Your SC politics briefing
Welcome to your weekly South Carolina politics briefing, a newsletter curated by The State’s politics and government team.
Nikki Haley is in. But is Tim Scott?
The former South Carolina governor and UN ambassador finally launched her presidential campaign this week in front of roughly 2,000 people in Charleston after months and months of teasing a 2024 bid. With Haley in the race, she is so far the highest-profile challenger to former President Donald Trump, who recently rolled out his South Carolina team.
At her first SC stump, the 51-year-old Bamberg native talked about the need for a new generation office, a knock at the ages of President Joe Biden, who is 80, and Trump, who is 76.
“Our enemies think the American era has passed. They’re wrong,” Haley said. “America is not past our prime. It’s just that our politicians are past theirs.”
Of noted backers at Haley’s event included US Rep. Ralph Norman, Haley’s former State House colleague.
“From her time in the State House and as governor, there was never a shred of doubt she would do what she believed was right for the people she served,” he said. “We need more leaders like that at all levels of government.”
Also seen/heard at Haley’s event:
▪ Her former chief of staff, James Burns; SC Sen. Wes Climer; former SC GOP chairman Katon Dawson; GOP strategist Walt Whetsell; and The Daily Show’s Jordan Klepper.
▪ Haley’s walk-on music was “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor (Haley’s a Clemson grad). The co-writer of the song already said he doesn’t want Haley using the song. Her walk-off music? Tom Petty’s “American Girl,” followed by John Mellencamp’s “Small Town.”
Read more: Who’s on Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign team?
Read more: Trump says he appointed Haley to UN post so McMaster could become South Carolina governor
Read more: SC’s Nikki Haley says US needs consensus on abortion restrictions
(Photo via AP’s Meg Kinnard)
Now the other big South Carolina question is will Sen. Tim Scott jump in the race?
Scott, the sole Black Republican in the Senate who says this will be his last term, launched his own tour of sorts this week, called the “Faith in America” listening tour. To celebrate Black History Month, Scott spoke to the Charleston County GOP before heading to Iowa, another early-voting state.
Clearly recognizing the speculation about a possible run, Scott told SC reporters he’ll take his time before making a decision.
“I’m going to continue to share my positive and optimistic message with the American people, because I honestly think that having been the kid raised in poverty, who felt hopeless, with low self-esteem and could not imagine a day when there will be cameras and people trying to figure out what I’m going to do next,” he said.
“The truth is that the American story is the most powerful force in our nation.”
Even if Scott hasn’t said he’s running, he’s been making some pretty serious structural moves if he does.
(Photo via The State)
Buzz Bites
▪ Tim Pearson, the general consultant on Gov. Henry McMaster’s 2018 and 2022 campaigns and then-Gov. Nikki Haley’s chief of staff, has joined Duke Energy as its vice president of government affairs. Pearson “has done great work for me and others too. I am confident that his experience and political acumen will serve a wonderful company like Duke Energy very well,” McMaster said.
▪ SC senators grilled Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom about the $3.5 billion accounting error only brought to legislators’ attention in the last several months, the Associated Press reports.
▪ The SC House, following the SC Senate, passed new abortion restrictions in a 83-31 vote. The bill, H.3774, would ban abortions from the point of conception except in cases of rape, incest, fatal fetal abnormalities and the patient’s life.
▪ Attorney General Alan Wilson has joined other Republican-led states in formally opposing mail delivery of medication used to end early pregnancies, by signing onto a brief in a lawsuit against the US Food and Drug Administration.
▪ South Carolina recorded a more than 25% spike in drug overdose deaths in 2021, year over year, according to newly released state health report.
▪ State legislators and a beach advocacy group are proposing a permanent beach renourishment fund that would rake in $10 million each year and be controlled by the SC Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.
▪ A group of SC lawmakers want to stop the practice of local governments putting restrictions on short-term rentals in their cities and counties, the Post and Courier reports.
▪ The ongoing dispute between the SC House Republican Caucus and the conservative House Freedom Caucus has reached a cellphone campaign. In a cellphone text, the freedom caucus asks South Carolinians to call their representatives over a set of rules GOP caucus leaders have asked members to sign. The freedom caucus, upset over what they call a “loyalty oath,” have so far refused to sign the rules. But at least four members of the freedom caucus have.
▪ Columbia shoppers who have become used to buying delta-8 and other hemp products at Columbia vape shops soon will have to look elsewhere for the vape cartridges and edible gummies that have become popular across the nation. Columbia police say delta-8 is illegal, and shops are now being told to get rid of the products.
▪ Patricia Lee, who previously served as a professor at South Carolina’s historically Black college, SC State University, and has worked at the Savannah River National Laboratory for 23 years, was nominated by President Joe Biden to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.
▪ Frank Brunson, who has been the mayor of Forest Acres for 20 years, has announced that he will retire at the end of his current term and will not seek reelection this year.
▪ The SC House will debate legislation soon that would eliminate the permit requirement to carry a gun in South Carolina, known as constitutional carry, after a House Judiciary Committee advanced the bill.
▪ Criminal penalties for prostitution and human trafficking may soon be heightened for some while lessened for others, and victims of dating violence could see expanded protections, as new proposals make their way through the SC Senate.
(Photo via Travis Bell)
Mark your calendar
Feb. 20
President’s Day, state holiday
Feb. 21
House Ways and Means Committee starts debating, finalizing the budget
Feb. 22
Full Senate Education Committee meeting, 10 a.m.
March 13
SC House begins budget debate
March 18
Palmetto Family Council holds presidential forum in North Charleston
March 20-24
SC House goes on furlough
April 10-14
SC House goes on furlough
(Photo via Travis Bell)
Before we adjourn
Nephron Pharmaceuticals, a giant pharmaceutical company based in Lexington County, is furloughing an unspecified number of employees as a result of what the company called a “business need.”
The furloughs were confirmed to The State late Thursday.
“As a result of business need, management has made the difficult decision to temporarily furlough a number of employees. This does not mean that Nephron is terminating them. They will remain eligible for benefits, subject to plans they have in place with the company,” the company said in a statement.
The company said while it does not known for certain, it anticipates the furlough will last 90 days.
Nephron, run by South Carolina business magnate Lou Kennedy, was hit with a negative report after an inspection by the US Food and Drug Administration last spring, which raised concerns about the company’s process for ensuring the sterility of its products, and raised questions about the company’s internal process for monitoring and investigating issues that arise at the facility.
(Photo via Tracy Glantz)
Pulling the newsletter together this week was Maayan Schechter (My-yahn Schek-ter), senior editor of the The State’s politics and state government team. You can keep up with her on Twitter and send her tips on Twitter at @MaayanSchechter or by email mschechter@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.
