Clyburn to run for 18th term in U.S. House

MORNING HEADLINES | Democratic power broker James Clyburn, 85, on Thursday said he is seeking an 18th term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Some says he’s testing his party’s push for generational change and breaking with other congressional leaders who have announced retirements.

But Clyburn begged to differ in a state that has a long tradition of politicians who serve for decades: “I do believe that I’m very well equipped — and healthy enough — to move into the next term to continue in that pursuit of perfection,” he said in media reports.

Clyburn served for years as the No. 3 House Democrat and the highest-ranking Black member of Congress. In 2022, he stepped down with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her longtime No. 2, Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, to make way for a new generation of party leaders. But he then was elected to a new leadership position – assistant Democratic leader – for two years.

Now Clyburn’s decision to stay comes at a moment of peak confidence among Democrats that they are well positioned to win back control of the House in November’s midterm elections. Clyburn’s district stretches from parts of Richland County to Charleston County with rural counties in between that span.

Candidate filing for this year’s S.C. elections opens Monday and closes March 30. The state’s primary elections will be held June 9.

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In Friday’s issue of the Charleston City Paper

CP OPINION: Be dedicated to letting in sunshine. “Bad things can happen in the dark. And nothing scatters the pests like letting in the sunshine. That’s why we have sunshine laws like the state Freedom of Information Act that require our elected officials to do public business in public, not the backrooms.”

CP OPINION, Jones III: One way to make America’s story feel really alive
CP CARTOON: Ariail: How is that supposed to help students?
CP CARTOON: Stegelin: Paid for with tax dollars and American lives

CP FEATURE: Americana icon: Robert Earl Keen returns March 18. Robert Earl Keen is the nation’s 2026 “Texan Of The Year.” Or at least that’s what a well-known, nonpartisan group of Texas business and political leaders said last year.

CP NEWS: Historic churches to get preservation grants for buildings. Two historic Episcopal churches in Charleston will each receive major grants from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to make repairs to their sanctuaries.

CP NEWS: Tiger Lily Florist celebrates 30th anniversary. After 30 years of flowery hugs, cries and professions of love, 15-time Best of Charleston winner Tiger Lily Florist has seen just about every possible occasion when it comes to flowers.

CP FOOD: Enjoy these 8 great Charleston veggie burgers. While traditional beef hamburgers are arguably as American as apple pie, the veggie burger is also big business in the United States.

CP ARTS: North Charleston’s Jubalo salts city with new art show. You may not have yet heard the name Okeeba Jubalo, but you likely will soon.

CP MUSIC: Awendaw Barn Jam still offers musical variety after 15 years. Music trends come and go. Venues open and close. But the Awendaw Green Barn Jam just keeps chugging along.

In recent headlines

North Charleston to rewrite zoning code for the first time. North Charleston is in the early stages of rewriting its zoning code to guide future development.

Lowcountry tribute honors legacy of Rev. Jesse Jackson. Dozens gathered Thursday at the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1422 Union Hall in North Charleston to pay tribute to the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, nearly a month after his death.

Charleston’s affordable housing plan will transform the city. City officials will host a series of workshops from March 16 through 20 to work on designs for affordable housing developments that will transform wide swaths of the peninsula, and the public is invited to participate.

Charleston school helps students with learning needs thrive. Inside the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in downtown Charleston, The Promise School serves students diagnosed with dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia.

WAR UPDATE: Israel targets Hezbollah in Beirut as strikes hit city center. The attacks heightened fears that the war was expanding beyond Hezbollah’s traditional strongholds into parts of Beirut once considered comparatively safe. New strikes were also reported in Iran, Iraq and Israel.

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