South-Carolina

Polls open at 7 a.m. for the South Carolina primaries

Published

2 years ago

June 11, 2024

Polls open at 7 a.m. for the South Carolina primaries

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC/AP) – Voters who did not take advantage of the state’s two-week early voting period can cast their ballots in the South Carolina primaries Tuesday.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. across the state.

Click here to find your polling location and see your sample ballot.

Some voters will select candidates for Congressional races as well as local races that include state lawmakers and sheriff’s races.

You may vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary, but not both. Whichever party’s primary you vote in on Tuesday, if there is a runoff, you can only vote in that same party’s runoff.

Click here to check out the Live 5 Lowcountry voter’s guide to the 2024 primaries.

While most people’s attention naturally goes to the presidential race in November, South Carolina’s primaries carry a lot of weight. While there are no statewide races in the Palmetto State this year, all 170 seats in the legislature will be up, along with many county and local races, for positions like sheriff and solicitor.

Just in the last few months, decisions made at the State House have affected how much South Carolinians pay in taxes, how much money goes toward fixing their roads, and whether they need any training to carry a gun.

For those who want a say in who makes the choices that impact South Carolinians’ day-to-day lives, the primary elections will very likely be their chance.

Two incumbent U.S. House members who represent portions of the Lowcountry will be watching the results of the primaries closely.

For the First Congressional District, Republican U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina is seeking a third term. This time, she has the backing of someone who tried to stop her from getting a second: former President Donald Trump.

The Trump endorsement after he called her crazy and terrible in 2022 is just one of many ways Mace has attracted a spotlight far greater than a typical second-term member of Congress.

Mace has said her positions and beliefs aren’t erratic — she is just reflecting the values of the 1st District, which stretches from the centuries-old neighborhoods of Charleston down the coast to Beaufort County’s booming freshly built neighborhoods of retirees moving to South Carolina from somewhere else.

Mace has two Republican opponents in Tuesday’s primary. Her chief rival, Catherine Templeton, ran South Carolina’s health and environmental agency to some angst a decade ago and in her only political race finished third in the 2018 GOP gubernatorial primary won by Gov. Henry McMaster.

Templeton argues that by seeming to land everywhere, Mace is nowhere. Templeton promises to be a more reliable Republican voice in the U.S. House.

There is a third Republican in the race. Marine veteran and financial planner Bill Young has been campaigning hard too and the race could easily end in a two-week runoff sprint on June 25. Candidates have to get a majority of votes to win Tuesday’s primary outright.

The Democrats have a primary in the First District, too. Businessman and former International African American Museum CEO Michael Moore faces Mac Deford, a Citadel graduate and lawyer for a couple of the larger bedroom communities in the district.

In the Sixth District Republican primary, attorney Duke Buckner is taking on welder Justin Scott. The winner faces Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, who is seeking a 17th term in the state’s majority-minority district that is bounded by areas around Charleston, Beaufort and Columbia.

In Charleston County, four GOP candidates — Rocky Burke, Rick Keys, Greg Kitchens and Carl Ritchie — are running for their party’s nomination for the sheriff’s race. The winner will face Democratic incumbent Sheriff Kristin Graziano.

Dorchester County voters will decide between a pair of sheriff’s candidates in either party. Republicans Sam Richardson and Mike Turner hope to secure the Republican nomination to take on the winner of the Democratic nomination, which is between Charles T. Frederick III and Trumaine Moorer.

And in the Orangeburg County sheriff’s race, Democratic incumbent Leroy Ravenell is hoping to defeat challenger Bubba Johnson.

Any necessary runoff elections will take place on June 25.

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Related Topics:Democrats Election Featured mace primary republicans Sheriff's templeton

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South-Carolina

Mid-amateur from South Carolina wins Terra Cotta Invitational in Florida

Published

2 hours ago

April 19, 2026

Press Room

Mid-amateur from South Carolina wins Terra Cotta Invitational in Florida

All that separated Connor Doyal from the biggest win of his amateur golfing career was 5 feet of perfectly manicured green on Hole No. 18 at Naples National Golf Club. That plus a super-sized case of the yips.

“My hands were shaking uncontrollably,” said the 26-year-old mid-amateur from Charleston, South Carolina. “But I’ve had some moments like this before, and I think I’ve just learned to let it happen and not fight it. I knew it wasn’t going to be the best stroke of my life, but in the moment, I just had to trust myself to make the putt.”

Just as he had for much of the third and final round of the 30th annual Terra Cotta Invitational, Doyal delivered, dropping in the putt to win the event by one stroke over 17-year-old junior golfer Dawson Lew of Toronto, Canada.

Connor Doyal, a 26-year-old mid-amateur golfer from Charleston, S.C., celebrates with the trophy after winning the 30th annual Terra Cotta Invitational on Saturday, April 18, 2026.

Doyal, who entered the day two shots behind co-leaders Giuseppe Puebla of Royal Palm Beach and University of Florida senior Parker Bell, shot 5-under 67 to finish 12-under, two shots off the low-scoring record for the 54-hole tournament.

“Honestly, I just hit the ball fantastic start to finish,” Doyal said. “I hit a ton of greens and then the putter started heating up. I woke up feeling good this morning, and I knew I had it in me.

“Coming down the stretch, I had to battle. I’m just glad it’s over. I mean, the heart rate is still extremely high right now.”

Doyal had seven birdies in his final round, the best of which came on the par-4 No. 14. He used his six-iron to blast his second shot 220 yards to within inches of the cup, setting up a short putt that gave him a one-shot lead over Bell.

Doyal followed with a birdie on No. 15 to up his lead to two strokes, but made things interesting by shorting a putt on No. 17 for bogey.

Playing in a group just ahead of Doyel, Lew missed a 35-foot try for birdie on the par-5 No. 18 a smidge left to finish at 11-under after a final round 68.

Clinging to that one-shot lead on No. 18, an admittedly amped-up Doyal nearly overshot the green on his third shot from about 80 yards out, the ball settling on the back fringe. He followed with a deft chip, setting up his tournament-winning putt.

“It was a little bit nervy there, but I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Doyal said. “I’m always going to be able to look back at that up and down on 18 and be like I have what it takes when the pressure is on.”

Widely regarded as one of the best amateur events for junior golfers in the country, the Terra Cotta’s field included nearly the entirety of the top 25 in the Rolex American Junior Golf rankings. That included Luke Colton of Frisco, Texas, who was gunning for an unprecedented third consecutive Terra Cotta championship. The 18-year-old Vanderbilt commit came up short in his quest, finishing 3-under and in a tie for 21st place.

“I started off pretty bad, just kind of had a weird first day,” said Colton, who opened with a 2-over 74. “Nothing was going my way. But I was pretty happy with the way I ended it.”

Colton said the Terra Cotta is one of his favorite events of the season.

“You’ve got a great field and obviously an amazing course,” he said. “I think that’s why everybody wants to come and play at this tournament.”

Another top junior was a late and unreported entry to the Terra Cotta. Charlie Woods, son of golfing great Tiger Woods, got off to a rough start with an opening round 79, but shot a 3-under 69 in the final round to finish in a tie for 42nd place with a 3-over 219.

Among the five Naples-area competitors, former Gulf Coast High School standout and current University of Florida golfer Noah Kent had the best showing. The 20-year-old finished with a 2-over 218 for the tournament, placing him in a tie for 34th. The other local entrants were Spencer Ives (220), Brian Bassett (222), Jack Ryan Donovan (224), and Kaden Latrielle (229).

Contact Sports Reporter Dan DeLuca at ddeluca@usatodayco.com. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Connor Doyal wins Florida amateur event, Charlie Woods ties for 42nd

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South-Carolina

Missouri beats South Carolina in game two

Published

14 hours ago

April 18, 2026

Press Room

Missouri beats South Carolina in game two

Columbia, Mo. — The South Carolina softball team (25-21, 4-13) dropped the second game of its series at Missouri (24-23, 7-10) 5-0 Saturday night (Apr. 18).

Kai Byars led the Gamecocks with a pair of doubles on the night. It was her second multi-hit game of the season and her first game with multiple extra base hits.

The Tigers scored a run in the third inning without the aid of a hit. They would extend the lead and add four more in the fourth.

Carolina’s best opportunity for a run came in third. Byars doubled to lead off the inning and Shae Anderson followed with a bunt single. A double play on a potential sacrifice fly ended the rally.

Emma Friedel (8-4) took the loss, allowing one run on no hits in 3 1-3 innings. She struck out six and walked three.

The rubber game of the series will be tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET.

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South-Carolina

Former Texas guard Jordan Lee transfers to SEC rival South Carolina

Published

2 days ago

April 17, 2026

Press Room

Former Texas guard Jordan Lee transfers to SEC rival South Carolina

Jordan Lee entered the transfer portal after a breakout season at Texas and the junior guard isn’t going too far. She’s staying in the Southeastern Conference.

Lee announced on Instagram Friday that she’s transferring to South Carolina to play for Dawn Staley after spending the first two years of her collegiate career at Texas under Vic Schaefer. Lee captioned her Instagram post, which featured a video montage of her visit to Columbia, South Carolina, “Feeling cocky.”

Lee was one of four players from Texas to enter the transfer portal after the Longhorns’ second consecutive trip to the Final Four ended in a devastating loss to UCLA. She was named to the All-Region team in the Fort Worth 3 bracket in this year’s NCAA Tournament following her Sweet 16 and Elite Eight performance, where she recorded 22 points, six assists, three rebounds and four steals while also providing strong defense.

After being limited to five starts her freshman year, Lee slid into the starting lineup last season and started a career-high 38 games. She also averaged career highs in points (13.2), assists (2.5), rebounds (2.5), steals (1.5), field-goal percentage (42%) and free-throw percentage (75%), while shooting 34% from 3-point range.

Texas’ Aaliyah Crump, Justice Carlton and Aaliyah Moore also entered the transfer portal. On Friday, Crump announced she’s transferring to Duke, citing her connection with head coach Kara Lawson.

“For me, choosing Duke University goes far beyond one sentence. The moment I connected with Kara Lawson and her coaching staff, I knew I was exactly where I belonged,” said Crump, who averaged 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game her freshman season at Texas.

Crump continued: “Their dedication and vision for the program is truly special, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of it. The connection Coach Lawson and I have built is one of a kind, and I fully trust in her plan for the success of this program. I can’t wait to be coached by genuine people who support my growth not only as a basketball player, but as a person as well.”

Three-time All-American Madison Booker and junior starting forward Breya Cunningham are expected to return to Texas.

Contributing: Mitchell Northam

Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.

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