It was a weekend full of twists and turns as the GOP race for the presidential nomination in New Hampshire winnowed to two candidates — former S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley and former President Donald Trump.
As Trump steamrolls towards a victory on Tuesday in New Hampshire — polls show he’s up by double digits against Haley — the former governor keeps pressing, even scheduling a multi-million ad buy in South Carolina for the Feb. 24 primary here. She’s also planning a Wednesday rally in North Charleston.
Among weekend developments:
- Late Friday, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, who got engaged Saturday, endorsed Trump over Haley, who appointed him to the Senate. Scott also said he was open to being vice president.
- S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster and a coterie of South Carolina politicians traveled to N.H. to show support for Trump and undercut Haley, who was endorsed by New Hampshire’s largest newspaper.
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who campaigned Friday in S.C., dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump.
- Trump continued pushing a racist and erroneous theory that Haley wasn’t eligible to be president and mocked her first name, but Haley shot back questioning his mental fitness.
In other recent headlines:
CP OPINION, Brack: Start making progress on Palmetto Priorities. “Every year, we implore state lawmakers to make progress on 10 Palmetto Priorities – common-sense initiatives that will make life better for all South Carolinians. But every year, they devolve into culture wars and conservative talking points rather than looking at the broad view.”
CP NEWS: Southern Charm stars, UHG to open new Charleston bar. Southern Charm’s Craig Conover and Austen Kroll are partnering with Uptown Hospitality Group (UHG) to open a new bar, By The Way, later this year, according to a Jan. 19 media report by Entertainment Tonight (ET).
Three weeks left for “Sleeping with the Ancestors” exhibit. The exhibit highlights the work of the Slave Dwelling Project and a book by the City Paper’s Herb Frazier and Joe McGill.
Warming trend begins. The Arctic temperatures that froze South Carolina over the weekend will start warming up today. In the Lowcountry, expect partly cloudy skies with a high of 59 degrees. Nationally, 72 deaths in the U.S. have been connected to the severe weather.
Week in Review: McMaster to deliver State of State Wednesday. S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster will deliver the annual State of the State address 7 p.m. Wednesday at the state capitol. Meanwhile last week, the S.C. House passed youth restrictions on gender affirming care
2 hurt in officer-involved shooting in Charleston. The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating a Sunday night shooting in West Ashley that left two hurt.
Charleston home sales seek to move on and up. With the Charleston-area real estate market down at least 15% in each of the last two years, Realtors are hoping for a bump with lower mortgage rates.
Charleston schools seeing decrease in teacher vacancies. Higher pay appears to be a determining factor.
Capt. Sams Spit vulnerable again. Another legal battle over the spit of land near Kiawah Island is brewing over whether it can be developed.
- To get dozens of South Carolina news stories every business day, contact the folks at SC Clips.
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