By Seanna Adcox | Editor-in-chief
I’ll start by answering my trivia question in Friday’s newsletter. As a reminder, here’s what led to the question: In 20 of the last 22 midterms, the party of the president has lost congressional seats. President Donald Trump brought up the historical trend at last Thursday’s GOP rally in Rock Hill.
The two anomalies were in 1998 and 2002, mid-way through Bill Clinton’s second term and George W. Bush’s first term. My hint was that both occurred after I graduated college: not “too far back.” But I realize that’s subjective. (I graduated from Winthrop in 1996.) Kudos to the readers who knew the answer.
There’s no early voting today. So, if you haven’t voted yet, make a plan for voting tomorrow. A total of 948,592 people voted during the early voting window that ended Saturday, according to state Election Commission data. That’s a whopping 387,029 more people than voted early in 2022, though still below the 1.47 million who voted early two years ago. And it means nearly 2.5 million registered voters in South Carolina haven’t voted yet!
By Ashley Murray and Jonathan Shorman of States Newsroom’s D.C. team
When the polls close Tuesday night, the 2026 U.S. election will go down as one of history’s most expensive and extraordinarily ugly midterms — galvanizing record-breaking early voter turnout among a deeply divided electorate.
An aerial photo of the Charleston peninsula, with White Point Garden and The Battery at the southern tip. (Photo by Vanessa Kauffmann/Courtesy of Preservation Society of Charleston)
COMMENTARY
By Brian R. Turner
The president of the Preservation Society of Charleston writes about proposed changes to the 1966 National Historic Preservation Act and how they would affect historic places in South Carolina. The Preservation Society of Charleston is among a thousand community groups nationwide that have joined a coalition opposing the changes. In the nation’s fastest-growing state, where preserving history and protecting land for future generations is a bipartisan effort, this should be concerning to South Carolinians across the political spectrum.
MORE FROM OUR AFFILIATES...
Speaking of history: ‘Nearly erased’ Black patriots of the Revolution now enshrined at Maryland Statehouse | From Maryland Matters
Voters make utility regulators answer for high power bills | From Stateline (This is an interesting look at what’s happening in other states. In South Carolina, regulators on the Public Service Commission are elected by the Legislature.)
Some voters with felony convictions face new rules for the midterms | Also from Stateline (This too is interesting to know about what’s happening elsewhere. South Carolina is among 15 states where voting rights are restored after felons fully complete their sentences, including probation periods.)
Guns are on the ballot in 4 states | From The Trace via Stateline (There are no statewide referendums on South Carolina ballots. This article is about gun rights initiatives in Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho and Massachusetts.)
Two days out from Election Day, Trump rallies for Iowa Republicans in Dubuque | From the Iowa Capital Dispatch
President Donald Trump doubles down on bid to lift Roger Marshall’s campaign with Kansas rally | From the Kansas Reflector
Two Dans, three Bobs: Alaska Senate controversy mirrors 2024 Washington fiasco | From the Washington State Standard
Thanks for reading Gazette to Go. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.