Lucy Valeski

The State

The State •

A Trump stop, debate flub and big spending shape last week of SC’s GOP Senate runoff

Glenda Brady, a Spartanburg County resident, hoped a forum where each Republican U.S. Senate runoff candidate spoke to voters about their platform in Greenville on Monday would give her an answer on who she should support.

She left still unsure who to vote for. Brady, who described herself as very tuned in to politics, said she wants someone in the Senate who will do what they say they will do.

“The abortion issue is important,” Brady said Monday. “The military is important. The border is impo...
The State •

Lindsey Graham, 71, rose from small town South Carolina to President Trump’s ear

Congress lost one of its most influential members Saturday evening when Lindsey Graham suddenly died after nearly a quarter of a century in the U.S. Senate.

He died July 11 from “a brief and sudden illness,” his office said in a statement sent at 1:54 a.m. Sunday. He turned 71 two days earlier.

The preliminary cause of death was an aortic dissection — a tear in the aorta, the body’s main artery — due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to the medical examiner of the District...
The State •

Court ruling, Trump influence makes SC House want to begin redrawing congressional maps

The South Carolina House lined up a chance to redraw its congressional maps Wednesday, joining an effort pushed by President Donald Trump to gain more reliably Republican seats in the South ahead of the 2026 midterms. Now, it is up to the state Senate to keep that chance alive.

The primary elections are scheduled to take place in 33 days, and the General Assembly has just four days before any incomplete bills will be dead.

Some lawmakers were also aiming to get out early of the State House ear...
The State •

Will Dominion merger benefit SC ratepayers? Regulatory scrutiny over deal sought

Just four days after Dominion Energy and state utility Santee Cooper were given permission to build a large natural gas plant in Colleton County, another utility made a blockbuster announcement impacting South Carolinians.

Dominion Energy, which serves customers in the Midlands, and Florida-based NextEra want to merge and serve 10 million customers throughout the Southeast.

Before any formal regulatory filings on the merger, some have been asking whether it would benefit South Carolinians, or...
The State •

A decade after deadly floods, Midlands dams are still in bad shape

Many of the most dangerous dams in Richland and Lexington counties are still in bad shape a decade after the deadly flood that killed nine people in Columbia.

Nearly a third of Richland and Lexington County’s most dangerous state-regulated dams are in “poor” or “unsatisfactory” condition, according to inspection reports reviewed by The State. And over 50 of the counties’ 121 hazardous dams don’t have a required plan detailing what to do if an emergency does happen, records show. The State obtai...
The State •

Questions surface about roles of SC House speaker, Senate president in mega utility merger

The roles of House Speaker Murrell Smith and Senate President Thomas Alexander in the proposed Dominion Energy-NextEra utility merger are sparking questions about whether their efforts could unduly influence the state Public Service Commission.

The PSC, a seven member commission chosen by the Legislature, is tasked with ensuring the $67 billion deal is in the public interest. Dominion and NextEra combining would create a huge utility, servicing 10 million customers across Florida, North Carolin...
The State •

‘Wild West’ for THC drinks, edibles stays as hemp regulation deal collapses in SC

About a quarter of sales at Jadoon’s Market in North Charleston come from sales of hemp products.

A complete ban on hemp-derived THC drinks could have led the local market to cut jobs and a strict regulation would force them to drop some inventory and restructure their entire store, said Owais Jadoon, who co-owns the store with his father.

So, when a long-debated psychoactive THC regulation died in the South Carolina legislature Thursday afternoon, Jadoon felt a “massive relief.”

“It would ha...
The State •

‘Truly Trump country.’ Political muscle decisive for Graham’s victory in SC

A smiling U.S. Sen. Darline Graham walked on stage Tuesday evening to a Pitbull song after becoming the Republican Party’s U.S. Senate nominee. Excited supporters chanted “Darline” and held signs reading “South Carolina is Graham Country”

But in her acceptance speech, Graham, the sister of a South Carolina political giant, told supporters the state was “truly Trump country.”

“I want to thank President Trump for all of his support and his endorsement,” Graham said. “...Our victory would not hav...
The State •

Dominion, NextEra make case for megamerger to SC, includes $10 monthly discount

Dominion Energy and NextEra filed an application with South Carolina regulators to merge into one mega-utility Wednesday, though new details of the deal have not assuaged detractors’ concerns about the potential impacts to ratepayers.

The companies want South Carolina utility regulators, the Public Service Commission, to determine the planned $67 billion merger will be in the public interest. A decision could be made by January 2027.

The megamerger would give South Carolina customers about $38...
The State •

GOP-controlled SC Senate kills 2026 redistricting push despite Trump pressure

The South Carolina Senate killed a proposed congressional map for the 2026 election as thousands of voters went to the polls Tuesday, rebuking pressure from the White House to create seven reliably Republican districts.

With a record number of primary voters casting their ballots around the state Tuesday, the Senate’s Republican supermajority could not muster enough support to limit debate and force a final vote on a new congressional map.

“The deadline has passed, voting has begun,” said stat...
The State •

Who tells SC’s history? Heritage Act update etches monuments, memorials in stone

At Halsey Creek in Charleston, a new historical marker recognizes the site of a colonial plantation and a supply point for a brutal loss for the Patriots during the Revolutionary War.

The Gibbes Landing marker was put up in 2024 by the Preservation Society of Charleston to recognize the historical impact of the area. Later, the organization added a QR code to the corner of the plaque, which sends visitors to a page with historical maps, timelines and photos.

But president and CEO Brian Turner...
The State •

Why did LLCs donate more than half of SC House budget chair’s ’25 campaign cash?

Editor’s Note: This is the first installment in Follow the Money, a new series examining who is funding the campaigns of South Carolina’s most influential lawmakers — who are up for reelection in November.

May 22 was a strong day of fundraising for state Rep. Bruce Bannister, a Greenville Republican and one of the most powerful members of the S.C. House of Representatives who is up for reelection in November.

On that day, $23,000 in donations flowed into his campaign account from one single ad...
The State •

SC spent more than $30M on new voting ballot scanners. Senator says money ‘wasted’

After taking out more than $30 million in loans for new voting equipment before the 2024 general election, the new ballot scanners work similarly to the former machines, state Election Commission executive director Jenny Wooten told lawmakers Tuesday.

The state Election Commission agreed to pay more than $28 million for ballot scanners and other new voting equipment in late 2024. With additional sales tax and interest, the cost ballooned to nearly $32 million, Wooten said Tuesday. Former execut...
The State •

SC residents push back on data center growth. Will state regulate AI-warehouses?

Touring the land was more important than the house when Jennifer Singleton was looking to purchase property in Colleton County about four years ago. She wanted to retire in a home surrounded by nature.

“When we went to look at it, my wife immediately went inside the house, and she’s like, ‘Are you not coming in?’ ” Singleton said. “And I’m like, ‘Nope. I want to walk the property. I want to see the surrounding area. I want to see the property itself, the acreage. ’”

On her 12 acres, Singleton...
The State •

Utilities trying to tamp concerns over planned SC gas plant, environmentalists say

Utilities are using a new South Carolina energy law to justify a request environmental advocates argue will tamp opposition to a proposed massive natural gas plant in Colleton County.

The Sierra Club, a national environmental nonprofit, wants to participate in a Public Service Commission case determining whether a proposed large natural gas plant in Colleton County properly protects the environment and ratepayers. Two local nonprofits, the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League and the Sout...
The State •

Rising power bills, rising energy demand. SC bets big on new generation.

South Carolinians’ power bills will go up over the next couple of years, but how much will likely depend on whether utilities accurately predict demand, a task that has grown more challenging with the rise of data centers.

Before approving nearly $700 million for new South Carolina power plants earlier this month, state lawmakers expressed concerns over how those investments could impact residential power bills. The new power plants from state-owned utility Santee Cooper will help meet explodin...
The State •

Victim of alleged racist shooting urges SC to pass hate crime law

Jarvis McKenzie had a difficult time realizing what had just happened to him after a white man fired a gun from a car and shouted racist remarks at him in his own neighborhood this summer.

“I didn’t believe it had happened till it dawned on me later on,” McKenzie told reporters Thursday afternoon. “I was like, ‘Wow, did this just happen?’ Especially in my neighborhood.”

The incident occurred weeks after Richland County enacted its hate crime ordinance.

The man accused of shooting at him, Jona...
The State •

31 jobs, $38 million needed for SC’s food stamp program due to ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

South Carolina’s federal food benefits program may be nearly $38 million more expensive to run annually and require 31 new employees, according to a budget request from the state Department of Social Services.

Administering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly called food stamps, will get more expensive for states due to the federal budget reconciliation bill —the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” — passed this summer. The law made several changes to how SNAP is funded, primarily...
The State •

High-inducing hemp products are legal in SC for now. How long will it last?

Adults can get high in South Carolina from a can of intoxicating seltzer with hemp-based THC inside. The colorful cans are sold in gas stations and restaurants, and some may be more intoxicating than their label indicates.

Plus, a child can buy and drink the cannabis beverage under current state law.

Combine no age restrictions, fears of intoxicated drivers, zero testing requirements and sometimes inaccurate or misleading labels on these edible products available in corner and grocery stores a...
The State •

Here’s why price for SC natural gas plant ballooned $2.5 billion in about a year

A proposed natural gas plant in Colleton County has doubled in price over the past year, adding $2.5 billion to the price tag.

Santee Cooper and Dominion are planning a natural gas plant in Canadys on the property of an old coal plant. The two utilities will split the cost of construction and the 2,200 megawatts of energy generated.

Santee Cooper and Dominion Energy received permission from the lawmakers to work together on the Canadys gas plant earlier this year. While discussing the project...
The State •

SC Election Commission averts $1 million monthly fine on 2024 ballot scanner loan

Less than a week after rejecting a plan to avoid a $1 million monthly fine, the South Carolina Election Commission agreed Monday to a deal to pay a multimillion dollar loan late.

The agency responsible for handling elections took out roughly $33 million in loans to pay for machines to count ballots, just over a month before the November 2024 elections. Now, the agency is several weeks past due on a roughly $11 million payment to TD Bank, according to a contract obtained by The State from the S....
The State •

Doctors, preachers, a giant IUD. Abortion ban draws crowds to SC statehouse

Two sister Senators were shut down during testimony. A speaker colorfully insulted the bill’s sponsor before being escorted out. An OBGYN provided a sex education lesson to state Senators. And a large fake contraceptive device overlooked an over nine-hour day of testimony for a controversial abortion ban proposal.

If passed as written, the proposal would ban nearly all abortions. Individuals that have abortions, physicians that administer abortions and South Carolinians that provide resources o...
The State •

Most SC lawmakers are men. Can women inch closer with 4 special elections?

There are zero Republican women serving in South Carolina’s Senate, but an upcoming special election could slightly shift the General Assembly’s demographics.

Despite women outnumbering men 55%-45% in registered voters, the number of women in South Carolina’s General Assembly is remarkably low. The state has the second-lowest percentage of women legislators in the country.

Now, women are running in four special elections this fall and winter. Two seats in the Upstate, one Lexington County Hous...

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