuesday states

▪ Washington Post: Eminem tells Vivek Ramaswamy to not use his songs on campaign trail

▪ Miami Herald: Done in 76 days: Francis Suarez acknowledges his presidential campaign is over

(Photo via The State’s Joseph Bustos)

Buzz bites

▪ Leadership within the Lexington County GOP is in disarray as two vice chairmen, Mark Weber and John Allen, are leading calls for the resignation of Chairwoman Pamela Godwin. One Lexington County lawmaker compared the dysfunction to a “middle school tit-for-tat.”

▪ Bold South Strategies, a public relations firm run by long-time South Carolina political operative Tyler Jones, is branching out into the name, image and likeness field by starting Bold South Sports, a full-service sports marketing and NIL athlete representation agency. As part of the NIL launch, the agency announced it already had signed six college athletes in the state it will represent.

▪ Need a run down for the local elections in Lexington County in November? The State’s Bristow Marchant has you covered.

▪ The University of South Carolina no longer has a diversity, equity and inclusion office. It’s now called the Division of Access, Civil Rights and Community Engagement. Now state lawmakers are skeptical of the change.

(Photo via The State’s Tracy Glantz)

Mark your calendar

Sept. 1-9

Filing period for state Senate District 19

Sept. 5

Primary election for state Senate District 42

Sept. 27

Republican presidential debate in Simi Valley at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

Oct. 11

U.S. Court hears oral arguments in S.C.-1 redistricting case

Oct. 24

Primary election for state Senate District 19

Oct. 31

Deadline to file for the S.C. GOP Presidential Primary

Nov. 1-10

Filing period for the S.C. Democratic Presidential Primary

Nov. 7

State Senate District 42 special election

Jan. 2

State Senate District 19 special election

Jan. 9

Legislative session begins

Feb. 3, 2024

S.C. Democratic Party Presidential Primary

Feb. 24, 2024

S.C. GOP Presidential Primary

Before we adjourn

The Gamecocks and Tar Heels face off Saturday in Charlotte, and bragging rights over which Carolina is superior is on the line.

USC was victorious the last time the two teams met, which was in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in December 2021 in Charlotte.

Coach Shane Beamer was rewarded by being dunked with a bucket of mayonnaise.

Now with the border battle happening again, reporters on Tuesday asked Gov. Henry McMaster if he had a score prediction. He would only predict a Gamecock victory.

“Peggy and I will be up there and we’re looking forward to it very much. I hope Gov. (Roy) Cooper will be there. We’ve been friends for a long time. Hopefully we will be there together. Maybe we can arm wrestle or something, and get it off to a good start,” McMaster said.

McMaster said, as of Tuesday, there was no friendly bet on the game between the governors, but he had an idea of what he would wager, and it wasn’t barbecue.

“I would wager two reporters against whatever he can put up,” McMaster said jokingly, pointing to of my State House colleagues Seanna Adcox and Joseph Bustos.

Pulling the newsletter together this week was Javon L. Harris, reporter on The State’s politics and state government team. You can keep up with him on Twitter and send him tips on Twitter at @JavonLHarris_JD or by email at jaharris@thestate.com.

To stay on top of South Carolina politics and election news, you can chat with us on Facebook, email us tips and follow our stories at scpolitics.com.