South-Carolina
They haven’t finished college, but 3 students are running for office in South Carolina
![They haven’t finished college, but 3 students are running for office in South Carolina They haven’t finished college, but 3 students are running for office in South Carolina](https://www.thestate.com/latest-news/9ykcjg/picture260665657/alternates/LANDSCAPE_1140/college%20students%20state%20house.jpg)
Stephen Hilton, 20, a senior on the College of South Carolina, Sydney Clinton, 20, a rising junior on the College of South Carolina, and Ryan Thompson, 21, a senior at Faculty of Charleston are three faculty college students operating for South Carolina Home seats in District 112 in Charleston County, District 98 in Dorchester County and Home District 106 in Horry County, respectively.
on-line@thestate.com
CHARLESTON, S.C.
At first, the school sophomore didn’t inform her mother and father what she had completed.
Sydney Clinton paced backwards and forwards exterior the State Election Fee Workplace in downtown Columbia, clutching her iPhone after she despatched a message within the household group chat. She texted her mother, “Name me ASAP.”
She hoped they might perceive. Her cellphone rang.
“Mommy, I’m OK. Nothing’s unsuitable, however don’t be mad,” Clinton mentioned, in keeping with her mom. “I filed to run for the District 98 State Home seat in opposition to Chris Murphy,” the Dorchester Republican who chairs the Home Judiciary Committee.
If elected, Clinton would develop into the youngest individual sworn into the South Carolina Legislature in historical past. She would even be balancing her political duties within the State Home with the educational calls for of finishing her sociology diploma on the College of South Carolina.
And she or he’s not alone. This yr, three faculty college students are operating on the Democratic ticket to develop into lawmakers within the South Carolina State Home, a legislative physique the place, in 2019, the typical age was 55.
These undergraduates are pitching themselves as distinctive representatives who can communicate for a era that, till now, has been inspired to vote however has hardly ever been concerned within the very political selections that may impression their futures.
If elected, all have promised to struggle for enhancements to South Carolina’s public colleges, which they’re all merchandise of, and wish to deal with the state’s trainer scarcity, amongst different points.
All of them have a connection to the Charleston space. Two are already their occasion’s nominee for the final election. Solely considered one of them can legally drink.
“It goes to indicate you there may be not solely a creativeness and idealism that goes together with being younger, but additionally a courageousness,” mentioned South Carolina Democratic Social gathering Chair Trav Robertson. “They’re not simply going to sit down by and discuss concerning the issues and points that face us, however they’re going to step up and attempt to create the options to repair them.”
Can they do that?
In Murrells Inlet, Ryan Thompson, a 21-year-old graduating senior on the Faculty of Charleston, is running for the open Horry County seat represented by outgoing Republican Russell Fry.
Fry is now difficult U.S. Rep. Tom Rice, R-Myrtle Seaside, in an intensifying GOP major.
In Mount Nice, 20-year-old Stephen Hilton, a senior on the College of South Carolina, introduced his candidacy final yr to run for the coastal Charleston County seat presently held by Republican Joe Bustos, a lawmaker who’s 51 years older than him.
And it’s all completely authorized.
In South Carolina, candidates have to be 21 in the event that they wish to run for a seat within the Home of Representatives. Candidates solely want to fulfill that age requirement by the point of the election, below state regulation.
Clinton makes the lower. Her birthday is Sept. 18.
She additionally submitted all the mandatory paperwork for her candidacy three minutes earlier than the midday deadline final month. She paid the $208 submitting payment. She sought counsel from the chief of the S.C. Democratic Social gathering and her fellow Dorchester County Democrats.
Solely after it was official did Clinton inform her mother and father she was going to be on the poll.
“As a father, , she’s not a 20-year-old faculty child. When she filed that paperwork, she grew to become a 20-year-old grownup and that’s unhappy to me,” her dad, Steve Clinton, mentioned of the blended feelings he initially had about his oldest daughter turning into a candidate in South Carolina. “There’s a lack of innocence and there’s no turning again. She’s put herself within the public eye.”
However greater than something, her father mentioned he’s proud. He known as his daughter “the change agent we so desperately want.”
Murphy, the lawmaker Clinton is attempting to unseat, is a Republican incumbent who first took workplace in 2011, when Clinton was 10. However nobody, she factors out, has challenged Murphy on a common election poll since 2016.
“South Carolina is dealing with a litany of points that we are able to’t afford to simply maintain ignoring,” Clinton mentioned. “And so I made a decision why not do that? Why not step as much as give District 98 a alternative in who represents them?”
Murphy, 53, mentioned he’s not centered on his common election struggle proper now, as he’s dealing with a Republican major challenger.
“The seat doesn’t belong to me, it belongs to the individuals of Home District 98. Each two years, they get the chance to elect their consultant. I’m inspired, actually, to see youthful individuals participating within the political course of,” Murphy mentioned.
Thompson, who’s graduating from the Faculty of Charleston in Could and operating for Home District 106 in Horry County, mentioned he, too, desires to present voters in his district an choice — particularly younger voters who’ve grown disillusioned by American politics.
Thompson, who has volunteered and labored on presidential, congressional and native races since 2017, mentioned considered one of his marketing campaign methods is to register as many highschool college students as he can to vote this yr, whether or not they’re Republicans or Democrats.
However this marketing campaign can be private for him.
Thompson identifies as a homosexual man. One of many causes he obtained inquisitive about politics is as a result of South Carolina doesn’t have a hate crime regulation.
“Rising up as a queer particular person on this state makes you’re feeling very powerless. When your elected officers enact insurance policies that disproportionately discriminate in opposition to you and let you know what you possibly can and might’t do as a person, it’s very irritating and disheartening. For me, I used to be uninterested in feeling like I didn’t have a alternative sooner or later that I used to be going to have,” he mentioned.
Hilton, who introduced his candidacy final summer time, has already encountered some frustrations on the marketing campaign path.
In contrast to Clinton and Thompson, Hilton has to make it by way of a June 14 major. He’s operating in opposition to 41-year-old Dave Artushin for his occasion’s nomination.
When Artushin introduced his candidacy in late March, his press launch claimed he was anticipated to be the one Democratic candidate within the race. That pissed off Hilton, who launched his marketing campaign in July 2021.
“My major candidate is the instance of feeling sort of ignored due to my age,” Hilton mentioned. “He simply desires to disregard that this younger vigorous man is operating. I get that generally individuals assume I’m too younger, however there are others who wish to see change and wish me to deliver this angle to the State Home.”
Hilton, an engineering scholar who’s on observe to graduate from the College of South Carolina in December, mentioned most of his classmates inform him they’ve no real interest in staying within the Palmetto State.
“I need them to remain in South Carolina and maintain their expertise right here, and develop our trade, particularly within the Lowcountry, which is extra tourism-based proper now,” Hilton mentioned. “COVID confirmed us that we’d like that backup of trade, and I actually wish to assist develop that engineering and science fields that would give individuals a possibility to remain and dwell the life they need.”
In an interview, Artushin clarified that it’s “fantastic to see younger individuals simply beginning off in life pursuing public service and desirous to be part of our Democracy.” He added that he want to see extra younger candidates operating for political workplace shifting ahead.
“Stephen Hilton and I, as a result of we’re each Democrats, we in all probability share a variety of comparable opinions on sure points however it’s apparent we’re each very totally different candidates,” Artushin mentioned. “I believe being a father and husband and knowledgeable with over 20 years of life expertise and work expertise below my belt offers me a extra numerous and pragmatic view of the problems that face District 112.”
Bustos, the Republican incumbent, mentioned in an interview Friday that he welcomed seeing faculty college students operating as candidates, even when it means they’re difficult him.
“It’s fascinating to get totally different factors of view, and for the voters to see that’s good. It might even be in my favor as a result of the one factor I do have is expertise with happening 15 years of elected workplace now, and I perceive individuals have to start out someplace. I don’t begrudge them,” he mentioned. “I tip my hat to them.”
Can they win?
South Carolina voters have proven a willingness to take an opportunity on faculty college students who step as much as run for State Home seats.
Republican Brandon Newton was getting his undergraduate diploma on the College of South Carolina when he grew to become a candidate for his Lancaster County seat in 2016. He received, and went on to win reelection in 2018 and 2020.
Now he’s his occasion’s chief majority whip within the Home, the place he serves on the judiciary and guidelines committees.
And in 1978, when he was a 20-year-old faculty scholar in the course of his junior yr at Clemson College, David Beasley ran for a seat within the South Carolina Home of Representatives as a Democrat.
In a controversial major contest, he beat an eight-year veteran of the Common Meeting by a slim 10-vote margin and went on to win in November. Beasley transferred to the College of South Carolina and, throughout his 13 years within the State Home, went on to function the youngest speaker professional tempore and majority chief within the nation.
In 1994, he was elected governor of South Carolina as a Republican. Beasley is now the chief director for the United Nations’ World Meals Program, and, in 2020, he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the group.
Although he was not in faculty on the time, in 2006 Bakari Sellers made historical past when he grew to become the youngest African American elected official within the nation when he joined the South Carolina Legislature at age 22.
This yr, Democratic political watchers say the Home District 98 race might be extra aggressive than in years previous.
Robertson factors out that girls presently make up 55% of registered voters in Home District 98, represented by Murphy, and it’s a voter base Clinton can uniquely faucet into as a feminine candidate herself.
Lachlan McIntosh, a Charleston-based Democratic political marketing consultant who will not be affiliated with any of those campaigns, mentioned redistricting may additionally make the Dorchester County seat extremely aggressive, with one evaluation displaying Republicans may make up about 51% of the district’s voter base this yr.
However Murphy has represented the district for greater than a decade. He additionally has about $33,000 in his marketing campaign account in comparison with Clinton’s $4,000.
Whereas he should first face a challenger in his occasion’s June major, Murphy mentioned he’s not anxious concerning the seat flipping anytime quickly.
“Keep in mind, I used to be accountable for redistricting,” the chairman of the Home Judiciary Committee mentioned. “They’ll attempt to spin it that approach, however I can let you know it’s not 51% Republican, and I really feel assured will stay a Republican seat.”
Although Clinton and her fellow collegiate candidates acknowledge the challenges forward as Democrats operating in a state the place Republicans recurrently dominate political races, they’re hopeful voters will give them a good shot.
They’re all belong to Technology Z, the present youngest era of adults born since 1996.
Clinton was born per week after the the Sept. 11 terrorist assaults.
However Clinton and Thompson additionally characterize a era who’re rising up and operating for public workplace after they have been first compelled to talk out after one other American tragedy: The 2018 capturing at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Excessive Faculty that left 17 individuals useless in Parkland, Florida.
Clinton and Thompson have been each leaders in native March for Our Lives chapters in South Carolina. Of their Home candidacies, each are advocating for gun reform measures, like closing the so-called Charleston loophole and increasing the background verify interval.
“It’s crucial that we acknowledge the facility that younger individuals have, and the fervour that younger individuals have. I believe oftentimes, so many individuals low cost us due to our age, after which they wish to, , on the flip facet, discuss how younger individuals don’t care,” Clinton mentioned.
At her marketing campaign kickoff occasion in Summerville final week, Clinton regarded out on the crowd who gathered at Kickin’ Rooster. Her mother was there, recording the second on her crimson iPhone. Her dad wore a royal blue T-shirt that mentioned, “Sydney Clinton for District 98.”
“The time is now to embrace a brand new era of management in order that we are able to create this place of progress, sustainability and innovation that all of us so deeply deserve,” Clinton mentioned.
She beamed as she stepped again and regarded out on the crowd cheering her onward.
Clinton’s youthful sister, Shelby, was additionally there.
And when Shelby votes in her first common election this November, she may have the chance to vote for her huge sister, a candidate who’s simply three years older than her.
This story was initially revealed Could 1, 2022 5:00 AM.
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South-Carolina
Why South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer told freshmen ‘we are past that excuse’
![Why South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer told freshmen ‘we are past that excuse’ Why South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer told freshmen ‘we are past that excuse’](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/08/31/PNAS/75035181007-usatsi-24125601.jpg?auto=webp&crop=2699,1518,x0,y0&format=pjpg&width=1200)
COLUMBIA — South Carolina football won Saturday’s season opener against Old Dominion 23-19 at Williams-Brice Stadium, but it was far from a perfect game for the Gamecocks.
Coach Shane Beamer made it clear in his opening statement after the game that South Carolina will celebrate the win, but thought almost all three levels of play were full of mistakes.
“Unacceptable from us in the way we performed, starting with me,” Beamer said. “Winning is hard … sloppy without a doubt, on all three phases, lots to clean up … did some good, did some bad, so we have to coach better without a doubt.”
South Carolina was led by redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers at quarterback, and had true freshman on both sides of the field. Dylan Stewart, Josiah Thompson, Mazeo Bennett, and Michael Smith all played their first college game.
“We aren’t the only the school in the country playing true freshman and we have to put them in position to make plays.” Beamer said. “I told those guys coming out of half, you ain’t a freshman anymore, you played a half of SEC football, we are past that excuse.”
What Beamer did draw attention to was the Gamecocks’ self-inflicted errors, like dropped passes and penalties. The Gamecocks were called for two penalties that eliminated scoring chances, and only completed 10 passes for 114 yards. Sellers fumbled on a drive in the first quarter, and knocked over his own player while trying to block for running back Juju McDowell.
“Let’s not beat ourselves, I thought we had too much of that tonight,” Beamer said. “It start’s with us as coaches and we will do a better job of getting that cleaned up.”
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin
South-Carolina
Gameday Guide: South Carolina vs. Old Dominion
![Gameday Guide: South Carolina vs. Old Dominion Gameday Guide: South Carolina vs. Old Dominion](https://on3static.com/uploads/dev/assets/cms/2024/08/20134605/Untitled-design-810.png)
The South Carolina Gamecocks open the 2024 season by hosting Old Dominion on Saturday, Aug. 31.
GamecockCentral’s Gameday Guide features game info, TV, odds, notes, and more below!
Old Dominion (0-0, 0-0 Sun Belt) @ South Carolina (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
When: Aug. 31, 2024 – 4:15 ET
Where: Columbia, S.C. – Williams-Brice Stadium (77,559)
Broadcast: SEC Network (Dave Neal, Aaron Murray, Ashley ShahAmadi)
Local Radio: Gamecock Sports Network (Todd Ellis, Tommy Suggs, Chet Tucker)
Satellite Radio: Sirius/XM Channel 106 or 190
Odds: South Carolina -21
Weather: 92°, Sunny
ALSO SEE: South Carolina football recruiting visitors for the Old Dominion game
Other resources from Gamecock Central: News | App | YouTube | Schedule | Future Opponents | Scholarship Breakdown | Roster | Depth Chart | Commit List
South Carolina vs. Old Dominion Preview Content
How to watch today’s game
As South Carolina kicks off the 2024 season Saturday against Old Dominion, SEC Network will carry all the action from the 4:15 p.m. kickoff at Williams-Brice Stadium.
The SEC Network is available nationwide from every major cable, satellite, and streaming provider.
GC LIVE: Gamecocks vs. Old Dominion Preview
Watch on YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS feed
Quick notes from South Carolina Athletics
QUICKLY: The South Carolina Gamecocks begin the fourth year of the Shane Beamer Era in non-conference fashion when they host the Old Dominion Monarchs out of the Sun Belt Conference at Williams- Brice Stadium (77,559) in Columbia, S.C. on Saturday, Aug. 31. Game time has been set for 4:15 pm ET.
OVER THE AIRWAVES: The 2024 season opener will be televised on the SEC Network. Long-time SEC play-by-play voice Dave Neal will call the action, with former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray providing the color commentary. Ashley ShahAmadi will patrol the sidelines. The Gamecock Sports Radio Network features a pair of Gamecock great quarterbacks in Todd Ellis (33rd season) and Tommy Suggs (52nd season) in the booth. Chet Tucker returns for his second season as the network’s sideline reporter.
A LITTLE HISTORY: 2024 marks year four of the Shane Beamer Era and the 131st season of intercollegiate football at the University of South Carolina, dating back to 1892. It is the 118th-consecutive year in which South Carolina has competed on the gridiron. The University did not field a team in either 1893 or 1906. Carolina owns an all-time record of 634-613-44, a .508 winning percentage. Since the start of the 21st century, the Gamecocks have posted a 168-131 record, a .562 winning clip. In three seasons under Coach Beamer, the Gamecocks are 20-18, a .526 winning percentage.
[Win two tickets to the South Carolina-LSU football game]
OPENING REMARKS: Through 130 years of intercollegiate football, the Gamecocks have compiled an 86- 40-4 record in season openers, a winning percentage of .677. In the 97 seasons in which the Gamecocks have opened at home, the record is a very impressive 73-20-4, which translates into a .773 winning mark. In 28 seasons in which the Gamecocks have opened on the road, they are 10-18 for a .357 winning pct. South Carolina opened the 2011, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2023 seasons at a neutral site, posting a 3-2 record in those five contests. Carolina has won all three of its home openers under Coach Beamer.
IT JUST MEANS MORE: The 2024 season will mark South Carolina’s 33rd year in the Southeastern Conference. South Carolina and Arkansas joined the SEC prior to the 1992 campaign. The Gamecocks earned the SEC Eastern Division title in the 2010 season. The Gamecocks are 109-148-1 (.424) all-time in SEC regular season play but posted a 42-38 (.525) record in conference action from 2010-19. Under Coach Beamer, the Gamecocks are 10-14 in SEC play, a .417 winning percentage.
YOU’RE SIXTEEN: The Southeastern Conference will take on a new look in 2024 with the addition of blue blood programs in Texas and Oklahoma. The Gamecocks will not face the Longhorns in 2024 but will travel to Norman for their first encounter with the Sooners on Oct. 19. With the additions of the two schools, the league will no longer be divided into two divisions, but rather just one 16-team conference with the top two finishers advancing to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game on Dec. 7.
TOUGH SLATE: South Carolina has one of the nation’s toughest schedules in 2024, as seven of its 12 regular-season opponents are ranked in the nation’s preseason top 20. The Gamecocks’ 2024 slate includes contests against Alabama (5/5), Ole Miss (6/6), Missouri (11/11), LSU (13/12), Clemson (14/14), Oklahoma (16/16), and Texas A&M (20/20).
Other resources from Gamecock Central: News | App | YouTube | Schedule | Future Opponents | Scholarship Breakdown | Roster | Depth Chart | Commit List
South-Carolina
Lawsuit challenges South Carolina's transgender health care legislation
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) – A legal challenge now faces a controversial new law in South Carolina.
H.4624, also known as the “Help Not Harm Act,” has already had significant impacts on gender-affirming care since Gov. Henry McMaster signed it into law in late May.
Now a group of transgender South Carolinians are suing to stop them from continuing.
“It’s definitely something that has just been this looming cloud, if you will, over the last three months,” said M. Greg Green, a transgender man who lives in the Midlands.
The lawsuit was filed late Thursday in federal court in Charleston by three transgender South Carolina adults and two families of transgender teens.
In it, they argue the state law “has had and will continue to have devastating consequences for transgender individuals and their families in South Carolina” and claim it violates various federal laws.
Green isn’t among the plaintiffs and said he has not been impacted yet by the law but expects that could happen.
“Now having to figure out how am I going to maintain the medically necessary things that I need is very scary,” Green said.
Green is not alone in those fears.
![For several years, nearly $2 billion in South Carolina taxpayer money has sat, untouched, in...](https://gray-wrdw-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/5LZDPYZHNZBQZOGAKS7WTTNIZU.png?auth=6ff528cc8624e948f8e20b64dd85d8cdf049354f766150d1021e5fcfc5e95632&width=1280&height=720&smart=true)
“I’m a transgender man myself, and I haven’t lost care, but I wake up every morning, worried about it,” Jace Woodrum, executive director of the ACLU of South Carolina, said.
The ACLU’s attorney are representing the plaintiffs, who are asking the court to block three key provisions in the law: a ban on minors from undergoing gender-transition procedures, including surgeries, puberty blockers, and hormone therapy; a prohibition on Medicaid from covering these procedures for anyone, minors and adults; and a ban on state dollars directly or indirectly going toward these procedures.
Because of the latter, the state-funded Medical University of South Carolina announced earlier this summer it would no longer provide gender-affirming care to patients of all ages.
While most of the law went into effect with the governor’s signature in May, the ban on gender-transition procedures for minors is not scheduled to take effect until next January.
In total, the ACLU estimates around 800 transgender South Carolinians have lost or will lose access to care.
![(Source: MGN)](https://gray-wrdw-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/YBJ7I3675NAXPBTVOIH2IM4XHI.jpg?auth=ac5b2e0b1b694eba70e2f6ea56848f0c33ee36214297cc55857307254782573b&width=1280&height=720&smart=true)
“On the one hand, 800 people is not insignificant,” Woodrum said. “On the other hand, we have a fairly small population that lawmakers are picking on with this mean-spirited, unconstitutional, political attack.”
MUSC is among the defendants named in the lawsuit, as is Attorney General Alan Wilson.
The Attorney General’s Office said it does not comment on pending litigation but “will vigorously defend the state’s laws.”
McMaster defended the law he signed this year in a statement, saying he “will continue to support our State’s efforts to fight back against those who wish to force harmful gender transition procedures on our children.”
Earlier this year, the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit — which includes South Carolina — found bans on government-sponsored insurance from covering transgender healthcare procedures in North Carolina and West Virginia were illegal.
The new South Carolina law also requires certain school staff notify parents about information concerning their child’s gender identity, like if they ask to use a pronoun that does not align with their sex.
But those school-related provisions are not being challenged in this lawsuit.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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