South Carolina lawmakers on Thursday rejected reworked bills to strengthen the state’s DUI laws and restrict the sale of THC-infused drinks and edibles to adults 21 and over, likely killing both measures for the year.
Different versions of the bills passed each chamber earlier this year, forcing House and Senate negotiators to craft the compromise language that failed to win majorities yesterday. Failure to regulate THC products means they’re still available to everyone – including teens – across the state.
The DUI bill, a top priority of legislative leaders heading into the 2026 session, died in the Senate when a procedural vote required for final passage failed. Meanwhile in the House, industry supporters joined with members favoring a full ban on hemp-derived intoxicants to defeat the THC legislation.
Calling the session “a bad day for public safety,” Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, an Edgefield Republican, told reporters after the vote that the DUI defeat resulted from a decision to move language on THC-intoxicated driving into the DUI bill, according to a Post and Courier report.
“We had a lot of ‘no’ votes in here on DUI because they didn’t like the deal that we have in THC,” he told reporters, explaining that mixing the two issues splintered the solid Senate majority in support of tougher drunk driving penalties and the closure of procedural loopholes that make it difficult for prosecutors to get convictions.
Conversely, the issue that defeated the THC bill in the House was a requirement that the products be sold in liquor stores, which industry proponents argued was unfair to retailers who’ve been stocking the hemp-derived intoxicants since they were effectively legalized by the 2018 federal farm bill.
“What has made this state great is that the government respects business owners,” said House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford of Richland. “It respects people that employ people, and this is total disrespect to an entire industry.”
The votes came in a summer special session that will next try to find a compromise on the state’s 2026 budget — a process that’s so far been stymied by dueling House and Senate tax cuts, and which is expected to push past the July 1 start of the 2026-27 fiscal year.
Wilson wins big in GOP gubernatorial runoff race
Republican S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson shellacked Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette by a 38-point margin in a testy Tuesday GOP gubernatorial runoff. He’ll face Democratic nominee Jermaine Johnson, a member of the S.C. House of Representatives in Richland County, in November.
Meanwhile in the Lowcountry’s 1st Congressional District, retired Vice Admiral Nancy Lacore topped Mount Pleasant lawyer Mac Deford in a Democratic runoff by a 52% to 48% margin. The low-turnout contest brought 24,545 Democratic voters to the runoff polls.
In the Republican runoff for the 1st District seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, who lost a bid for governor, Charleston County Council member Jenny Honeycutt of James Island polled 54% of the votes against Daniel Island funeral home owner and S.C. Rep. Mark Smith. Some 44,730 voters cast ballots in the GOP runoff.
Expected to challenge Lacore and Honeycutt in the November general election are three third-party candidates – Margo Ellis of the Alliance Party, Libertarian Bill Reeside and independent write-in candidate Clayton Cuteri, according to Ballotpedia.
Throughout the GOP governor’s runoff reporting of results Tuesday night, Wilson maintained a commanding lead over Evette, a Greenville businesswoman from Ohio who has served as term-limited incumbent Henry McMaster’s second since 2019.
By the time all was said and done, Wilson more than doubled the votes cast for Evette. He tallied 218,569 votes to her 100,227 votes in a race where turnout was just over 10%, according to unofficial results.
“Are we having fun tonight?” Wilson asked an enthusiastic Columbia crowd after his win before making a long list of thank-yous and calling for unity.
“Over the coming days and coming weeks, we’re going to unify,” Wilson said after mentioning several Republican candidates who he beat through the political season. “We need to unify. We can’t focus on what divides us; we have to focus on what unites us. That’s what’s important to South Carolina.”
During the two-week runoff period, Wilson saw his political star rise when he received a rare co-endorsement on Friday from President Donald Trump, who solely endorsed Evette in the June 9 primary.
Observers say Evette’s star started to fall after she criticized students at S.C. State University last month for opposing her as the graduation speaker. She called them a “woke mob” and eventually said some funding should be taken away from the school.
Other Tuesday results:
- Attorney General. GOP 8th Circuit Solicitor David Stumbo of the Greenwood area beat state Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, R-Georgetown, by a 56% to 44% margin. Stumbo will take on Democratic nominee Richard Hracik, a Mount Pleasant lawyer, in the fall.
- Commissioner of Agriculture. In the GOP runoff, Cody Simpson outpolled Danny Ford II by a 26-point margin by snaring 63% of runoff votes. Simpson will face Democratic nominee DeShawn Blanding, a Clarendon County farmer, in the fall.
- Congress, District 2. Democratic candidate Zyon Khalifa beat David Robinson II by 433 votes of 5,693 cast in a race to challenge longtime U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson in this Midlands seat. Joe Wilson is Alan Wilson’s father.
Help keep the City Paper free.
No paywalls.
No subscription cost.
Free delivery at 800 locations.
Help support independent journalism by donating today.
