South-Carolina

South Carolina Democrat’s House bid runs through US Supreme Court

Published

2 years ago

October 10, 2023

South Carolina Democrat’s House bid runs through US Supreme Court

South Carolina Democrat Michael B. Moore poses on the grounds of the International African American Museum where he served as founding president and CEO in Charleston, South Carolina in an undated photograph. Moore is vying to unseat Republican incumbent Nancy Mace in South Carolina’s 1st congressional district. Ashley… Acquire Licensing Rights Read more

WASHINGTON, Oct 10 (Reuters) – South Carolina Democrat Michael B. Moore, the great- great-grandson of a Black Civil War hero and pioneering 19th century congressman, is aiming to help his party retake control of the U.S. House of Representatives from Republicans in 2024.

But his political fortunes may be in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court as he seeks election in a coastal House district that includes parts of Charleston. The justices on Wednesday are set to hear an appeal by state officials seeking to implement a Republican-drawn map for the district that a federal three-judge panel found illegally diluted the power of Black voters.

In a legal challenge by Black voters, the lower court found that the map “exiled” 30,000 Black residents from that district – shifting their neighborhoods into a different district – in violation of the Constitution’s 14th and 15th Amendments, which guarantee equal protection under the law and prohibit race-based voting discrimination.

Black voters tend to favor Democratic candidates.

According to Moore, the Republican-drawn map effectively “muted” the voices of voters.

“We would love to have those voters back,” said Moore, who seeks to win the Democratic primary and then unseat Republican incumbent Nancy Mace. “It’s the fair thing to do if federal courts have acknowledged that those voters were unconstitutionally disenfranchised.”

Legislative districts across the United States are redrawn to reflect population changes documented in the nationwide census conducted every decade.

A practice called gerrymandering involves the manipulation of electoral district boundaries to marginalize a certain set of voters and increase the influence of others. In this case, the Republican-controlled state legislature was accused of racial gerrymandering to reduce the influence of Black voters.

South Carolina officials have argued that their map was designed to secure partisan advantages, a practice that the Supreme Court in 2019 decided was not reviewable by federal courts – unlike racial gerrymandering, which remains illegal. The officials faulted the lower court for finding that the district’s composition was motivated primarily by race rather than Republican interests.

The eventual ruling by the Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, may determine whether a Democrat has a realistic shot to win this district, said elections analyst J. Miles Coleman of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.

Similar legal cases over electoral maps in Louisiana, Georgia, New York and other states could help determine which party next year emerges with control of the House. The Supreme Court in June ruled against Alabama Republicans in one such case, ordering that state to devise a second majority-Black U.S. House district in a ruling that gave a boost to Democrats. Republicans hold a slim 221-212 House margin.

1ST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

South Carolina’s 1st congressional district sent Republicans to the House each biennial election from 1980 to 2016 before a Democrat won in an upset in 2018. It reverted back to Republicans in 2020 when Mace won by just over 1 percentage point, or 5,400 votes.

The South Carolina legislature used the redistricting process to bolster Republican support in the district. The new map increased the district’s share of white voters while reducing its share of Black voters, which the lower court referred to as “bleaching.”

The map relocated 30,000 of the district’s Black residents to the neighboring 6th congressional district that stretches 125 miles (200 km) inland from Charleston. The 6th district has been held for three decades by Democrat Jim Clyburn, one of the most prominent Black members of Congress.

Mace sailed to re-election in 2022 in the reconfigured district. Clyburn’s is the only one of South Carolina’s seven U.S. House districts held by a Democrat.

Mace signed a brief urging the justices to preserve the Republican-drawn map. Mace’s congressional office did not respond to a request for comment.

Moore, for his part, said he would welcome a judicial ruling returning some or all of the 30,000 Black “exiled” residents back to his district.

Moore, 61, is a former business executive who helped launch Charleston’s International African American Museum. He also is the great- great-grandson of Robert Smalls.

Smalls, born into slavery in 1839, later served five terms in the U.S. Congress beginning in 1875. During the Civil War, he commandeered a Confederate ship in 1862 and delivered it to Union forces, securing his freedom and that of a group of other enslaved passengers.

When he was elected to the House, the district he represented included part of the district his descendant now seeks to represent. In another historical parallel, that district also was redrawn by 19th century legislators who sought to weaken the influence of Black voters.

“Robert fought so hard for voting rights, for human rights,” Moore said of his ancestor, “and, in some ways, at least the aftershocks of those battles are still being fought.”

Reporting by John Kruzel; Editing by Will Dunham

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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South-Carolina

SC lawmakers consider giving themselves pay raises

Published

8 hours ago

April 28, 2025

Press Room

SC lawmakers consider giving themselves pay raises

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC) – South Carolina lawmakers could receive a higher salary next year, totaling $3 million in taxpayer dollars each year.

Under the proposal, all 170 members of the General Assembly would see an increase of $18,000 each year.

When senators approved their version of the next state budget, they also included a bipartisan provision to give all members of the General Assembly a raise to their monthly in-district compensation, which hasn’t been changed in more than three decades.

“We’ve been dealing with things in the budget to help other people deal with inflation, and I think it’s time that we try to take care, make sure that the people who are elected to serve as elected representatives maintain inflation and keep up with our expenses,” Sen. Shane Martin, R – Spartanburg, said.

Lawmakers’ in-district compensation is a monthly reimbursement that is flexible on what it can be used for, but is meant for legislative work.

This proposal would increase that compensation from $12,000 a year to $30,000.

State lawmakers currently receive total pay of about $30,000 annually between the current in-district compensation, per diem money to pay for food and hotels when they’re in session in Columbia for about half the year, and their annual salary of around $10,000.

Some, like House Democratic Leader Todd Rutherford, who represents Richland County, said that pay is too low to attract candidates for office who represent all South Carolinians.

“It’s the rich, the retired, and the retained: those people that are independently wealthy and can afford to serve and don’t need the salary; those people that are lawyers and can move their time around for their pay; and those people that are retired, so they come down here and do it,” he said. “The average working-class person could never afford to serve in the General Assembly, and unless we do something about the pay, they never will.”

More than a dozen senators voted against this proposal, with some saying it is not needed.

Others believe there’s merit to the idea but that it should’ve been worked out in a way that was more fully vetted and provided a chance for taxpayers and their constituents to weigh in as well.

Members of the House of Representatives would still need to approve this raise for it to be implemented.

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South Carolina Transfer Sakima Walker Commits to Cal Women’s Basketball

Published

1 day ago

April 28, 2025

Press Room

South Carolina Transfer Sakima Walker Commits to Cal Women’s Basketball

South Carolina transfer Sakima Walker announced on social media on Saturday that she had committed to Cal’s women’s basketball program.

.The 6-foot-5 Walker played in 15 games for the Gamecocks this past season and averaged 1.4 points and 0.7 rebounds. In 2023-24 she played in 31 games and had one start while averaging 2.0 points and 1.3 rebounds.

In Walker’s two seasons at South Carolina, the Gamecoack were national champions in 2024 and national runnersup this season.

Cal will be the third four-year school for Walker, who played her first two college seasons at Rutgers. She is a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility remaining.

Walker is the first of several transfers Cal coach Charmin Smith is expected to bring in this offseason. Smith has had success with transfers, and they contributed to the 2024-25 Cal team that went 25-9 and got to the NCAA tournament..

Trusting God’s plan EVERY step of the way. Grateful for where I’ve been, excited for where i’m going. #GoBears🐻 #thisonespersonal pic.twitter.com/a2IxX9LI0z
— Sakima Walker (@SakimaWalker) April 26, 2025

Zahra King, who was a promising freshman on the Cal women’s basketball team this past season before entering the transfer portal, has committed to SMU, according to multiple sites.

Cal has had five players from the 2024-25 squad enter the transfer portal – King, Marta Suarez, Kamryn Mafua, Claudia Langarita and Natalia Ackerman – and three of them – King (SMU), Suarez (TCU) and Mafua (Utah) – have committed to new schools.

Cal coach Charmin Smith has not yet brought anyone in from the transfer portal, but that undoubtedly will change over the coming weeks. Smith has had success pulling in transfers who contributed to the 2024-25 team that went 25-9 and got to the NCAA tournament.

King did not play a lot for Cal this past season, averaging 8.2 minutes, 2.8 points and 1.3 rebounds in the 19 games she did play. But she did show potential.

Now she joins an SMU team that is overhauling its roster through the transfer portal under new head coach Adia Barnes, who previously was Arizona’s head coach. The Mustangs had nine players leave through the transfer portal since the end of the 2024-25 season, but they have brought in 10 transfers.

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South Carolina Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for April 26, 2025

Published

2 days ago

April 27, 2025

Press Room

South Carolina Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for April 26, 2025

The South Carolina Education Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at April 26, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from April 26 drawing

01-12-14-18-69, Powerball: 02, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 Plus FIREBALL numbers from April 26 drawing

Midday: 3-9-8, FB: 9

Evening: 4-5-5, FB: 0

Check Pick 3 Plus FIREBALL payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 Plus FIREBALL numbers from April 26 drawing

Midday: 8-4-7-9, FB: 9

Evening: 7-2-2-7, FB: 0

Check Pick 4 Plus FIREBALL payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from April 26 drawing

Midday: 09

Evening: 12

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Palmetto Cash 5 numbers from April 26 drawing

11-12-25-37-39

Check Palmetto Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from April 26 drawing

12-20-26-38-40, Powerball: 05

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

The South Carolina Education Lottery provides multiple ways to claim prizes, depending on the amount won:

For prizes up to $500, you can redeem your winnings directly at any authorized South Carolina Education Lottery retailer. Simply present your signed winning ticket at the retailer for an immediate payout.

Winnings $501 to $100,000, may be redeemed by mailing your signed winning ticket along with a completed claim form and a copy of a government-issued photo ID to the South Carolina Education Lottery Claims Center. For security, keep copies of your documents and use registered mail to ensure the safe arrival of your ticket.

SC Education Lottery

P.O. Box 11039

Columbia, SC 29211-1039

For large winnings above $100,000, claims must be made in person at the South Carolina Education Lottery Headquarters in Columbia. To claim, bring your signed winning ticket, a completed claim form, a government-issued photo ID, and your Social Security card for identity verification. Winners of large prizes may also set up an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) for convenient direct deposit of winnings.

Columbia Claims Center

1303 Assembly Street

Columbia, SC 29201

Claim Deadline: All prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the draw date for draw games.

For more details and to access the claim form, visit the South Carolina Lottery claim page.

When are the South Carolina Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
Pick 4: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
Cash Pop: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
Palmetto Cash 5: 6:59 p.m. ET daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Carolina editor. You can send feedback using this form. Our News Automation and AI team would love to hear from you. Take this survey and share your thoughts with us.

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