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Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democrats in South Carolina are barely pretending they're not already running for president
PAWLEYS ISLAND, South Carolina — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear drew a standing ovation from Georgetown County Democrats Thursday night, after he shook hands and grinned for photos. California Gov. Gavin Newsom packed standing-room-only crowds into a two-day rural county tour of the state last week. California Rep. Ro Khanna kicked off his multi-day swing Friday to promote his populist message to Black voters. The 2028 Democratic primary calendar isn't set yet, but presidential hopefuls are already making bets that South Carolina will hold a powerful role in the nomination process — even if it doesn't keep its number-one spot. While Iowa and New Hampshire are drawing some big names, no other state has seen as much action as this small Southern state. And while these top Democrats credited their appearances to local invitations — and in the case of Beshear, his son's baseball tournament in Charleston — the 2028 implications are clear. Democratic hopefuls road-tested stump speeches and previewed their lines of attack against Republicans and President Donald Trump, all with an eye toward introducing themselves to a set of influential voters. 'I'm out there trying to be a common ground, common sense, get-things-done type of messenger for this Democratic Party,' Beshear told elected officials and party officials in Charleston Thursday morning. 'Because I believe that with what we're seeing coming out of Washington, D.C., the cruelty and the incompetence, that the path forward is right there in front of us.' Christy Waddil, a 67-year-old Democratic voter who waited to shake Beshear's hand Thursday night, said she was 'excited' to meet all these potential contenders. But it's a lot of responsibility to be the first state in the presidential primary calendar, she said: 'We have our work cut out for us now.' In June, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly spoke at an anti-gun event in Charleston to mark the grim anniversary of the Emanuel AME shooting. In May, Govs. Wes Moore of Maryland and Tim Walz of Minnesota headlined a pair of state party events to rub elbows with Rep. Jim Clyburn, the longtime South Carolina kingmaker whose nod helped anoint Joe Biden as the party's nominee in 2020. 'It's not a surprise,' said Clyburn when asked about the state's revolving door of 2028 hopefuls nearly three years before the actual presidential primary. 'Why argue with success? If it ain't broke, why fix it?' South Carolina Democrats know their grip on the top spot is tenuous, with traditional early states like Iowa and New Hampshire eager to reclaim their lead-off position, and others —like North Carolina and Georgia — seeking to emerge as new states to consider. And it comes as there's been a major reshuffling on a powerful panel at the Democratic National Committee that has huge sway over the presidential nominating process. 'None of what those supposed candidates are doing right now is going to have any bearing on what the Rules and Bylaws Committee ultimately does for the calendar,' said Maria Cardona, a longtime member of the powerful panel. 'That may or may not include all of the states that are in the early calendar now.' Democrats haven't won the state in a general election since 1976, and President Donald Trump won it by 18 points last year. It's led more competitive neighbors to wonder whether they should get top billing instead. '[National Democrats] have a lot of mobility to get power back at the federal level by investing early in North Carolina. And I think a lot of people will hear that message loud and clear, especially after we just got our asses kicked,'said state party chair Anderson Clayton, who is interested in usurping its neighbor to the south and angling for one of the open at-large slots on the RBC. 'The future of the state of the Democratic Party also runs right through North Carolina too.' Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker will deliver the keynote address at North Carolina's state party unity dinner on July 26, and state party leaders are in talks with Sens. Kelly of Arizona and Cory Booker of New Jersey about visits to the state later this year. But moving the order of primary states is easier said than done. North Carolina is hamstrung by state law from moving its date, and Democrats would need the GOP-controlled legislature to agree to any changes. DNC members have also emphasized smaller states to allow lesser-known candidates to build followings. 'The most powerful force in the universe is inertia, so South Carolina is probably the favorite to stay just because of that,' said an incoming member of the committee granted anonymity to discuss internal dynamics. 'Every state has a chance to be first, but I do think we have to come into this with a degree of realism.' The DNC is attempting to remain neutral. 'The DNC is committed to running a fair, transparent, and rigorous process for the 2028 primary calendar. All states will have an opportunity to participate,' Deputy Communications Director Abhi Rahman said in a statement. Iowa Democrats are also gearing up on a bid to restore their caucuses to their traditional spot as the nation's first presidential contest. Michigan replaced Iowa as the Midwestern early state in 2024. Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said she planned to have "tough and direct conversations" with the party in a statement, even as the DNC removed Iowa's only representative, Scott Brennan, from the Rules and Bylaws Committee this year. Already, potential 2028 candidates have traveled there, including former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who held a town hall in Cedar Rapids in May. Walz stopped by the Hawkeye State in March, and former Japan Ambassador Rahm Emanuel and freshman Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego are both slated to visit the state in the coming months. New Hampshire Democrats also openly clashed with top DNC officials last cycle — and plan to stick with their state law making it first primary in the nation. Pritzker went to an influential state party dinner there in April. 'The potential candidates on the Democratic side and, to some extent, the Republican side are coming through New Hampshire,' Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) said in a brief interview. The positioning at the national party over early states is already underway. Party insiders are voting for the remaining open seats on the panel after DNC Chair Ken Martin named members to the governing body in recent weeks. Cardona said the goal of the committee is to ensure the strongest and most electable candidate emerges from what is expected to be a crowded field. Talks will begin on the next presidential primary calendar later this year, but will ramp up after the midterms. South Carolina's ascension was aimed at recognizing South Carolina's significant Black electorate, long considered the backbone of the Democratic Party. That's partly why Khanna is there, he said in an interview on why he is focusing on reaching out to Black voters. 'I believe that's critical for all the people who want to lead the Democratic Party, in whatever form, and to me it's encouraging that people are going down to South Carolina' to reach them. Beshear, too, expressed support for South Carolina's representation, telling reporters that Democrats 'need to make sure that the South is represented in the primary calendar' because 'for too long, the investments haven't been made in places like Kentucky and in places like South Carolina.' In defense of remaining in the early window, South Carolina Democrats are playing up the state's diverse electorate and inexpensive media markets that could allow for the best presidential candidates — not just the best fundraisers — to emerge in a wide open presidential cycle in 2028. 'The Democratic primary for president is not based on the state's competitiveness in a general election,' said Parmley. 'This is the same bullshit that loses us presidential elections, and we only play in eight competitive states.' Lisa Kashinsky and Kelly Garrity contributed to this report.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Yahoo
1 dead, 1 rescued after jumping from bridge after Georgetown Co. chase
GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A man drowned while another woman was rescued after both leapt from a Highway 41 bridge in an attempt to evade law enforcement, the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office said on Saturday. Authorities attempted to stop the couple's car after discovering its tag was listed as stolen. The suspects drove west on Highmarket Street to St. Delight Road and Highway 41 toward Berkeley County. Leaving the vehicle in drive, they stopped on a bridge over the Santee River and jumped. The moving car then hit a sheriff's office unit while swift currents pulled both people under the bridge. A passerby in a boat picked up a deputy, who removed the woman as she was struggling to swim. The Berkeley County Sheriff's Office dive team assisted in a search for the man, whose body was later recovered. The man's identity is being withheld pending notification of family, authorities said. Law enforcement agencies from Dorchester and Berkeley counties, the state Department of Natural Resources, Georgetown County Sheriff' Office Marine Unit and the Georgetown County Coroner's Office assisted. * * * Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Washington Post
13-06-2025
- Washington Post
South Carolina executes a man serving death sentences in 2 separate murders
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A South Carolina man sent to death row twice for separate murders was put to death Friday by lethal injection in the state's sixth execution in nine months. Stephen Stanko, 57, was pronounced dead at 6:34 p.m. He was executed for shooting a friend and then cleaning out his bank account in Horry County in 2005. The execution began After a 3 1/2 minute final statement where Stanko apologized to his victims and asked not to be judged by the worst day of his life. Prison officials asked for the first dose of the powerful sedative pentobarbital. Stanko appeared to be saying words, turned toward the families of the victims and then let out several quick breaths as his lips quivered. Stanko appeared to stop breathing after a minute. A prison employee asked for a second dose of pentobarbital about 13 minutes later. He was announced dead about 28 minutes after the execution started. Stanko also was serving a death sentence for killing his live-in girlfriend in her Georgetown County home hours earlier, strangling her as he raped her teenage daughter. Stanko slit the teen's throat, but she survived. Stanko was leaning toward dying by South Carolina's new firing squad, like the past two inmates before him. But after autopsy results from the last inmate killed by that method showed the bullets from the three volunteers nearly missed his heart , Stanko went with lethal injection. Stanko was the last of four executions scheduled around the country this week. Florida and Alabama each put an inmate to death on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Oklahoma executed a man transferred from federal to state custody to allow his death. The federal courts rejected Stanko's last-ditch effort to spare his life as his lawyers argued the state isn't carrying out lethal injection properly after autopsy results found fluid in the lungs of other inmates killed that way. Also South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster refused a phone call to prison officials minutes before the execution began. A governor has not spared a death row inmate's life in the previous 48 executions since South Carolina reinstated the death penalty about 50 years ago.
The Independent
13-06-2025
- The Independent
South Carolina prepares for its 6th execution in 9 months with a man serving 2 death sentences
A South Carolina man sent to death row twice for separate murders is scheduled to die Friday by lethal injection in the state's sixth execution in nine months. Stephen Stanko, 57, is being killed for shooting a friend and then cleaning out his bank account in Horry County in 2005. Hours earlier Stanko killed his live-in girlfriend, strangling her as he raped her teenage daughter in the woman's home in neighboring Georgetown County. He slit the teen's throat but she survived. Stanko also ended up on death row for that crime. Stanko was leaning toward dying by South Carolina's new firing squad, like two inmates before him. But after autopsy results from the last inmate killed by that method showed the bullets from the three volunteers nearly missed his heart, Stanko went with lethal injection. Stanko is the last of four executions scheduled around the country this week. Florida and Alabama each put an inmate to death on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Oklahoma executed a man transferred from federal to state custody to allow his death. There are a couple of long-shot efforts to spare his life. Stanko can appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court after a federal judge refused this week to stop his execution. Stanko's lawyers said the state isn't carrying out lethal injection properly after autopsy results found fluid in the lungs of other inmates killed that way. Or South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster could offer clemency. That decision won't be made until a phone call prison officials make to the governor minutes before every execution. Stanko's execution is set to start at 6 p.m. at a Columbia prison. A governor has not spared a death row inmate's life in the previous 48 executions since South Carolina reinstated the death penalty about 50 years ago. What will happen to Stanko in the death chamber Stanko will be strapped to a gurney in the state's death chamber. An IV line, placed before witnesses enter the room, will stretch into a wall behind him. He will be given at least one massive dose of the powerful sedative pentobarbital. In previous South Carolina executions, prison officials have given inmates a second dose of the drug after 10 minutes when their hearts have shown sporadic electrical impulses because the organ is the last to use the body's stored oxygen. Lawyers for Stanko said the procedure shows inmates suffer. But a federal judge pointed out Wednesday that witnesses to all three South Carolina lethal injection deaths in the past nine months said the inmates took several breaths, some that sounded like snores, then stopped breathing and lost consciousness within one to two minutes. Stanko's two murders across two counties Stanko is being executed for killing his 74-year-old friend Henry Turner. Stanko went to Turner's home in April 2005 after lying about his father dying and then shot Turner twice while using a pillow as a silencer, authorities said. Stanko stole Turner's truck, cleaned out his bank account and then spent the next few days in Augusta, Georgia, where he told people in town for the Masters Tournament that he owned several Hooters restaurants. He stayed with a woman who took him to church. She then called police once she saw his photo and that he was wanted, police said. Hours before killing Turner, Stanko beat and strangled his girlfriend in her home and raped her daughter before slashing the teen's throat. The daughter survived and testified against him at one of his trials. 'Stephen Stanko is just plain evil. He has, in his core, down deep inside, something that makes him evil. He's a bad man, he knows it, and he likes it. He doesn't turn away from it. He will hide it. He's very, very, very good at hiding it, but you cannot equate evil with insanity,' then-prosecutor Greg Hembree said in his closing statement at one of Stanko's trials. Hembree later became a state senator and was the chief sponsor of the 2021 law allowing South Carolina to use a firing squad.
Associated Press
13-06-2025
- Associated Press
South Carolina prepares for its 6th execution in 9 months with a man serving 2 death sentences
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina man sent to death row twice for separate murders is scheduled to die Friday by lethal injection in the state's sixth execution in nine months. Stephen Stanko, 57, is being killed for shooting a friend and then cleaning out his bank account in Horry County in 2005. Hours earlier Stanko killed his live-in girlfriend, strangling her as he raped her teenage daughter in the woman's home in neighboring Georgetown County. He slit the teen's throat but she survived. Stanko also ended up on death row for that crime. Stanko was leaning toward dying by South Carolina's new firing squad, like two inmates before him. But after autopsy results from the last inmate killed by that method showed the bullets from the three volunteers nearly missed his heart, Stanko went with lethal injection. Stanko is the last of four executions scheduled around the country this week. Florida and Alabama each put an inmate to death on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Oklahoma executed a man transferred from federal to state custody to allow his death. Last efforts to save Stanko's life There are a couple of long-shot efforts to spare his life. Stanko can appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court after a federal judge refused this week to stop his execution. Stanko's lawyers said the state isn't carrying out lethal injection properly after autopsy results found fluid in the lungs of other inmates killed that way. Or South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster could offer clemency. That decision won't be made until a phone call prison officials make to the governor minutes before every execution. Stanko's execution is set to start at 6 p.m. at a Columbia prison. A governor has not spared a death row inmate's life in the previous 48 executions since South Carolina reinstated the death penalty about 50 years ago. What will happen to Stanko in the death chamber Stanko will be strapped to a gurney in the state's death chamber. An IV line, placed before witnesses enter the room, will stretch into a wall behind him. He will be given at least one massive dose of the powerful sedative pentobarbital. In previous South Carolina executions, prison officials have given inmates a second dose of the drug after 10 minutes when their hearts have shown sporadic electrical impulses because the organ is the last to use the body's stored oxygen. Lawyers for Stanko said the procedure shows inmates suffer. But a federal judge pointed out Wednesday that witnesses to all three South Carolina lethal injection deaths in the past nine months said the inmates took several breaths, some that sounded like snores, then stopped breathing and lost consciousness within one to two minutes. Stanko's two murders across two countiesStanko is being executed for killing his 74-year-old friend Henry Turner. Stanko went to Turner's home in April 2005 after lying about his father dying and then shot Turner twice while using a pillow as a silencer, authorities said. Stanko stole Turner's truck, cleaned out his bank account and then spent the next few days in Augusta, Georgia, where he told people in town for the Masters Tournament that he owned several Hooters restaurants. He stayed with a woman who took him to church. She then called police once she saw his photo and that he was wanted, police said. Hours before killing Turner, Stanko beat and strangled his girlfriend in her home and raped her daughter before slashing the teen's throat. The daughter survived and testified against him at one of his trials. 'Stephen Stanko is just plain evil. He has, in his core, down deep inside, something that makes him evil. He's a bad man, he knows it, and he likes it. He doesn't turn away from it. He will hide it. He's very, very, very good at hiding it, but you cannot equate evil with insanity,' then-prosecutor Greg Hembree said in his closing statement at one of Stanko's trials. Hembree later became a state senator and was the chief sponsor of the 2021 law allowing South Carolina to use a firing squad.
