Free Republic

After the dust settled on dozens of Statehouse primary battles between the GOP majority and the renegade House Freedom Caucus, three GOP majority incumbents — including two veteran leaders close to Speaker Murrell Smith — had been ousted. Assistant Majority Leader Rep. Jay West, R-Belton, and powerful House Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee Chairman Rep. Bill Sandifer, R-Seneca, were sent packing. Voters also showed one of the House’s last Republicans with a moderate stance on abortion, Rep. Jerry Carter, R-Clemson, the door. Meantime, the Freedom Caucus members facing primaries all fought off well-funded mainline opponents to declare victory. Freedom Caucus...

Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that he stood by certifying the 2020 presidential election results of Joe Biden’s victory. Partial transcript as follows: JON KARL: OK. Senator, the day before that violent mob attacked the Capitol, you put out a statement explaining your decision to certify Joe Biden’s election victory. Do you stand by that? You were not one of those that challenged the results. You voted to certify Biden’s election victory. Do you stand by that? SCOTT: Certainly. I will stand by that decision and the next decision to certify the fact...

The Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act is saving unborn babies’ lives in South Carolina since it was upheld last August by the State Supreme Court. Newly released data from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control shows abortions occurring in South Carolina declined by about 80 percent once the protective Fetal Heartbeat Act became legally effective. “South Carolina Citizens for Life rejoices in these numbers that represent the preservation of these precious little lives,” said SCCL President Lisa Van Riper. “These are our little neighbors who have heartbeats – the most basic manifestation of human life. We...

A near-total abortion ban was defeated in South Carolina with the help of the only three Republican women in the Senate, but after Tuesday’s primary, they’re losing their election bids. Voters handed the senators – and winners of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award for people who risk their careers for the greater good – two losses and a runoff after they joined with Democratic women to defeat the measure, saying a pregnant woman shouldn’t lose control of her body as soon as an egg is fertilized.

Three high-profile primaries in U.S. House districts will be held tomorrow in South Carolina. In solidly Republican CD-3), seven candidates are vying to replace 7-term conservative Jeff Duncan, who is retiring rather than face a campaign that would feature nasty (and unproven) allegations from his vindictive soon-to-be ex-wife. In solidly Republican CD-4 Trump-supported incumbent William Timmons is facing conservative state legislator Adam Morgan, who is being boosted by outspoken conservative congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida. Timmons had no Democrat opposition in 2022 but he achieved only 52.7% in a four-way primary that year, and this one could be close too....

Florida, schmorida. After enjoying a pandemic-era boom where many a weary northerner packed up and moved to the Sunshine State, the bloom is off the citrus tree, new research suggests. In 2024, apparently, it’s all about the Carolinas — their coast, their mountains, their more temperate climate and — most importantly — their affordable cost of living, say the moving pros at PODS, who’ve analyzed heaps of customer data to identify the latest trends. If true, that shows a considerable reversal in just one year. In 2023, Florida practically owned the list of most moved-to cities, with six in the...

For much of the last three years of legislative sessions, hard-line conservative state House members have clashed with Republicans on whether they’re conservative enough. Now those clashes will play out at the ballot box. More than 30 seats represent the battlefield for the Republican Caucus versus hard-line conservative Freedom Caucus in Tuesday’s legislative primary elections. The outcomes of these primary races may influence how conservative the House gets, how well the chamber functions, and whether hard-line members gain or lose influence. ecause most state Legislative districts are drawn in favor of one party over another, the winners of primary races...

WASHINGTON ― Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Monday defended President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, from federal charges relating to a gun purchase in 2018. The younger Biden is standing trial in Delaware this week for illegally purchasing and possessing a gun while abusing or being addicted to drugs, a violation of federal law. He’s also facing charges in California for failing to pay his taxes. “I think any average American who’s done their taxes like Hunter Biden would have probably faced prosecution, however, I don’t think the average American would have...

Nikki Haley, a former GOP presidential candidate and United Nations ambassador, wrote “Finish them” on an artillery shell while on a trip to Israel this week. Haley was photographed signing the shell Tuesday in a social media post by Danny Danon, Israel’s former ambassador to the United Nations and a member of the Israeli Parliament. The message on the shell read, “Finish them! America [heart] Israel always, Nikki Haley.” “This is what my friend, the former ambassador, Nikki Haley wrote today about a shell during a visit to an artillery post on the northern border,” Danon wrote in a post...

What would you say if I told you that there is a Republican House candidate who can topple Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), one of the most powerful people in American politics? Just two years ago, Duke Buckner, with a paltry $200,000 in funding, got 37.8% of the vote in his first campaign against Clyburn. Clyburn is beatable, and Duke has the intelligence, charisma, life experience, guts, values, and energy to do it. All he needs now is the money. For that, he needs your help. Rep. Jim Clyburn has been in the House of Representatives for 31 years and is...

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a Republican-drawn South Carolina congressional district, reversing lower court rulings that had struck it down as a product of unconstitutional racial gerrymandering that excluded Black voters. Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the court in a 6-3 ruling from which the liberal justices dissented, said the lower court's decision that race was unconstitutionally used to diminish the influence of Black voters was "clearly erroneous" because it had not properly analyzed the facts. "A party challenging a map's constitutionality must disentangle race and politics if it wishes to prove that the legislature was motivated by...

As head of the Republican Party, Trump has an obligation to his voters to ensure the candidates he’s backing in primaries will advance conservative priorities.Donald Trump has often branded himself as an outsider candidate whose “America First” agenda runs counter to the will of the entrenched political establishment. And yet, the former president endorses a significant number of candidates who embody it.In the latest example of his penchant to back the establishment GOP, Trump waded into South Carolina politics to endorse House Speaker G. Murrell Smith and other members of the state’s GOP legislative leadership for reelection.“South Carolina Speaker of...

Sen. JD Vance’s (R-Ohio) surprise appearance at a Manhattan courthouse to support former President Trump, and his qualified answer about supporting the results of the 2024 election, show he’s challenging Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) as the Senate front-runner to be Trump’s running mate in the fall. GOP senators and strategists say it’s hard to predict whom Trump will choose, but they say Scott and Vance are viewed as the two most likely choices within the Senate GOP conference. Vance and Scott are stepping up their efforts to grab Trump’s attention by staying close to his orbit and showing off their...

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press” that Israel needed to do whatever it takes to survive knowing that U.S. military officials are “full of crap.” Host Kristen Welker said, “I guess the question is, why does Israel need the most massive bombs that can potentially level an entire block in order to wage this war?Why can’t it be more precise?” Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press” that Israel needed to do whatever it takes to survive knowing that U.S. military officials are “full of crap.” Host Kristen Welker said, “I...

COLUMBIA — The South Carolina Republican Party has disqualified five of its members — including two delegates to the national convention in Milwaukee this summer — from voting after revelations they contributed hundreds of dollars to independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign. According to SCGOP leadership, the five members — Keith and Olga Blandford, John and Mamie Rand, and former attorney general candidate Lauren Martel — were told they were no longer eligible to vote at the party’s May 4 convention following revelations each had paid $500 to attend a dinner at a private residence last July where Kennedy...

Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and the state of South Carolina were in court last week arguing a lawsuit over the state’s Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act and its definition of a “fetal heartbeat.” The lawsuit, filed by Planned Parenthood and Taylor Shelton, a South Carolina woman, is asking Circuit Judge Daniel Coble to interpret the law’s definition of “fetal heartbeat” to mean the formation status of the heart at nine weeks post-fertilization, rather than six, and to block the law until a ruling is issued. The South Carolina law states that “fetal heartbeat means cardiac activity, or the...

As South Carolina law enforcement investigates allegations a state agency is handing out voter registration forms to foreign nationals, an agency official tells The Federalist that federal law has tied the state’s hands. Jeff Leieritz, a spokesman for the state’s Department of Health and Human Services, says the department, as the state’s Medicaid agency, is mandated to provide voter registration information under Section 7 of the National Voter Registration Act Of 1993. The information apparently goes out to everyone applying for the benefits, including foreign nationals. Section 7 requires each state to designate voter registration agencies, including all state offices...

Voters in South Carolina will have the opportunity to add an amendment to the state constitution that would allow only American citizens to vote in state elections. The amendment is titled "The Citizens Only Voting Amendment" and it was passed by the South Carolina House of Representatives 105-0 earlier this week. Last month, the Senate passed the legislation by a vote of 40-3. South Carolina voters will be able to vote on the amendment in November of this year. “Today South Carolina took an important step forward in defending the value of citizenship,” Senator Josh Kimbrell said, according to Legal...

If you are planning a lengthy holiday getaway don’t leave your home unattended: beware the squatters. In some towns in the U.S. if homeowners take a lengthy vacation and squatters move into their home in the interim the intruders may wind up calling it their own “home sweet home.” And “yes,” it’s legal. The issue of squatter rights is not something new; squatters have been around since the first European settlers arrived in America. What is new is the emergence of squatters in growing numbers as a result of the Biden administration’s open borders policy. Texas Senator John Cornyn tells...

She then decided to cite the Ten Commandments, and the lack of a specific reference to abortion, to defend it “It’s not mentioned in the Big Ten, I’m just gonna say. In the Big Ten, it is not mentioned… Cause I figure, God was pretty clear. Here’s the stuff that will make your life better on earth. Don’t lie, cause you don’t want people lying to you. Don’t mess with somebody’s wife, cause you’re going to be made if they’re messing with yours. Just, you know, common sense stuff