Your SC politics briefing

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

Early this week the women running for lieutenant governor took the spotlight in the race for the state’s top executive.

The first debate of the gubernatorial election between Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and challenger Tally Casey didn’t include many fireworks, as the candidates sought primarily to tout their running mates.

Still, here are five highlights from the debate, which touched on abortion, critical race theory, Medicaid expansion and the minimum wage.

Ahead of the debate, The State Media Co. spent some time on the road with Evette and Casey to get a better sense of how they court voters and view the job of being second-in-command.

SC’S NEW US ATTORNEY FOCUSES ON GUN VIOLENCE

South Carolina’s new US Attorney Adair Boroughs recently sat down with The State at her Main Street office in downtown Columbia to discuss her priorities in office.

Boroughs, a 42-year-old Democrat who was tapped by President Joe Biden and took office in July, said her top crime-fighting priority will be to address gun violence in the Palmetto State.

Gun deaths have grown sharply in South Carolina in recent years — from 889 in 2016 to 1,130 in 2020, according to the latest available state data.

Boroughs, who is far from the first US attorney in the state to make gun violence a priority, said her plan involves working with communities to come up with evidence-based solutions that will have an impact on the actual level of violence.

“We aren’t just doing something just to do something,” she said. “It’s about our strategic enforcement of these laws to actually lower the amount of violence.”

Boroughs is only the second woman nominated to serve as South Carolina’s US attorney. Prior to her appointment, she had been working in private practice after losing a 2020 congressional bid to longtime US Rep. Joe Wilson.

“In law enforcement, having a woman at the top is more rare, but it’s really important for the community,” Boroughs said. “I’m a big believer in diverse perspectives, and that’s the way I lead. It’s not just because it’s something that makes me feel good and fuzzy. It’s because the data shows you make better decisions when you have different perspectives at the table.”

In addition to curbing gun violence, Boroughs said she plans to focus on civil rights violations, public corruption, environmental justice and complex financial and white collar crimes — areas where she said federal laws are pretty much “the only protection” people have.

BUZZ BITES

▪ Former Vice President Mike Pence will speak at Wofford College Oct. 18 in a lecture series focused on international affairs and national security.

▪ In a move intended to make South Carolina more attractive to electric vehicle manufacturers, Gov. Henry McMaster signed an executive order establishing a “one-stop shop” at the state Department of Commerce for electric vehicle-related businesses interested in investing in the state and ordered seven state agencies to develop a plan to strategically place electric vehicle charging stations across South Carolina.

▪ The South Carolina Supreme Court plans to hear oral arguments Dec. 13 on whether the firing squad and electric chair methods of execution are constitutional.

▪ The Horry County GOP has new leaders, though not everyone thinks the leadership matter is settled.

▪ Brandon Charochak is taking an unpaid leave of absence from the governor’s press office in order to work on the governor’s reelection campaign.

▪ State Sens. Brian Adams, R-Berkeley, and Dick Harpootlian, D-Richland, said they were exploring bond reform legislation to address what Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott characterized as a crack in the criminal justice system.

▪ Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo endorsed Congressman William Timmons for reelection in the 4th Congressional District.

▪ Concerned about a “mass exodus” of Black faculty and administrators, the University of South Carolina’s Black Faculty Caucus is calling on USC to prioritize recruiting and retaining diverse hires.

▪ The double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, who is charged with killing his wife and youngest son, is scheduled to start in late January. Judge Clifton Newman has been assigned to the case, which is expected to last three weeks.

▪ A Pickens city councilman and former mayor pro tem has been charged with sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree, according to SLED.

▪ Gov. Henry McMaster has called for a review of the law enforcement response to hoax 911 calls earlier this month that reported active shooters at more than a dozen schools across the state.

▪ A former Richland District 1 procurement manager has been indicted by the state grand jury on embezzlement and misconduct in office charges for allegedly using his position to embezzle school district funds, primarily through the misuse of “P-cards” for personal purchases.

▪ A 47-year old Charleston area man pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor charge in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, and three other South Carolinians were charged this week in connection with the insurrection, according to court records filed in US District Court.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Oct. 18

SC Senate takes up abortion bill

Mike Pence speaks at Wofford College

Oct. 19

Oral argument in SC Supreme Court challenge to fetal heartbeat law

Oct. 24

Early voting for SC’s general election starts

Oct. 26

SC governor’s race televised debate, 7 p.m.

Nov. 2

SC superintendent candidate televised debate, 7 p.m.

Nov. 8

SC general election

BEFORE WE ADJOURN

Benedict College junior Rashonda Rhodes will join students from across the country at the White House Friday for a roundtable discussion with Vice President Kamala Harris about the Dobbs decision’s impact on their campuses and attempts to restrict voting rights at the state level.

Rhodes, a criminal justice administration major with plans to pursue a career in defense law, specifically death penalty appeals, said she was honored to represent Benedict at the White House.

“I’ve always wanted to take political action on a big scale, and what better way than to physically step foot into the White House and engage VP Harris on the importance of voting, which affects us across the board,” she said in a statement.

Earlier this year, Rhodes participated in a bill signing at the State House to establish HBCU Day in South Carolina and also sat on the bench with Judge Jocelyn Newman during the recent death penalty case that resulted in South Carolina’s execution methods of electrocution and firing squad being found unconstitutional.

The death penalty case, which Gov. Henry McMaster and corrections Director Bryan Stirling

appealed to the State Supreme Court, will be heard in mid-December.

Who pulled together this week’s newsletter?

This week it was reporter Zak Koeske, a member of The State’s government and politics team. Keep up with him on Twitter @ZakKoeske or send him story tips at zkoeske@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.