South-Carolina

Haley works to gain support from South Carolina Democrats — but many Black voters aren't convinced

Published

2 years ago

February 23, 2024

Haley works to gain support from South Carolina Democrats — but many Black voters aren't convinced

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.

“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.

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.

“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.

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.”

“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.

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South-Carolina

LIVE: SC AG Alan Wilson, state, national leaders hold press conference on statewide drug busts

Published

6 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

LIVE: SC AG Alan Wilson, state, national leaders hold press conference on statewide drug busts

Statehouse Reporter Mary Green will have more on this tonight.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – South Carolina Attorney General and other officials will be holding a press conference Friday at 9:30 a.m. to talk about statewide drug busts.

Wilson is set to be joined by South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel, representatives from the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security, as well as several local sheriffs and other law enforcement partners.

Watch the full press conference in the video above.

Feel more informed, prepared, and connected with WIS. For more free content like this, subscribe to our email newsletter, and download our apps. Have feedback that can help us improve? Click here.

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South-Carolina

2026 Football Schedule Unveiled

Published

18 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

The University of South Carolina’s 2026 football schedule has been unveiled, it was announced tonight on the SEC Network.

The Gamecocks’ 2026 schedule features nine regular-season SEC contests, with five games at home and four on the road. The schedule also includes non-conference games versus Kent State and Towson as part of the seven-game home slate, and a non-conference road contest at Clemson.

After opening the season with three-consecutive home games for the first time since 2014, the Gamecocks will alternate home and road contests throughout the remainder of the schedule. The 2026 schedule features just one open date which will come on week 7 (October 17).

As announced on Monday, the Gamecocks will open the season on Sept. 5 by hosting Kent State. Carolina drubbed the Golden Flashes in its only previous encounter, a 77-14 decision in 1995. Kent State finished the 2025 season with a 5-7 mark overall and a 4-4 record in the Mid-American Conference.

Week 2 will see the Towson Tigers make their first trip to Williams-Brice Stadium. The Tigers compete in the FCS Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) and posted a 6-6 record in 2025 under head coach Pete Shinnick.

The Gamecocks begin their nine-game SEC gauntlet on Sept. 19 when Mississippi State visits Columbia. Carolina has won eight of the last nine meeting with the Bulldogs including a 37-30 win in 2023, the only contest played between the two schools since 2016. The Gamecocks lead the all-time series by a 10-7 margin. Mississippi State is one of seven teams on Carolina’s 2026 schedule that is playing in a post-season game this year.

The Gamecocks first road trip of the 2026 season takes them to Tuscaloosa on Sept. 26 for a date with the Alabama Crimson Tide, one of four teams on South Carolina’s 2026 slate that will appear in this year’s College Football Playoffs. It will mark the third-consecutive season that Carolina and Alabama have squared off, with the Tide narrowly winning the previous two – 27-25 in Tuscaloosa in 2024 and 29-22 in Columbia in 2025.

The Gamecocks and Kentucky Wildcats will meet in Columbia on Oct. 3. The teams met in Williams-Brice Stadium on Sept. 27, 2025, with Carolina prevailing by a 35-13 score, its fourth-straight win in a series they lead 22-14-1.

Carolina wraps up the first half of the season at Florida on Oct. 10. The Gamecocks and Gators met every year on the gridiron from 1992-2023 but have not played in either of the last two seasons. Florida holds a commanding 31-10-3 lead in the all-time series including a 17-2 advantage when playing in The Swamp. Carolina’s last win in Gainesville came in overtime the 2014 season.

After an open date on Oct. 17, the Gamecocks will return to action at home on Oct. 24 against the Tennessee Volunteers. Like Florida, the Gamecocks and Vols met every year from 1992-2023 but have not played in either of the last two seasons. Tennessee leads the all-time series by a 29-13-2 count including a narrow 10-8-2 advantage when the game has been played in Columbia.

The Gamecocks will spend Halloween in Norman playing the Oklahoma Sooners. The teams had never met prior to OU joining the SEC but have played each of the past two seasons with each team winning on the others’ home field.

The Bonham Trophy will be at stake on Nov. 7 when Texas A&M visits Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks and Aggies have met every year since A&M joined the SEC in 2014. The Aggies hold a 10-2 advantage in the all-time series, but the Gamecocks have won each of the last two meetings in Columbia.

The Gamecocks will travel to Fayetteville, Ark. for just the second time since 2013 when they tangle with the Arkansas Razorbacks on Nov. 14. South Carolina has won three of the last four games with the Hogs, but Arkansas clings to a 14-10 advantage in the all-time series.

The second-longest running series in school history behind only Carolina-Clemson, the Carolina-Georgia rivalry gets renewed on Nov. 21 when the Bulldogs make their way to Columbia from Athens. Georgia has won 55 of the previous 76 meetings between the flagship schools from neighboring states, with the Gamecocks last win coming in 2019.

The 2026 regular season comes to an end on Nov. 28 when the Gamecocks and Clemson Tigers meet in the annual Palmetto Bowl. The 2026 meeting will take place in the Upstate, where the Gamecocks have won each of their last two visits.

SEASON TICKETS
Whether you’ve been attending games for years or want to experience the magic for the first time, it’s not too early to secure your season tickets for the 2026 season. Season tickets are available for as low as $65 per game with a 10-month payment plan option available. Fans interested in purchasing season tickets for the first time, can place a season ticket deposit today for only $50 plus fees or fill out our season ticket interest form to receive more information. Current season ticket holders will receive information soon on how to renew their tickets for the 2026 season and can contact their Gamecock Club Account Representative today to enroll in the 10-month payment plan. For more information on ticket options for the 2026 season, visit 2026 Football Hub.

2026 SOUTH CAROLINA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Sept. 5                  vs Kent State
Sept. 12 vs Towson
Sept. 19 vs Mississippi State*
Sept. 26 at Alabama*
Oct. 3 vs Kentucky*
Oct. 10 at Florida*
Oct. 17 OPEN DATE
Oct. 24                 vs Tennessee*
Oct. 31 at Oklahoma*
Nov. 7 vs Texas A&M*
Nov. 14                 at Arkansas*
Nov. 21                 vs Georgia*
Nov. 28 at Clemson

*-SEC game

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South-Carolina

Nebraska targeting former South Carolina coach Lonnie Teasley

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Nebraska targeting former South Carolina coach Lonnie Teasley

Nebraska is targeting ex-South Carolina offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley for an offensive staff role, according to the Omaha World-Herald’s Sam McKewon. The role itself is still to be determined.

Teasley spent three seasons as the Gamecocks’ offensive line coach. He had been with the program since 2021, serving as an offensive analyst. He assumed on-field coaching duties for the program in 2022.

Teasley was let go by South Carolina in October, ending his time with the program.

In addition to his coaching role, he was a strong recruiter for the Gamecocks. He most recently landed Darius Gray, the top interior offensive line recruit in the 2026 class. He was also able to land four-star offensive tackle Kamari Blair for the class as well.

Nebraska football has undergone several changes on offense over the last couple of days. They hired former Georgia Tech offensive line coach Geep Wade for the same position on Saturday, following the firing of Donovan Raiola.

The program is making sweeping changes on both sides of the football. Adding Teasley to the staff would be important for the program, which needs to be better prepared across all areas.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes and opinions.

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