Brian Gray, a Black South Carolinian, said he isn’t affiliated with a particular political party, but has tended to vote more blue than red. He has one exception: Nikki Haley.
Gray said he voted for her the two times that she ran to be South Carolina’s governor. And, in early February, Gray said he was considering voting for her again in her quest for the presidency.
“I think she has a better chance of beating Biden than Trump,” Gray told ABC News. “She understands people in South Carolina. I think she’ll understand the people of the nation.”
Three weeks later, however, Gray said he’s not feeling heard by the Republican Party and now he’s not sure who he’ll vote for. He told ABC News he feels let down by the Democratic Party and ignored by Republicans such as Haley and former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nomination.
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“I’m gonna vote in the general election, but I’m uncommitted to who I’m going to vote for,” he said.
Republican presidential candidate former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks at a campaign event on Feb. 19, 2024, in Greer, S.C.
David Yeazell/AP
Gray owns the popular restaurant Railroad BBQ in Columbia, South Carolina, and although he initially liked Haley for her tax breaks for small businesses, he isn’t impressed with her outreach to the Black community.
Haley is facing an uphill battle in her home state against Trump. In South Carolina, she’s polling 30 points behind the former president, according to 538’s national polling average.
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In order to close the wide gap, Haley has encouraged anyone who hasn’t voted in the Democratic primary to vote for her in the Republican primary. This would, of course, include Democrats.
In South Carolina, 60% of the Democratic Party’s registered voters are Black, according to the state’s Democratic Party. As Haley looks to court Democrats, she will need Black voters’ support, too.
According to Gray, Haley’s comments on race make her a “hard sell.”
Haley has claimed America has “never been a racist country.” In New Hampshire, when asked what was the cause of the Civil War, she refused to say it was slavery.
However, while at a Politics and Pints event in Charleston on Feb. 5, she admitted there is an “element of racism” in America.
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“There is always an element of racism. Our goal is how do we make it better today than it was yesterday,” she said.
The former governor often touts her response to the 2015 racially motivated mass shooting on nine Black Americans at Charleston’s Mother Emanuel AME Church. Five days after the shooting, she demanded the Confederate flag be taken down from the state capitol’s grounds. One month later, it was gone — no small feat for a state like South Carolina that takes pride in its southern identity.
But when she talks about the attacks on the trail, instead of referring to the shooter as racist, she calls him a “hater.”
“We brought down a divisive symbol that had been dividing our state for a long time. I didn’t judge either side,” Haley said Monday on her bus tour. “I didn’t say who was good or who was bad or who was right or who was wrong. Because that’s not what leaders do.”
PrimaryPivot, a Super PAC focused on weakening Trump by encouraging voters across the political spectrum to vote in the Republican primaries, has been actively campaigning for Haley.
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They claim they have participated in “grassroots” efforts with the Black community.
“We have to reach Black voters where we are, and so I’ve done a lot of street canvassing, and spoke at different events that Black voters attend,” Tiffany James, a senior adviser to the group, told ABC News.
Haley hasn’t lost all of her appeal in the Black community. Yvonne Bradley, a Democrat who voted for Biden, told ABC News that although she didn’t vote for Haley when she ran for governor, she did a lot of things “I can live with.”
“She had a few things that I didn’t agree with, but that’s just typical of every candidate. We don’t agree 100%, but a lot of things she did I can live with,” she said.
But many voters tell ABC News that her views on race make it impossible for her to earn their support. Harry and Darlene Preston, a married couple, said they appreciate her presence in the race as it gives voters an alternative from Trump, but said they find her views on race “disturbing.”
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“When you don’t see racism as a problem and how people get held back because of their ethnicity — that’s where she misses it,” Harry Preston said.
ABC News’ Mary Alice Parks and Briana Stewart contributed to this report.
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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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.
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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