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.

State funding for South Carolina State University, compared to Clemson University, was called into question by the Biden Administration in a letter to Gov. Henry McMaster, which alleged that South Carolina under-funded it’s only publicly-funded historically Black school by nearly $500 million over the past three decades.

But some state lawmakers said the federal government’s claim is “suspicious” and lacks considerable context.

“I view the letter from the Biden administration as nothing more than a political campaign stunt in his bid for reelection,” said state Rep. Bill Taylor, R-Aiken. “It’s suspicious that similar letters were suddenly sent to 16 states, nearly all in the South.”

Taylor, HBCU advocates and S.C. State University President Alexander Conyers all agree that while S.C. State has indeed been under-funded for decades compared to its white counterpart, Clemson, lawmakers have begun to make strides in addressing the funding disparity.

“Under-funding is not currently the issue,” Taylor said. “S.C. State is hustling to spend nearly $88 million in new construction money the General Assembly has appropriated in the past two years.”

State Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, who represents Orangeburg — the home of S.C. State — said one of the reasons she voted against this year’s state spending plan was because it lacked funding for S.C. State to construct a new library, classrooms and housing.

“Talk is cheap. Action speaks louder than words,” Cobb-Hunter said. “And while you tell me you support the university, and you think they deserve to be funded, your actions send a different message.”

U.S. Reps from S.C. vote to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker

In a historic leadership ouster, South Carolina Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn and Republican Rep. Nancy Mace voted to remove Kevin McCarty as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives this week, amid ongoing infighting within the GOP.

The ousting comes after weeks of hard-right Republicans remaining adamant about removing McCarthy due to his agreement to work with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown.

The upheaval started with Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, who on Monday night moved to remove McCarthy as speaker, after McCarthy made a deal with Democrats to avert a federal government shutdown.

Democrats and far-right Republicans often, if not almost always, disagree. This time, they voted together.

Mace had said she was undecided on how she would vote on McCarthy just two days before the vote took place. But she had voiced her dissatisfaction with McCarthy multiple times, specifically for not following through on promises on legislation related to contraception. She also mentioned four other promises she said McCarthy made to her, including on “gun violence” and “balancing the budget,” none of which have come to fruition.

“I empathize with Matt Gaetz over his frustration,” Mace said on The View earlier this week. “I’m frustrated equally but for different, different, very different reasons,” she said.

2024 Bites

▪ Washington Post: Trump’s violent rhetoric is getting muted coverage by the news media

▪ The Wall Street Journal: Cornel West Slams Biden, Trump, and Runs as 2024 Independent

▪ The AP: Most 2024 GOP presidential candidates urge GOP to stop the chaos after McCarthy’s ouster

▪ The Telegraph: Nikki Haley emerges as Donald Trump’s main rival

▪ ABC News: How Tim Scott’s run for president is affecting his role as senator

▪ Politico: Ramaswamy wanted to be an RNC insider before he started bashing the institution

▪ ABC News: Here’s where the 2024 presidential candidates stand on elections, voting

Buzz Bites

▪ Republican U.S. Sen Lindsey Graham has something in common with President Joe Biden: increasing unpopularity among South Carolinians, according to a new poll.

▪ In a shift that advocates say will improve access to and possibly lower costs for health care in South Carolina, more physician-owned hospitals will now be able to open without the state government’s approval.

▪ To foster a child in South Carolina, a person’s religious beliefs can be required to mirror that of a private placement agency, at least for one agency in the Upstate, a federal court has held.

▪ Cory Fleming, who helped Alex Murdaugh embezzle millions of dollars, is appealing his more than 13-year prison sentence, saying it is excessive, “cruel and unusual” and the result of “bias” in the sentencing judge.

▪ On Wednesday, more than 400 people assembled at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy to place a SLED K-9 to rest following a suspect shooting.

Mark your calendar

Oct. 9

Vivek Ramaswamy to speak at Wofford College

Oct. 11

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

Oct. 16

Board of Economic Advisors meeting

Oct. 19

S.C. and N.C. Federations of Republican Women presidential candidate forum at Winthrop University

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

Local municipal elections

Nov. 8

Third GOP presidential debate in Miami

Nov. 16

Board of Economic Advisors revenue forecast

Dec. 7-10

First in the South Republican Action Conference in Myrtle Beach

Jan. 9, 2024

State legislative session begins

Feb. 3, 2024

S.C. Democratic Party Presidential Primary

Feb. 24, 2024

S.C. GOP Presidential Primary

Before we adjourn

Talks of judicial reform in South Carolina have again begun to surface ahead of the start of the 2024 legislative session.

It’s likely to be the legislature’s predominate issue come January.

But for many familiar with the matter, the question is: what’s new?

Well, now, at least one lawmaker, state Sen. Wes Climer, R-York, has vowed to block all future judicial elections in the Senate, short of a judicial reform bill.

Beyond that, Alan Wilson is renewing his push for judicial reform, following a recent state Supreme Court decision that found that a group of legislators broke the law in the way they handled a judicial candidate.

“In South Carolina, we have a system of government that is not equal in its balance of power,” Wilson said. “One of the things I would like to do is bring balance back to our three branches of government so that each branch has an equal and distinct check on the other branches of government.”

Ultimately, in response, S.C. House Speaker Murrell Smith has committed to forming a judicial reform study committee ahead of the 2024 legislative session.

“One of the most important functions of the South Carolina General Assembly is the selection of judges in this state,” the speaker said. “It is a process we must ensure is carried out in the best possible way so that the public that its judges are fair, and that the selection process reflects the best judgment of the people.”

Whether changes will finally come, however, remains to be seen.

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.