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Charleston SC Politics & Civic News — Page 2

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POLITICSCharleston Mayor Lays Out Daniel Island Growth and Traffic Plans ◆ POLITICSSC Early Voting Opens With Nearly 98,000 First-Day Ballots ◆ POLITICSTrump Rallies for Graham as SC Senate Race Moves to Lean GOP ◆ POLITICSSC 2026 Ballot Guide: Governor, Senate and the 1st District ◆ POLITICSAtwood Crosses District 110 on Foot and Water in Charleston ◆ POLITICSSeven Early Voting Sites Open Monday Across Charleston County ◆ POLITICSClarendon Poll Closures Test South Carolina Voting Law ◆ POLITICSTrump Rallies South Carolina Voters for Darline Graham ◆ POLITICSOutside Probe Questions Beaufort County CFO Exit in Beaufort ◆ POLITICSForecasters See Tighter Lacore vs. Honeycutt Race in SC-1 ◆ POLITICSGovernor Awards Order of the Palmetto for Gullah Craft ◆ POLITICSCofC Students Train as Charleston Poll Workers ◆

Charleston County sits inside one of the most layered governmental structures in the region. Residents answer to at least five levels of elected authority simultaneously: the federal government, statewide offices, Charleston County Council, Charleston City Council, and school district boards — each a separately elected body covering its own geographic slice of the county.

Charleston’s federal delegation includes US Rep. Nancy Mace (SC District 1) and US Rep. James Clyburn (SC District 6) and Senators Darline Graham and Tim Scott. In Columbia, Charleston is represented by Sens. Ed Sutton (District 20), Matthew W. "Matt" Leber (District 41), Lawrence K. "Larry" Grooms (District 37), Brian Adams (District 44), Margie Bright Matthews (District 45), George E. "Chip" Campsen III (District 43), and Deon T. Tedder (District 42) and Reps. Leonidas E. "Leon" Stavrinakis (District 119), Marvin "Mark" Smith (District 99), Elizabeth "Spencer" Wetmore (District 115), Gary S. Brewer, Jr. (District 114), Carl L. Anderson (District 103), Wendell G. Gilliard (District 111), James E. Teeple (District 116), and Thomas F. "Tom" Hartnett, Jr. (District 110).

Charleston County Council controls property tax millage, land-use zoning outside city limits, and fee-in-lieu-of-tax agreements. Downtown zoning decisions and the Charleston Police Department budget run through Charleston City Council. State funding for schools, roads, and Medicaid flows from the South Carolina General Assembly. The Charleston County Elections and Voter Registration Office administers local balloting under SC Election Commission oversight.

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Oct 22 Charleston Mayor Lays Out Daniel Island Growth and Traffic Plans
Oct 21 SC Early Voting Opens With Nearly 98,000 First-Day Ballots
Oct 22 Clarendon Poll Closures Test South Carolina Voting Law
Oct 22 Trump Rallies South Carolina Voters for Darline Graham
Oct 21 Trump Rallies for Graham as SC Senate Race Moves to Lean GOP
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POLITICS 290 responses

What do you think: Charleston Mayor Lays Out Daniel Island Growth and Traffic Plans?

Strongly support — this is overdue 31%
Cautious support — depends on the details 23%
Skeptical — need to see the cost first 22%
Oppose — not the right direction for Charleston 24%
Based on our coverage · October 22, 2026
NATIONAL 280 responses

What do you think: Russia Frees Jailed Michigan Man After Trump Appeal to Putin?

Strongly support — this is overdue 32%
Cautious support — depends on the details 23%
Skeptical — need to see the cost first 21%
Oppose — not the right direction for Charleston 24%
Based on our coverage · October 21, 2026
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Charleston Mayor Lays Out Daniel Island Growth and Traffic Plans
Oct 22, 2026
Charleston Mayor Lays Out Daniel Island Growth and Traffic Plans
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Traffic jams, flooding and the pace of new construction dominated a Tuesday night forum on Daniel Island in Charleston, South Carolina, where Mayor William Cogswell told residents of the Cainhoy Peninsula the city is trying to steer growth rather than cheer it on. Roughly 100 people came to the Daniel Island Recreation
SC Early Voting Opens With Nearly 98,000 First-Day Ballots
Oct 21, 2026
SC Early Voting Opens With Nearly 98,000 First-Day Ballots
COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina voters wasted little time once in-person early ballots became available for the 2026 general election, with 97,968 people casting ballots statewide on Monday, Oct. 19, according to a turnout report from state election officials. The heaviest opening-day traffic came from the state's largest counties. Charleston County led with 9,389 voters,
Trump Rallies for Graham as SC Senate Race Moves to Lean GOP
Oct 21, 2026
Trump Rallies for Graham as SC Senate Race Moves to Lean GOP
CLEMSON, S.C. — President Donald Trump heads to the Upstate on Wednesday night to campaign for U.S. Sen. Darline Graham, a stop that comes one day after a national election handicapper moved South Carolina's Senate race a notch closer to a toss-up. The 7 p.m. rally is set for the T. Ed Garrison arena, a
SC 2026 Ballot Guide: Governor, Senate and the 1st District
Oct 21, 2026
SC 2026 Ballot Guide: Governor, Senate and the 1st District
COLUMBIA, S.C. — With early voting open, South Carolina voters are deciding three contests that will shape the state for years: an open governor's office, a U.S. Senate seat drawing national attention and a coastal U.S. House district both parties think they can win. Governor. For the first time since 2017, the state will get
Clarendon Poll Closures Test South Carolina Voting Law
Oct 22, 2026 · SC Statewide · HERE Columbia
Clarendon Poll Closures Test South Carolina Voting Law
Via HERE Columbia: MANNING, S.C. — With early voting underway for the Nov. 3 general election, a fight over shuttered polling places in rural Clarendon County is raising a statewide question: who gets to decide where South Carolinians cast their ballots. The county Board of Voter Registration and Elections voted at meetings in June and August to close […]
Trump Rallies South Carolina Voters for Darline Graham
Oct 22, 2026 · SC Statewide · HERE Columbia
Trump Rallies South Carolina Voters for Darline Graham
Via HERE Columbia: PENDLETON, S.C. — President Donald Trump came to the Upstate on Wednesday to shore up Sen. Darline Graham, drawing a crowd to the T. Ed Garrison arena less than two weeks before South Carolina picks its next U.S. senator. Trump told the crowd that Graham is smart, widely respected and would not let voters down, […]
Outside Probe Questions Beaufort County CFO Exit in Beaufort
Oct 22, 2026 · SC Statewide · HERE Beaufort
Outside Probe Questions Beaufort County CFO Exit in Beaufort
Via HERE Beaufort: BEAUFORT, S.C. — An outside investigation ordered by Beaufort County Council has found that the county could not back up most of the reasons it gave for parting ways with former Chief Financial Officer Pinky Harriott. The Quick Group, a Charleston-area investigative firm hired over the summer, released a 14-page report on Tuesday, Oct. 20. […]
Atwood Crosses District 110 on Foot and Water in Charleston
Oct 20, 2026
Atwood Crosses District 110 on Foot and Water in Charleston
CHARLESTON, S.C. — A candidate for State House District 110 spent the first day of early voting covering his Charleston-area district the hard way, on foot and by water, in a trip of more than 20 miles. KJ Atwood, a Mount Pleasant small business owner, started at 7 a.m. Monday on a route he billed
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Look up your SC Senate, House, and Congressional districts after the latest redistricting.
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Elected Officials

Your Charleston Reps

Every official with a vote on Charleston's future — pulled live from our roster.

SC State Senate — Charleston County
State Senate
Ed Sutton
State Senator
District 20
D
State Senate
Matthew W. "Matt" Leber
State Senator
District 41
R
State Senate
Lawrence K. "Larry" Grooms
State Senator
District 37
R
State Senate
Brian Adams
State Senator
District 44
R
State Senate
Margie Bright Matthews
State Senator
District 45
D
State Senate
George E. "Chip" Campsen III
State Senator
District 43
R
State Senate
Deon T. Tedder
State Senator
District 42
D
SC House of Representatives — Charleston County
State House
Leonidas E. "Leon" Stavrinakis
State Representative
District 119
D
State House
Marvin "Mark" Smith
State Representative
District 99
R
State House
Elizabeth "Spencer" Wetmore
State Representative
District 115
D
State House
Gary S. Brewer, Jr.
State Representative
District 114
R
State House
Carl L. Anderson
State Representative
District 103
D
State House
Wendell G. Gilliard
State Representative
District 111
D
State House
James E. Teeple
State Representative
District 116
R
State House
Thomas F. "Tom" Hartnett, Jr.
State Representative
District 110
R
US Congress — SC
US House
Nancy Mace
US Representative
SC District 1
R
US House
James Clyburn
US Representative
SC District 6
D
US Senate
US Senate
Darline Graham
US Senator
South Carolina
R
US Senate
Tim Scott
US Senator
South Carolina
R
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Charleston is in Charleston County, South Carolina. Mayor: William S. Cogswell Jr.; Mayor Pro Tem: Karl L. Brady Jr..

Latest Charleston Politics News — Page 2

  1. Trump Waives Most Penalties in Graham Act Russia Sanctions

    WASHINGTON — The Russia sanctions law that carries the name of the late South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham will not bite for now. President Donald Trump signed an…

  2. Forecasters See Tighter Lacore vs. Honeycutt Race in SC-1

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  3. Graham, Andrews Senate Race Tight as SC Early Voting Opens

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  4. Federal Judge Tosses Trump Suit Against New York City

    NEW YORK — The Trump administration lost another round in its legal fight against so-called sanctuary cities late Thursday, when federal Judge Ramón E. Reyes Jr. in Brooklyn…

  5. Carney Urges Albertans to Reject Separation Path in Monday

    EDMONTON, Alberta — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney wrapped up two days of campaigning in his home province Friday night, telling a rally in the city where he…

  6. Democrats Lean on Iran War Votes in Midterm Ad Blitz

    WASHINGTON — With Election Day about three weeks off, Democrats and their allies are making the war with Iran a centerpiece of their closing television pitch, pairing votes…

  7. MARTA Still Has No Date for New Trains in Atlanta

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  8. South Carolina Arts Commission Appoints Scott-Fitts to Lead

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  9. 23 Counties Put Penny Sales Taxes on Nov. 3 Ballots

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  10. Wilson, Johnson Split on School Choice and Pre-K

    COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Republican and Democratic nominees for governor are staking out opposite education platforms, with Attorney General Alan Wilson championing school choice and state Rep. Jermaine…

  11. U.S. Senate Contest Narrows as National Money Flows in

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  12. Governor Awards Order of the Palmetto for Gullah Craft

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