STATEHOUSE REPORT | ISSUE 22.30 | July 28, 2023
BIG STORY: New book profiles McMaster’s long political career
WEEK IN REVIEW: Dockworkers win appellate decision over Leatherman Terminal jobs
LOWCOUNTRY, Ariail: Important skills
COMMENTARY, Brack: S.C. GOP should serve as Trump’s 2024 roadblock
SPOTLIGHT: ACLU of South Carolina
MYSTERY PHOTO: Classic building
FEEDBACK: Send us your thoughts
New book includes profile of McMaster’s long political career
Editor’s Note: Seasoned national political author Louis Jacobson offers a new look at how South Carolina has influenced and will influence national politics in this updated profile in the 2024 edition of the Almanac of American Politics. See the information at the bottom of the article to learn about a special limited offer to purchase this seminal work. Republished with permission.
By Louis Jacobson, Almanac of American Politics | Henry McMaster, a longtime Republican officeholder in South Carolina, was elevated to the governorship in 2017 after Nikki Haley was confirmed as President Donald Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations. He won a full term in 2018 and was reelected easily in 2022, when he was 75.
McMaster, a native of Columbia, received his bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina in 1969 and his law degree from the same university four years later. He served a year as a legislative assistant to Sen. Strom Thurmond, after which he built a private practice. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan appointed McMaster to serve as U.S. attorney. During his four years in the post, his office helped convict more than 100 people for importing nearly $1 billion in illegal drugs. In 1986, McMaster ran against longtime Democratic Sen. Ernest Hollings, but lost. Four years later, he ran for lieutenant governor and lost again. In 1991, then-Gov. Carroll Campbell appointed McMaster to the state Commission on Higher Education, and for most of the 1990s, he headed the state Republican Party.
McMaster finally won elected statewide office—attorney general—in 2002. After securing the GOP nomination in a contested primary, McMaster defeated Democratic nominee Steve Benjamin, 56% to 44%, and cruised to a second term four years later. As attorney general, McMaster took a leading national role in opposing the Affordable Care Act. He threw his hat into the ring for the open-seat gubernatorial race in 2010. The large Republican primary field also included Lt. Gov. André Bauer, U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, state Sen. Larry Grooms, and state Rep. Nikki Haley; Haley won the primary and then the general election. In 2014, McMaster ran for lieutenant governor, winning the Republican primary and defeating Democrat Bakari Sellers in the general election, 59% to 41%.
Lots of early legislative drama for new governor
As governor, McMaster’s early tenure featured plenty of legislative drama. McMaster vetoed a bill that would have raised the state’s gasoline tax for the first time since 1987, but the measure—which received support from the party’s business wing—became law after the legislature voted by a wide margin to override. He also drew fierce legislative opposition to a spending-bill veto that would have allotted $20.5 million to replace aging and fire-prone school buses; McMaster said it was unwise to earmark lottery funds for that purpose rather than for scholarships. The legislature overwhelmingly overrode that veto, too. Both vetoes were widely believed to be fodder for the GOP’s anti-tax, small-government base as McMaster headed into what promised to be a tough primary challenge.
In the 2018 primary, McMaster faced former state agency head Catherine Templeton, Lt. Gov. Kevin Bryant, former Lt. Gov. Yancey McGill and businessman John Warren. McMaster received endorsements from South Carolina Citizens for Life and the National Rifle Association, and he touted a strong economy, while his opponents attacked him as an apostle of a tired and corrupt political establishment.
McMaster finished first with 42%, followed by Warren with 28%, Templeton with 21%, Bryant with 7% and McGill with 2%. That made McMaster the first modern South Carolina governor in either party to be forced into a primary runoff. On the eve of the runoff, Trump visited South Carolina to promote McMaster, who had been the first statewide official anywhere to back him before the state’s 2016 presidential primary. Trump had the magic touch: McMaster prevailed, 54% to 46%, ceding only a few counties in Warren’s Upstate home base.
In the general election—running for the first time on a ticket with a lieutenant governor candidate following a change in state law—McMaster faced state Rep. James Smith, who Democrats considered a strong candidate. Smith was an Afghanistan combat veteran and an experienced legislative hand who had easily won a three-way primary with the support of national Democratic leaders. But McMaster benefited from a fundraising edge and strong marks for handling the economy, and he won, 54% to 46%.
Approach that mirrored other red state governors
During the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, McMaster’s approach mirrored that of other Republican governors. He issued a stay-at-home order relatively late—he was the last of the 42 governors who did so—and then, within weeks, loosened restrictions on a wide swath of businesses and public amenities. In September 2020, as Trump was facing a tight reelection contest, the president backed off his plans to allow oil and gas drilling off the coast of South Carolina, as well as the coasts of Florida and Georgia, a victory for McMaster.
Beyond signing a bill to grant state employees six weeks of parental leave, most of McMaster’s moves in the two years before his reelection campaign bolstered his standing with social conservatives. He urged the state Education Department to remove the book “Gender Queer: A Memoir” from school bookshelves and to investigate similar titles. He signed legislation to ban transgender students from playing girls’ or women’s sports. And he signed a bill that let physicians, medical students and nurses opt out of procedures that violated their conscience; advocates warned it could deprive LGBTQ residents of medical care.
Abortion was key issue heading to 2022 election
But the longest-running issue involved abortion. In 2021, McMaster signed a “fetal heartbeat” bill that would ban all abortions if a heartbeat is detected, typically at six weeks, unless the pregnancy was caused by rape, incest or threatened the life of the mother. The measure also put the abortion provider at risk of a felony, with a possible prison sentence of two years. The following year, after the U.S. Supreme Court had overturned Roe v. Wade, anti-abortion Republicans sought to tighten the state’s laws further. However, intra-party divisions prevented any new legislation from reaching McMaster’s desk. Then, in January 2023, the state supreme court struck down the 2021 heartbeat bill, effectively returning abortion law in the state to 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Despite having already become South Carolina’s oldest governor, McMaster sought another term in 2022. (His father, an attorney, was handling cases at 93 and died at 99.) McMaster faced former Democratic U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham, who had served one term in the Charleston-based district. He chose Tally Parham Casey, a lawyer and former F-16 fighter pilot, as his running mate. Cunningham proposed ending the state income tax and replacing it with revenue from legalizing marijuana and sports betting; he also touted the fact that he was a little over half McMaster’s age. Cunningham sought to take advantage of McMaster’s comment at a debate that he would support banning same-sex marriage if the Supreme Court allowed it, adding, “Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I think marriage ought to be between a man and a woman.”
Voters, however, preferred McMaster’s experience to the opponent he characterized in his first TV ad: The ad called Cunningham a “frat boy” who “drinks beer in Congress” and “loves weed.” McMaster amassed the largest margin of any South Carolina gubernatorial winner in more than three decades; his 58% to 41% win was about twice as large as his margin four years earlier. McMaster even defeated Cunningham in mail-in votes, which normally favor Democrats heavily, Charleston’s Post and Courier reported. “In South Carolina, the ‘Red Wave’ came,” state GOP chair Drew McKissick told reporters.
LIMITED OFFER: For more than five decades, the Almanac of American Politics has set the standard for political reference books. Later this month, the Almanac will be publishing its 2024 edition, with some 2,200 pages offering fully updated chapters on all 435 House members and their districts, all 100 senators, all 50 states and governors, and much more.
Louis Jacobson, a senior author of the Almanac and a contributor to seven volumes, writes the 100 state and gubernatorial chapters. Here are the chapters he wrote for the Almanac about South Carolina and Gov. Henry McMaster.
Readers can receive a 15 percent discount if they purchase the 2024 edition through the Almanac’s website — https://www.thealmanacofamericanpolitics.com/ — and apply the code CCP15ALM at checkout. The offer is good through August.
- Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com
Dockworkers win appellate decision over Leatherman Terminal jobs
A three-judge federal appellate panel ruled 2-1 Friday in favor of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) in an appeal over whether Charleston union workers or a blend of state and union workers should handle cargo at the new $1 billion Leatherman Terminal in North Charleston. The case is receiving national attention.
In denying the state’s appeal by the S.C. State Ports Authority, the court preserved the right for union dockworkers to staff every job at the new container terminal under its master contract. But the legal fracas may not be over as GOP Gov. Henry McMaster says he continues to support sending the case to the U.S. Supreme Court for another appeal.
“The labor dispute began when the ILA sued the United States Maritime Alliance for sending shipping lines to Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal shortly after the completion of its first phase two years ago,” the Associated Press reported. “The union alleged the move violated the terms of a master contract prohibiting the use of newly constructed terminals where ILA dockworkers do not perform all unloading tasks.”
The expensive new terminal has mostly been idle as the lawsuit dragged on.
According to a Reuters report, the port used nonunion employees at the new terminal in March 2021 which led to the lawsuit over the union’s collective bargaining agreement. The port then filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, which led to a December 2022 ruling that sided with the union. The ports authority then appealed, which led to Friday’s decision.
In other news over the past week:
McMaster presses for stricter illegal gun penalties. S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster this week warned S.C. lawmakers that dangerous consequences could follow if they fail to enact stronger penalties on people who illegally possess guns.
Federal lawsuit looms over S.C. warehousing mentally ill. Advocates for South Carolinians with severe mental illness say a lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice could prompt needed change to the state’s health care system.
New statewide boating safety education requirement takes effect soon. A new boating safety education requirement takes effect in South Carolina next month for some of the state’s teens.
Trump faces new charges in documents case. Federal prosecutors this week alleged former President Donald Trump told a property manager that he wanted security camera footage at Mar-a-Lago to be deleted. Prosecutors added the new major accusations to the criminal indictment the former president faces on mishandling classified federal documents. The property manager also was added as a defendant in the superseding indictment. Meanwhile, an Associated Press story outlined how Trump, who once condemned Jan. 6 insurrectionists at the U.S. Capitol, is now supporting them.
Economy accelerates to a 2.4% rate across U.S. The U.S. economy surprisingly accelerated to a 2.4% annual growth rate from April through June, despite the repeated interest rates from the Federal Reserve. And this week, the Fed raised rates for the 11th time.
Unemployment in S.C. remained steady in June. South Carolina’s unemployment rate remained steady in June at 3.1%, according to data released July 21 by the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce.
Charleston Southern University picks new president. Charleston Southern University named B. Keith Faulkner as the school’s fourth president.
Important skills
Cartoonist Robert Ariail generally has a biting or funny comment about the great state of South Carolina in his weekly cartoon. This week, he offers a snarky look at how Florda leaders are saying slaves learned important “life skills.” Love the cartoon? Hate it? What do you think: feedback@statehousereport.com.
S.C. GOP should serve as Trump’s 2024 roadblock
By Andy Brack | South Carolina can do the nation a favor in its 2024 presidential primary by dumping former President Donald Trump as a candidate. Simply put, he’s a train wreck who is making America small. He doesn’t deserve to be president again.
In the Palmetto State where conservative Christian voters heavily identify with and vote for Republicans, how can anyone who follows Jesus continue to support someone who has broken most of the Old Testament’s Ten Commandments?
He’s committed adultery (Commandment 7). He’s cheated on past wives multiple times, according to a review of stories by Newsweek. And then there’s the $130,000 hush money payment in 2016 to porn star Stormy Daniels which exploded into a 34-count indictment of falsifying business records related to the payment. Supporters say the New York state charges are, ahem, trumped up, but they’re still on the books. More than a dozen women also have accused him of sexual misconduct, according to New York magazine.
He’s stolen (Commandment 8). Hundreds have alleged that he doesn’t pay his bills, which essentially is stealing. His campaign left Pickens County, for example, holding a $40,000 bag for unreimbursed costs for his July 1 campaign rally. While there was no contract with the county, taxpayers should be outraged that they’re footing a campaign bill.
He’s lied. (Commandment 9). The Washington Post, for example, tracked more than 30,000 false and misleading statements by Trump in his four years as president.
He has coveted. (Commandment 10). What may have been Washington’s worst-kept secrets were Trump’s jealous rages and overwhelming yearning to possess more than anyone else. “My whole life I’ve been greedy, greedy, greedy,” Trump said in 2016. “I’ve grabbed all the money I could get.”
He hasn’t been ever charged with killing anyone (Commandment 6). But his administration’s health and environmental policies – or lack of policies – contributed to the deaths of thousands, according to a 2021 study cited by Forbes. And he has put money before everything else, breaking the first commandment. He’s worshiped the trappings of power, as highlighted in gold-plated toilets and the country clubs and hotels that flash his name in brazen letters, breaking Commandment 2. He’s taken the Lord’s name in vain (3) and not kept the Sabbath holy (4).
Now he wants to be president again to get over being a loser in 2020. And three in four Republicans in South Carolina had a favorable view of him in April. According to a Winthrop Poll:
“When it comes to Trump, 43% of South Carolinians have a favorable view and 48% an unfavorable one. The former president remains much more favorable in his own party with almost three-quarters holding a favorable view as compared to 17% an unfavorable one. Conversely, three-quarters of Democrats express an unfavorable view of Trump while 19% view him favorably.”
Let’s hope GOP primary voters in South Carolina will open their eyes to other candidates in the months ahead.
Not only is Trump under two major criminal indictments with more expected, but he still thumbs his nose at the nation’s political heritage, continuing to fuel the flames of dissent to stroke his fragile ego.
Just this week, for example, the Associated Press reported that Trump, who eventually condemned the Jan. 6 insurrectionists who stormed the U.S. Capitol, has changed his tune. It reported, “any sign of regret or reprimand from Trump has vanished as he prepares to face federal criminal charges for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.”
As an early primary state, South Carolina’s Republican voters can serve as a roadblock to Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign. Is he really the best that the Republican Party can offer to America?
Andy Brack, editor and publisher of the Charleston City Paper and Statehouse Report, last week was named first-place winner for political columns in the 2023 national contest by the Association of Alternative Newsmedia. Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com.
ACLU of South Carolina
The ACLU of South Carolina is dedicated to preserving and advancing the civil liberties and civil rights enshrined in the United States and South Carolina Constitutions. Working in the courts, legislature, and communities, we fight for racial justice, reproductive freedom, LGBTQ equality, voting rights, criminal legal reform, and much more. The ACLU stands up for these rights even when the cause is unpopular, and sometimes when nobody else will.
- More: www.aclusc.org
Classic building
Here’s a photo of a classic building somewhere in South Carolina, but where and what is it? Send us your guess of what this photo shows – as well as your name and hometown – to feedback@statehousereport.com.
Last week’s “Towering presence” mystery, a photo sent in by reader Barry Wingard of Florence, shows the Old Market Building and Town Clock, which houses the Rice Museum in Georgetown
David Lupo of Mount Pleasant, one of several people who identified the structure, said, “the Old Market Building was constructed in 1842 to replace an older wooden structure lost in an 1841 fire. The Town Clock was added in 1857. This building was the first in Georgetown to be named to the National Register of Historic Places. In 1970, as part of the S.C. Tricentennial celebration, a 750-square-foot museum opened in the building with a focus on the history of rice growing in Georgetown County, the center of rice production in the early days of South Carolina. Over the years, the Rice Museum’s exhibit space has expanded to ten times its original size.”
Others who identified the photo were: Katherine Wells, Jean Prothro, Jay Altman, Karen Ingram, John Hart and Elizabeth Jones, all of Columbia; Charles Ford of Charleston; Michael Webb, Bill Segars and Don Clark, both of Hartsville; Mark Partin of Sumter; Will Williams of Aiken; Jacie Godfrey of Florence; Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas; Pat Keadle of Wagener; George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; Frank Bouknight of Summerville; David Taylor of Darlington; Christine Thompson of Westminster; and Carol Julien.
>> Send us a mystery picture. If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!) Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com and mark it as a photo submission. Thanks.
Send us your thoughts
We encourage you to send in your thoughts about policy and politics impacting South Carolina. We’ve gotten some letters in the last few weeks – some positive, others nasty. We print non-defamatory comments, but unless you provide your contact information – name and hometown, plus a phone number used only by us for verification – we can’t publish your thoughts.
- Have a comment? Send your letters or comments to: feedback@statehousereport.com. Make sure to provide your contact details (name, hometown and phone number for verification. Letters are limited to 150 words.
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