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Analysis: How South Carolina could help Trump make GOP history | CNN Politics

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Analysis: How South Carolina could help Trump make GOP history | CNN Politics




CNN
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The South Carolina Republican presidential primary is usually the most important contest of the nominating season. The state’s propensity for picking the eventual GOP nominee is unmatched by any other early-voting state. Since 1980, the only Republican to win the nomination without winning South Carolina was Mitt Romney in 2012.

This year, if history holds, it could mean the beginning of the end for Nikki Haley’s campaign.

Republican front-runner Donald Trump is dominating the polls. The former president has led every single poll in the state by at least 20 points this year. Surveys that meet CNN’s standards for publication have Trump up by at least 30 points this month.

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To put that in perspective, I can’t find a single example of a well-polled presidential primary in the past 40 years in which a candidate has overcome the deficit Haley currently faces in her home state.

(Democrat Bernie Sanders’ 2016 Michigan primary win was the biggest recent shocker, and CNN approved surveys had him down by less than 20 points going into the election.)

Another ominous sign for Haley: Since the modern primary era began in 1972, no major-party nominee has ever lost his or her home state during the primary season. To that point, Trump has shown a knack for beating fellow Republicans in the states where they were first elected.

You may recall that Trump defeated Marco Rubio in the 2016 Florida primary, prompting the senator to drop out of the race. We’ll see if Haley ends up doing the same, though she has indicated otherwise.

While Haley is unlikely to take South Carolina, she is definitely outperforming her national baseline. Polls out this week from Marquette University Law School and Quinnipiac University have her losing to Trump by about 60 points on average nationwide.

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Haley’s polling matches a historic pattern. Candidates usually outperform in their home states during the primary calendar. Candidates like Ted Cruz (Texas), John Kasich (Ohio) and Sanders (Vermont) all won their home-state primaries in either or both 2016 and 2020 but didn’t come particularly close to becoming their party’s nominee.

So the picture would likely only grow more dire for Haley after her home state votes.

Still, even if Trump does win Saturday’s primary (as every poll indicates), there are some questions pertaining to his scale of victory.

In 2016, Trump lost two counties on his way to winning the South Carolina primary: Charleston (home to the eponymously named coastal city) and Richland (home to the state capital of Columbia). A Trump sweep of both counties this time would likely mean he’d come away with all of the state’s delegates. South Carolina Republicans award 29 delegates to the statewide winner as well as three delegates to each winner of the state’s seven congressional districts.

Winning both counties would also indicate that any last resistance to Trump within the Republican electorate is fading. Both counties have relatively high levels of college graduates, who have been most hostile to the former president in GOP primaries historically.

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Trump massively underperformed among college graduates in Iowa last month and outright lost them to Haley in New Hampshire. He got beaten by Haley among those with an advanced degree (e.g., a masters) in both Iowa and New Hampshire.

Trump winning college graduates in South Carolina would match what we’re seeing in national polling. Both Marquette and Quinnipiac put Trump at 60% of the vote or greater among college graduates (or White college graduates, in the case of Quinnipiac). Polling from the end of last year didn’t have Trump anywhere near that mark.

Indeed, if the polls are right about Trump, we will be left with one big question: Will he lose anywhere during the primaries?

Utah and Washington, DC, are the two places with primaries or caucuses on or before Super Tuesday where Trump performed the weakest in 2016. He got 14% of the vote in both places.

Victories there next month would all but guarantee Trump a milestone no other nonincumbent Republican has achieved in the modern presidential primary era: winning every single contest. This would leave little doubt that Trump is the heart of the GOP.

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South-Carolina

Keys to Success for Clemson Tigers Against South Carolina Gamecocks

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Keys to Success for Clemson Tigers Against South Carolina Gamecocks


The Clemson Tigers are getting ready for what will be a crucial game in Week 14 against the South Carolina Gamecocks. 

This rivalry matchup is not going to disappoint, as both teams are coming into the game as Top-25 schools. For the Tigers, there is a lot on the line in this matchup. 

Due to Clemson not holding the tie-breaker against the Miami Hurricanes in the ACC and the SMU Mustangs already clinching a spot, the Tigers are going to have to hope for a Hurricanes’ loss to the Syracuse Orange if they are going to make the title game. 

However, due to recent upsets in the SEC, another path might have emerged for Clemson to make the College Football Playoffs. If they can beat a Top-25 team in the Gamecocks on Saturday, it could be the type of statement win that propels them into an at-large bid. 

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While making the CFP still might be realistic, they first and foremost have to handle South Carolina, which will be no easy task. 

The Gamecocks have also had a great season, and they could present some matchup problems for Clemson. 

On offense, South Carolina is a run first team. Stopping the run has been an issue at times for the Tigers, as they just recently got torched on the ground against The Citadel Bulldogs. If Clemson is unable to stop or at least slow down the rushing attack for the Gamecocks, it will allow them to control the pace of the game. That obviously wouldn’t be ideal for the Tigers. 

Furthermore, on the defensive side of things, the Tigers’ offense is going to have their work cut out for them against a very strong Gamecocks defense. Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik has had a very strong season and this could end up being a defining game of his college career. 

Going back to the win against the Pittsburgh Panthers, the Tigers’ offense really struggled on the ground trying to run the football. If that’s the case once again in Week 14, it will fall on the shoulders of Klubnik to get the job done. 

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This matchup could very well go down as one of the games of the week and potentially the year, with both teams being fairly even talent-wise on paper. For Clemson, this is a must-win game to keep their playoff hopes alive, as a win this late in the season against a Top-25 team would be a nice last thing to put on their resume. 

Overall, the Tigers are going to need to have a balanced attack and prepare to stop the run if they are going to come away with the win against their rival.



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South Carolina community left without police after entire P.D. resigns

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South Carolina community left without police after entire P.D. resigns


The entire police department of a small South Carolina town resigned en masse, leaving the area without its own dedicated police force.

Chief Bob Hale of the McColl Police Department announced his resignation on November 21 in a social media post, citing a “hostile work environment perpetuated by a specific Councilman.”

“For months, I have endured unwarranted and malicious behavior aimed at undermining my integrity and leadership,” Hale wrote. “These actions have not only affected me personally but have also created a toxic atmosphere that has hindered the department’s ability to function effectively.”

The chief also said his department’s resources had been severely cut. The four officers under his command quickly resigned as well.

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“At the end of the day, I have a family. And when my job is constantly getting threatened and certain things are getting said I’m not going to stay somewhere and tolerate that,” former McColl investigator Courtney Bulusan told WRAL.

“I’m not going to stay where I’m tolerated,” Bulusan said. “I’m going to go where I’m celebrated.”

As the town seeks new officers, the Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office will fill in for the department police force, according to South Carolina Public Radio.

The town has gone through six chiefs in the past four years. Hale’s tenure in the position lasted little over a year.

“I feel unsafe. Very unsafe,” resident Lisa Bowen told local outlet WPDE. “Because anytime anybody could do anything.”

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“They jump ship back and forth all the time,” Mayor George Garner told the Post and Courier newspaper. “This is nothing new.”

The paper reported that the councilman in question denied he had harassed any of the officers and told the paper the allegations were “hearsay.”

Such mass resignations, while uncommon, are not unprecedented.

The entire police force of Geary, Oklahoma, resigned earlier this month, Fox News reports.



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UCLA's Lauren Betts sends direct warning to college basketball after Bruins upset South Carolina

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UCLA's Lauren Betts sends direct warning to college basketball after Bruins upset South Carolina


UCLA’s win over No. 1 ranked South Carolina wasn’t a fluke, and Bruins center Lauren Betts says if you haven’t been paying attention, now would be the time to.

Let’s say the thing. It was not close on Sunday. From the opening tip to the final buzzer, UCLA commanded the floor and had an answer for everything the Gamecocks tried to do. The Bruins beat South Carolina on the boards (41-34), held four starters to under five points, and *checks notes* not a single starter went to the free-throw line. UGLY STUFF.

Furthermore, five UCLA players scored in double figures, including Londynn Jones, who was sensational from the line with five 3-pointers, and star center Lauren Betts, who had 11 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and four blocks. WHEW. Postgame, Betts raved about her team and how proud she was, but she also sent a direct warning to college basketball. “If you’ve been sleeping on UCLA,” Betts said.  “You need to stop right now.”





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