Staff reports | Former President Donald Trump is to be at Saturday’s USC-Clemson football game. According to the Associated Press, Trump will attend the state’s biggest sporting contest and rivalry at the request of S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster, a USC alumnus who was one of Trump’s first major supporters.
Recent polling showed Trump as having support of 50% of state Republicans, in the 2024 S.C. presidential primary, which is set for February. He’s far ahead of the next candidate seeking the GOP nomination, former S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley.
Meanwhile, a Veterans Day speech by the former president is raising new fears of his authoritarian leanings, according to The New York Times. He used language that echoed authoritarian leaders who rose to power in Germany and Italy in the 1930s, degrading his political adversaries as “vermin” who needed to be “rooted out.”
In other South Carolina news:
State Senate races underway ahead of 2024 election. While local municipal elections are now wrapping up, the state and federal election seasons are just getting started. And although candidate filing has not officially opened for any S.C. Statehouse seats, plenty of folks have already begun campaigning.
Charleston elects first Republican mayor since 1870s. Former GOP Rep. William Cogswell beat incumbent Mayor John Tecklenburg and said partisan politics took a back seat to “mutual love and respect” for the South Carolina city.
S.C.’s hurricane evacuation zones are changing. Starting next year, hurricane evacuations in South Carolina will be different, as local emergency management officials made changes to reflect the impact of recent hurricanes.
Flood maps show potential hazards in Charleston area. The maps by the Federal Emergency Management Agency indicate a large part of Charleston County is within either a coastal A zone or an inland V zone, which are both classified as high-risk flood zones.
S.C. job growth saw increase in October. The Palmetto State accounted for 4.1% of the 150,000 jobs created added nationally last month with 6,100 new positions here.
Right whales return to Charleston waters. The first right whales were spotted at the Southeast calving ground this week, but environmental activists are still fighting for boat-slowing protections for the endangered animals. Even in Cape Cod, where speed-compliance rates are among the best on the East Coast, the whales are threatened.
Son of Colleton Co. clerk charged with wiretapping. The son of the embattled Colleton County clerk at the center of an attempt by convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh has been charged by the state with wiretapping.
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