BIG STORY: Meet the down-ballot S.C. candidates you may not know
ROUNDUP: Trump coming to S.C. for midterms rally
LOWCOUNTRY, Ariail: So it’s a clear choice
BRACK: For change, you’ve got to get out and vote
MYSTERY PHOTO: Fountain (not in S.C.)
FEEDBACK: Send us your thoughts
Meet the down-ballot S.C. candidates you may not know
By Jack O’Toole, Statehouse bureau | Democratic consultant Paul Begala used to say that being famed campaign guru James Carville’s business partner was like being the late and much-loved Dolly Parton’s feet: Sure, you’re great. But who’s ever gonna notice you?
Candidates running in statewide down-ballot races know the feeling.
After all, it’s not as if South Carolina’s candidates for (deep breath now) attorney general, superintendent of education, treasurer, commissioner of agriculture, comptroller general and secretary of state aren’t working just as hard as gubernatorial candidates Alan Wilson and Jermaine Johnson or U.S. Senate contenders Annie Andrews and Darline Graham.
But how many state constitutional candidates can you actually name off the top of your head?
“That’s their challenge,” Citadel political science professor DuBose Kapeluck told the City Paper. “Nobody really knows much about them and they’re trying to get elected to positions that don’t have very high visibility.”
And that, he noted, tends to benefit GOP candidates in S.C., where the average voter is inclined to vote Republican if he or she is not familiar with the candidates in the race.
“It’s an easy heuristic,” Kapeluck said, using the academic term for the mental shortcuts we take to find the right answer when we don’t have enough information in our heads. “So for offices that aren’t headline-grabbing positions, people tend to just vote for the party.”
And that’s certainly a common way to solve the problem. But if you’re interested in the alternative, read on for a look at the major party candidates in each race.
Attorney general
This cycle’s premier Palmetto State legal matchup pits Republican 8th Circuit Solicitor David Stumbo against Democratic Lowcountry attorney Richard Hricik for state attorney general.
Given their different backgrounds, perhaps it’s no surprise they have different plans for the office if elected.
For Stumbo, that means an agenda that’s focused on crime and conservative legal principles: “protect victims of crimes, put criminals behind bars, stand firm in defense of the Constitution and the liberties it guarantees, and keep government power in check.”
Hricik, on the other hand, argues that “not all bad guys carry guns — some wear corporate suits.” That’s why he says he would “go after all of the bad guys,” to fight “corruption, consumer fraud, violent crime, and powerful interests that put profits, politics, or power above the people.”
The wrinkle in the race? Hricik has less than $100 in the bank due to his pledge to refuse all campaign contributions — including his own.
State superintendent of education
Calling herself a “common-sense reformer,” first-term incumbent State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver has brought an unapologetically conservative approach to the job — fighting for private school vouchers, taking over failing school systems and putting right-of-center radio host Dennis Prager’s videos in the classroom.
Weaver’s pitch? Test scores across the state are up, with 62% of S.C. third graders now reading at grade level, and more than 90% of all students now attend a school that received an average or better grade on this year’s state school report cards — real and measurable gains since 2022.
But her Democratic opponent, North Charleston teacher Sylvia Wright, says she’s “seen firsthand the negative ripple effects” of Weaver’s policies, and argues that S.C. schools need more resources and less “politicking.”
On Oct. 9, the S.C. Democratic Party entered the race with the rollout of a new website, weaverfailedthetest.com, which attacks Weaver’s voucher program and challenges her claim that she’s improved S.C. public schools.
State treasurer
With the star of TV’s The Apprentice now midway through his second term in the White House, perhaps it’s appropriate that Curtis Loftis’s fourth term as S.C. treasurer turned into an extended season of Survivor.
First, there was the phantom $1.8 billion in state cash that didn’t actually exist. Then, there was the federal securities investigation — and not one but two official state reports that found Loftis had been at least partly responsible for the mess. Finally, on April 21 of last year, the GOP supermajority S.C. Senate voted 33-8 to remove him from office.
That’s right. His fellow Republicans tried to vote him off the island.
But when the S.C. House let the year’s legislative session end three weeks later without voting on the measure, Loftis quietly reversed his earlier pledge not to seek reelection and got to work campaigning.
Now, Loftis is facing Democratic nominee Vincent Coe, a bank examiner who’s promised to bring his professional skills to the job of watching taxpayer money.
Coe’s message: “Your money doesn’t have a party. If not me, then who? If not now, then when?”
Commissioner of agriculture
Regardless of who wins next month, S.C. farm policy is about to get a lot younger, as 35-year-old Republican Cody Simpson and 29-year-old Democrat DeShawn Blanding square off to replace 22-year incumbent Hugh Weathers. And you can hear that quiet turn to the future in both their platforms.
Simpson, a fifth-generation farmer who’s worked with both Gov. Henry McMaster and President Donald Trump on farm issues, talks about cutting red tape and putting more of the department’s services online.
Blanding, who served as an agriculture staffer in the U.S. House and Senate before returning to S.C. to become a fourth-generation farmer, says state. farm policy needs to “modernize,” seeking new investments and markets.
One thing neither would change? S.C.’s rural character, which both say needs to be protected from ever-encroaching suburban development.
Comptroller general
If $1.8 billion in made-up money sounds like a major news story, could we interest you in $3.5 billion?
That was the full amount of the phantom cash that state investigators say S.C. was carrying on its books for the better part of 10 years. And unlike the phony $1.8 billion, where several office-holders were found to have some responsibility, the broader $3.5 billion error landed in the lap of the state’s top accountant: S.C. Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom, who resigned in 2023.
Now, Republican businessman Mike Burkhold and Democratic CPA Tiffany Boozer are competing for the open seat, which is being vacated by McMaster-appointee Brian Gaines.
Burkhold touts his business record and says he’d use the office to help control state spending. Boozer, who joined the Comptroller General’s office after Eckstrom resigned, stresses her work as a professional accountant.
Secretary of state
Perhaps the quietest of S.C.’s statewide contests, the race features six-term GOP incumbent Mark Hammond and Democratic nominee Jason Belton, who serves as vice president of the AFL-CIO’s Greater Columbia Central Labor Council.
The winner will lead the office responsible for maintaining the state’s corporate and nonprofit records.
Hammond is running on continuity and his 24-year record of service. Belton, on the other hand, argues that the office itself needs reinvention, with stronger oversight of deceptive fundraising, less bureaucracy for businesses and a new role for the secretary as head of the state’s election commission.
Speaking of which: South Carolina voters head to the polls Nov. 3.
Jack O’Toole is Statehouse bureau chief for Statehouse Report and the Charleston City Paper. Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com
Trump coming to S.C. for midterms rally
By Jack O’Toole, Statehouse bureau | After days of speculation, President Donald Trump made it official Thursday: He’ll be in Clemson Oct. 21 to rally for U.S. Sen. Darline Graham and other Republican candidates less than two weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
Graham, who was appointed in July to complete the term of her late brother Lindsey Graham, is locked in an unexpectedly close race with Lowcountry pediatrician Annie Andrews, a Democrat.
The event will mark the second time Trump has traveled to the state in support of Graham. In August, he visited Myrtle Beach during her tight runoff contest with 5th District U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman.
The Upstate visit also follows a statewide tele-rally that Trump conducted Thursday night with several high-profile GOP hopefuls, including Graham, gubernatorial candidate Alan Wilson and 1st Congressional District contender Jenny Honeycutt, who’s caught in a tight race of her own with retired Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore.
During the call, Trump left no doubt about what these midterms — which some analysts predict could turn into a “blue wave” due to affordability concerns and the president’s poor poll numbers — mean to him and his party.
“Essentially,” he said, “I am on the ballot.”
In other recent news
2026: S.C.-1: Sparks fly in final debate for Charleston’s seat in Congress over 2nd Amendment, data centers. A second and chippier debate between Republican Jenny Honeycutt and Democratic nominee Nancy Lacore saw the candidates for S.C.’s 1st Congressional District disagree over gun control in the wake of an Oregon school shooting that left three children and a teacher dead.
- Timmons, McClain square off in 4th District congressional race
- Stumbo, Hricik outline their agendas for attorney general’s office
- A look at who could be S.C.’s next agriculture chief
- Democrats take on Republicans in every S.C. House district
U.S. SENATE: Andrews calls on Graham to recuse on China votes due to husband’s employment. Democrat Annie Andrews said on Wednesday that appointed incumbent GOP Sen. Darline Graham should recuse herself from all votes related to China because her husband works for companies that import Chinese products — a move Graham’s campaign called “desperate.”
- Graham, Andrews trade barbs in statewide debate
- Graham ‘proud’ of sanctions bill — but won’t challenge Trump’s diesel deal with Russia
- Warnock stumps for Andrews amid 2028 presidential speculation
Three men accused by Mace arrested in connection with alleged sex assault. The three men, including Mace’s ex-fiancé, face charges arising from the alleged sexual assault of a 23-year-old woman in 2018. Mace publicly called the men “predators” in a stunning speech on the U.S. House floor last year.
More S.C. schools earn excellent ratings. Results from the 2026 South Carolina School Report Card highlight a few surges, including the nearly 19% increased of South Carolina schools earning an overall rating of excellent: the number increased from 270 to 320.
- McMaster declines to remove Charleston school board member
- S.C. invests in teacher loan forgiveness programs
S.C. Arts Commission board appoints new agency interim executive director. The South Carolina Arts Commission announced its third leadership change of the month at its Oct. 15 board meeting; the commission’s current interim executive director will transfer to a deputy director role.
So it’s a clear choice
Award-winning cartoonist Robert Ariail has a special knack for shining a light on critical issues in just the right way. This week, he offers a fresh take on the U.S. Senate race on the 2026 South Carolina ballot.
- Love this week’s cartoon or hate it? Did he go too far, or not far enough? Send your thoughts to feedback@statehousereport.com.
Brack: For change, you’ve got to get out and vote
Commentary by Andy Brack | You might not think much of political yard signs at this time of year. They junk up the roadways. They’re little more than branding during a time when we can’t get away from bright colors, fonts and logos that assault our senses.
But while mere yard signs may not win elections directly, they remind voters about candidates. And maybe they do something else – maybe they’re a kind of mirror for enthusiasm during an election. Seems reasonable that voters might not think a candidate without signs really wants a job as bad as the guy with yard signs – and maybe that does translate into a vote.
In our ongoing Listening Across America trip across the country, hearing from voters about what’s going on politically as the midterm elections approach, we’ve noticed something in lots of red states from South Carolina through New Mexico – not too many yard signs. Maybe it’s a bit early. Or maybe – just maybe – Republicans aren’t as enthusiastic about what’s ahead. (Only when we reached Hurricane, Utah, did we see a bevy of yard signs – which made us think about how they may actually be an election barometer.)
So far in our travels, people who align as more Democratic seem to be invested more in election outcomes. Many of the Republicans we’ve met – from a doctor in Alabama to a businessman in middle Texas to a retiree in New Mexico – seemed to think that the change from a Republican Congress was just a matter of time. Everybody – regardless of party – complained about high gas and food prices. And these common themes seemed to connect Americans more than divide them.
For example in Texas, Republicans control state government and have an overwhelming GOP majority in the Lone Star State’s congressional delegation. But a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, James Talarico, seems to be ahead in the polls.
Former Congressman Beto O’Rourke, an El Paso native who ran for president in 2020, says he sees the enthusiasm gap.
“Maybe every election is a change election to some degree, but where we are here in Texas, Republicans have held power for more than three decades,” he said just before meeting with students at the University of Texas in Austin. “They have every single lever of power. There was no one for Republicans to blame for high diesel and gas prices, for low wages, for the ICE roundups that have not just broken up families, and put fear into communities, but have killed people throughout this state.”
The fluctuations being experienced by Americans are owned, he said, by Republicans, which may lead many voters to want change.
“There’s really just one answer – the Democrats, and thank God, those Democrats are also putting up very strong candidates who are adept at not just pointing out the failures of Republicans, but describing this very positive aspirational vision for this state and our country. So this is absolutely a change election, and I think that’s why Democrats look so good.”
But O’Rourke, who narrowly lost a 2018 U.S. Senate election to Ted Cruz, also hears from Democrats who worry whether this cycle’s enthusiasm is real because they’ve had their hearts broken in the past.
“They’re asking, before I get my hopes up again, is this really happening? And, you know, the answer is, we won’t know until the night of November 3rd. But in my life, I’ve never seen conditions so positive for Democrats as they are right now for our Senate candidate, for our gubernatorial candidate, but maybe just as importantly for the down ballot, congressional and state House candidates, as well.”
We’ll know soon enough. But if you want to really make a change, you’ve got to ignore any gray skies or lethargy and get out to the polls on Nov. 3.
Andy Brack is editor and publisher of Statehouse Report and the Charleston City Paper. Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com.
Fountain (not in S.C.)
This week as editor Andy Brack travels across the country for his Listening Across America political travelogue, we offer this picture taken somewhere along the way. It’s not in South Carolina. Please send in your best guess of where this is and the restaurant’s name – and your name and hometown – to feedback@statehousereport.com. And if you have a mystery photo to share, send that along too (but tell us what it is because we’re horrible guessers.)
Last week’s mystery, “Barbecue and chicken” certainly was tough and stumped some people , but four sleuths knew or figured out it was the buffet at Shealy’s Bar-B-Que in Batesburg-Leesville, S.C.
Congrats to: Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas; Michael Webb of Hartsville; George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; and Frank Bouknight of Summerville.
- SHARE: If you have a Mystery Photo to share, please send it to us – and make sure you tell us what it is!
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Please send us your thoughts about politics and policy in South Carolina, but make sure to leave phone numbers and hometowns to help us verify them for publication. We publish non-defamatory comments, but unless you provide your contact information – name and hometown, plus a phone number used only by us for verification – we can’t publish your views.
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Statehouse Report, founded in 2001 as a weekly legislative forecast that informs readers about what is going to happen in South Carolina politics and policy, is provided by email to you at no charge every Friday.
- Editor and publisher: Andy Brack, 843.670.3996
- Statehouse bureau chief: Jack O’Toole
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