Your SC politics briefing

Welcome to your weekly South Carolina politics briefing, a newsletter curated by The State’s politics and government team.

It was not a marathon, but a sprint this week as SC lawmakers pushed out bills before the April 10 “crossover” deadline, meaning bills that fail to make it out of the chamber they originate will have to meet a higher vote threshold to get debate in the other.

The SC House has one more week to hit the legislative deadline, but the Senate won’t be back on the floor until April 11.

Lawmakers care about crossover, but their bills aren’t dead — yet. We’re in the first of a two-year session, so even if their legislation fails to see the light of day this year, don’t worry, there’s always 2024.

Meanwhile, South Carolina Republicans are coming to Donald Trump’s defense after the former president was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury Thursday.

“I do not see anything that is reasonable, anything that is honorable, anything that is legal, or anything that is even ethical about what this prosecutor has done,” Gov. Henry McMaster in part tweeted.

Another Trump ally, US Sen. Lindsey Graham, said in a statement, “This is a shocking and dangerous day for the Rule of Law in America. This is one of the most irresponsible decisions in American history by any prosecutor. It is irresponsible because the case was looked at by two previous prosecutors and they passed. It has not aged like fine wine.”

US Rep. Jim Clyburn, the state’s lone Democrat in Congress, called Thursday “a solemn day for our nation.”

“Consistent with that principle, Donald Trump will be afforded due process just like any other individual in this great nation, and I trust that the outcome of this case will be unaffected by the defendant’s previous high position. The eyes of the world are watching,” Clyburn said.

The Amazing Race for Comptroller

It didn’t take long for names to pop up in the election for comptroller general, a four-year job that quite frankly not many people had heard of before Comptroller Richard Eckstrom disclosed a $3.5 billion accounting error that stretched a decade.

On the House side, Republicans are banding together to elect ex-SC Rep. Kirkman Finlay, a Richland County Republican, who has also engaged in his own lobbying effort, we’re told.

On the Senate side, senators want Mike Shealy, a longtime state employee who was the former budget director.

Lawmakers will get to decide at some point who will succeed Eckstrom. The key words are “at some point.”

The House has the numbers advantage, since they have 124 members to the Senate’s 46.

But what if the Senate doesn’t even agree to have a vote on the comptroller? What if the Legislature decides to end the legislative session without an election, resulting in a governor appointment?

Those aren’t just questions we’re asking. They’re questions legislators are also seriously considering.

Gov. Henry McMaster told us this week that he, in general, supports making the job an appointed position part in his Cabinet. He also said he’d prefer someone who has no political ties.

“I’d want ... someone who is not political, who comes with no obligations, no baggage, no favors to give to anyone, who is well known, and who is a career professional accountant or in finance,” McMaster told us.

Meanwhile, Eckstrom is staying out of the debate, instead telling us that he’s concentrating on his final month on the job.

“I’m focusing on the task at hand, which is kind of wrapping up, preparing for whoever my successor is,” he said. “I want it to be a very smooth transition.”

2024 Bites

▪ The State: Nikki Haley is bringing her presidential campaign to Lexington County. Here are the details

▪ McClatchyDC: Former President Donald Trump has been indicted for illegal hush-money payments

▪ USA Today: After Nashville school shooting, Nikki Haley tells voters she is against gun control legislation

▪ McClatchyDC: Florida Gov. DeSantis is ramping up SC outreach for 2024, and now has the backing from state lawmakers

▪ The State: Marianne Williamson said Democrats should take her seriously in her primary challenge of President Joe Biden

Buzz Bites

▪ Congratulations to the House Amenders softball team after they defeated the Senate Filibusters in the 30th annual softball game, 9 to 6.

▪ South Carolina teachers and other school district personnel could soon be eligible for paid parental leave under a bill moving in the House, joining state employees who became eligible last year.

▪ Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is headed to the SC State House as Republicans move toward approving legislation to help parents afford their child’s private tuition, the Post and Courier reports.

▪ Feminine hygiene products, such as tampons and pads, may be exempted from sales tax under legislation approved by the House Ways and Means budget-writing committee.

▪ A South Carolina utility that sued one of its customers for complaining about the quality of the drinking water she receives has lost in court after three years of legal disputes.

▪ Michelle Shain, a Democrat and former Greenville city council member, is running for mayor against longtime Mayor Knox White, The Greenville News reports.

▪ The SC House approved legislation that would allow students to enroll in any public school of their choice, the Post and Courier reports.

▪ A Walhalla man alleged to have hurled bear spray at police during the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot has been arrested, now one of 20 people from South Carolina who have been charged in the attack.

▪ SC Republican legislators are pushing a bill to ensure the state’s $38 billion pension portfolio doesn’t get spent on “woke” political goals, commonly called ESG, the Post and Courier reports.

▪ A South Carolina Senate proposal that would shield personal identifying information of current and former law enforcement personnel from public databases was expanded to add judges as lawmakers look to beef up the state’s privacy laws.

▪ Legislation that supporters say would speed up adoptions in South Carolina is moving forward in the House, the Post and Courier reports.

▪ A 34-year-old South Carolina prison inmate has pleaded guilty to threatening President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and a state-based federal judge.

▪ A bipartisan group of South Carolina prosecutors and sheriffs are calling for a new law that would allow the governor to play a major role in selecting state judges, a move they say would boost public confidence in the judiciary.

▪ For the first time, two survivors of the racist 2015 Charleston church shooting confronted South Carolina senators in person with the devastation that a mass shooting can have on families and individuals, asking them to pass a House-backed hate crimes bill.

Mark your calendar

April 3

SC Senate Education panel discusses charter school-related bill, 12:30 p.m.

April 5

SC House panel takes up ignition interlock, phones in prisons legislation, 9 a.m.

SC Senate panel discusses gun-related bills, including constitutional carry, 1 p.m.

April 6

Nikki Haley holds a rally in Lexington County

April 10

Legislature’s crossover deadline

SC House on furlough

April 11

SC House on furlough

SC Senate education panel expected to vote on CRT bill, 9:30 a.m.

April 12

SC House on furlough

Full SC Senate Education Committee meets, 10 a.m.

April 13-14

SC House on furlough

April 18

Income tax filing deadline

April 29

SC Democratic Party holds state convention in Columbia at fairgrounds

Before we adjourn

And then there were 18.

This week, the faces of two Republican House lawmakers — Upstate Reps. Bobby Cox and Steven Long, who we’re told also had membership still in the SC House GOP Caucus — disappeared from a visual list of current of SC House Freedom Caucus, bringing their membership down from an official 20 to 18.

Cox did not respond to a request for comment, though we heard he’s no longer in the freedom caucus. Long confirmed his departure Thursday, saying while he and the band of ultra-conservative legislators might share the same conservative policy goals, they may have some different ideas on the most efficient ways to get there.

You can click on this tweet thread for the backstory on the freedom caucus’ relationship with the main House GOP Caucus.

This week Joseph Bustos, reporter on The State’s politics and government team, pulled together the newsletter. You can follow him on Twitter at @JoeBReporter or send him an email at jbustos@thestate.com.

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