Abortion ban fails, Dem primary could move, Rice ousted: 2022’s top SC politics stories

A Trump-aligned South Carolina congressman was ousted in a June primary after his impeachment vote of the former president. A prominent judge in the state was considered for an open U.S. Supreme Court seat. And South Carolina, already important to the presidential nominating contest, was recommended by the nation’s top leader to be first in primary voting.

While those stories gained national headlines, lesser-known political news dominated front pages in South Carolina, from the turnover in state House leadership to the demise of an economic development project with an NFL team — news that will undoubtedly carry into the new year.

As in every year, South Carolina had no shortage of big political news stories in 2022.

Here were some of the biggest stories this year.

Restrictive SC abortion ban effort fails

After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, empowering states to decide on their own whether to restrict or expand abortion access, South Carolina legislators got to work to pass a near-total ban.

Despite a six-week ban on the books, Republican legislators quickly filed legislation seeking to eliminate nearly all abortions in South Carolina, but leaving some exceptions.

Months of debate broke down just as the legislative session came to a close. Why? Republicans could not agree.

The GOP-controlled House passed a near-total ban with few exceptions, but the legislation lacked enough votes to pass in the Senate. Instead, the Republican-controlled Senate opted to tweak the state’s six-week “heartbeat” ban.

Ultimately, neither the House nor the Senate could agree on how restrictive an abortion ban should be, and both chambers left the State House just before the Legislature’s Nov. 13 expiration date without a compromise.

Meanwhile, the state’s six-week ban remains on hold as the S.C. Supreme Court mulls whether the ban violates the state Constitution’s right to privacy.

Russell Fry ousts US Rep. Tom Rice

In a vote that shocked South Carolinians, U.S. Rep. Tom Rice found himself a GOP target after he voted to impeach former President Donald Trump for Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot.

His vote resulted in a flurry of election challengers, all which came to a head in the June primary.

In June, the Trump-aligned congressman was ousted by former Myrtle Beach Rep. Russell Fry, who weeks before the primary attended a rally with the former president.

Rice, who after the primary joined U.S. House Democrats on some votes including to pass legislation codifying same-sex and interracial marriages, had served six terms in Congress.

Fry easily won the November election and will join the new Congress in January.

The Capitol riot fallout has continued to make headlines, including in South Carolina, where 19 South Carolinians have been charged for involvement in the insurrection.

GOP House leadership shakeup

One of the biggest statewide political news stories of 2022 was the shakeup of S.C. House leadership following the retirement of longtime Republicans and the primary losses of veteran legislators who were unseated by more conservative candidates.

This year, House Majority Leader Gary Simrill, R-York, announced his plans to step down after 30 years in the Legislature. He was followed by the retirement announcement of House Speaker Jay Lucas, R-Darlington.

With their retirements, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, was promoted to speaker, and state Rep. Davey Hiott, R-Pickens, was elected by his colleagues to be the new GOP majority leader.

The leadership shakeups in the House are noteworthy as Republicans now hold supermajority status after the November election, giving them more power over legislation and the elections of judges and college board trustees., But the changing House makeup has also given rise to a growing faction of conservative legislators, the House Freedom Caucus.

House Republicans now hold 88 seats to Democrats’ 36.

Dems want to make SC first in the nation

The Democratic National Committee, at the recommendation of President Joe Biden, is considering putting South Carolina first in the party’s presidential primary order.

The possible move is meant to give Black voters, especially, a stronger say in the party’s presidential nominee. It’s also seen as a nod to the Palmetto State, currently No. 4 on the national primary calendar, after the state helped catapult Biden’s struggling 2020 campaign following losses in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada.

Under the early window plan proposed by Biden, and approved by the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws committee, in 2024 South Carolina would hold its primary on Feb. 3, followed by New Hampshire and Nevada three days later, then Georgia on Feb. 13 and Michigan on Feb. 27.

A final decision by the DNC on the 2024 presidential nominating order is expected early next year.

Separately, Republicans plan to keep their same presidential primary order for 2024, sticking South Carolina with fourth.

Ellen Weaver elected SC schools superintendent

Republican Ellen Weaver, president of the conservative think tank Palmetto Promise Institute, was elected South Carolina’s next superintendent of education. She beat Lisa Ellis, a teacher and founder of group S.C. for Ed, in the November general election.

Weaver will succeed Superintendent Molly Spearman, who opted not to run for reelection this year.

Weaver’s election comes amid a growing teacher shortage and a greater movement to pass school choice legislation.

Her election also made headlines this year after Weaver did not initially hold a master’s degree, as required by state law. She has since completed the requirements and graduated from private college Bob Jones University, a completion that raised questions whether she was given preferential treatment and is now under more oversight.

Childs considered for high court

Michelle Childs, a federal judge in South Carolina for more than a decade, was nominated last December for a prominent seat on the D.C. Court of Appeals. But her nomination was put on hold earlier this year after she was placed on President Joe Biden’s shortlist to replace Justice Stephen Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Biden promised during the 2020 campaign, after a push from House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn — who, with U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham pushed to put Childs on the Supreme Court — that he would nominate a Black woman to the top bench.

Biden eventually nominated now-Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the high bench.

Childs, whose name recognition was substantially raised as Biden considered her for the Supreme Court, was later confirmed to the D.C. Court of Appeals, which can serve as a launching pad to the high court.

Graham fights a Georgia subpoena

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham was subpoenaed by a grand jury in Georgia investigating efforts to overturn the state’s 2020 election results.

The subpoena was over the South Carolina senator’s phone calls with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger about the election results.

Graham fought against the subpoena for weeks, saying he was protected by the speech and debate clause of the U.S. Constitution and was only asking questions to determine whether to certify Biden’s victory in the 2020 election, which the senator voted to do.

Graham took his fight to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled he had to testify.

Graham testified in November.

USC’s board in the hot seat

South Carolina legislators grew frustrated with the University of South Carolina board of trustees over a slate of issues in the past couple of years, including the ill-fated hiring of Robert Caslen as university president and payouts of millions of dollars to ousted athletic coaches. And in response, lawmakers set out to change the makeup of USC’s powerful governing body.

But they failed to do so.

While efforts to reshape the board of trustees went nowhere this year, it put USC under the microscope of the Legislature.

Though no board elections occurred, the board did make a big change.

In a leadership vote this year, Chairman Dorn Smith was ousted from his top role, succeeded by Thad Westbrook.

The leadership swap also angered some Black S.C. lawmakers, who were upset that Leah Moody, a Black trustee with 13 years on the board, was bypassed to be vice chair in favor of Rose Newton, who is white. Newton joined the board in 2018.

SC gets early voting

After seeing how well received no-excuse early voting was in 2020 amid a global pandemic, lawmakers adopted a two-week period of in-person early voting for the 2022 election. In the general election, more than half a million people voted early.

Early voting was part of a new voting law passed unanimously by the General Assembly with additional protections to secure elections in the state.

The law placed additional checks on the absentee voting process and requires the uniform application of election laws in every county in the state. It also enhanced penalties for voter fraud, expanded the state’s array of election audits, instituted additional voter roll maintenance, established a voter fraud hotline and banned third-party funding of elections.

Panthers practice facility falters

A closely watched massive project to bring the Carolina Panthers practice facility and headquarters to Rock Hill was abandoned mid-construction over a disagreement between York County and Panthers billionaire owner David Tepper over who would pay for the necessary public infrastructure to serve the facility.

The state had promised $115 million in incentives, which the Panthers now will not get because they didn’t finish the project. The state also promised to build an interstate interchange that would have served the facility.

GT Real Estate, Tepper’s company created to oversee the project, finalized a bankruptcy settlement this month, which will pay York County $21 million and give the title of the land to the city of Rock Hill. Contractors on the project will be paid $60 million.

Honorable mentions

▪ Gov. Henry McMaster won reelection over Democratic challenger Joe Cunningham, putting the Columbia Republican in line to be the longest-serving governor in state history.

▪ Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott are potentially preparing presidential runs in 2024, though both said previously they would not run if Donald Trump runs.

▪ Medical marijuana had its best chance to pass the Legislature this year. After it passed the Senate, it was killed in the House following a procedural tactic, raising questions about whether the bill will ever pass the General Assembly.

▪ South Carolina’s lone Democratic Congressman Jim Clyburn will stay in U.S. House leadership, but not as the third-ranking Democrat after Republicans won the majority in the midterms. Clyburn instead will serve as an assistant Democratic leader. He has not announced whether he will seek reelection in 2024.