Latest New Sheriff, City Council Seats on Beaufort Ballot Tuesday
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BEAUFORT, SC · LOWCOUNTRY EDITION · SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2026
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Beaufort SC Politics & Government

Beaufort SC Politics & Civic News — Page 4

Covering Beaufort City Council, Beaufort County Council, South Carolina General Assembly, and your federal representatives in Washington, D.C. Accountability journalism for Beaufort County residents.

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Beaufort County sits inside one of the most layered governmental structures in the region. Residents answer to at least five levels of elected authority simultaneously: the federal government, statewide offices, Beaufort County Council, Beaufort City Council, and school district boards — each a separately elected body covering its own geographic slice of the county.

Beaufort’s federal delegation includes US Rep. Nancy Mace (SC District 1) and Senators Darline Graham and Tim Scott. In Columbia, Beaufort is represented by Sens. Margie Bright Matthews (District 45) and George E. "Chip" Campsen III (District 43) and Reps. Michael F. Rivers, Sr. (District 121) and Shannon S. Erickson (District 124).

Beaufort County Council controls property tax millage, land-use zoning outside city limits, and fee-in-lieu-of-tax agreements. Downtown zoning decisions and the Beaufort Police Department budget run through Beaufort City Council. State funding for schools, roads, and Medicaid flows from the South Carolina General Assembly. The Beaufort County Elections and Voter Registration Office administers local balloting under SC Election Commission oversight.

HERE Beaufort covers Beaufort County Council meetings, Beaufort City Council sessions, South Carolina General Assembly session, federal delegation votes and town halls, school board meetings, and candidate filing windows. We also pull FOIA-sourced travel records and contracts at both the city and county level. If it shapes how Beaufort County is governed, it’s HERE.

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NATIONAL 221 responses

What do you think: Turkey Moves Jailed PKK Founder Ocalan Within Island Prison?

Strongly support — this is overdue 31%
Cautious support — depends on the details 24%
Skeptical — need to see the cost first 18%
Oppose — not the right direction for Beaufort 27%
NATIONAL 195 responses

What do you think: Bass and Raman Tied as Los Angeles Mayor Race Ends?

Strongly support — this is overdue 40%
Cautious support — depends on the details 23%
Skeptical — need to see the cost first 18%
Oppose — not the right direction for Beaufort 19%
Political Coverage

Local & State Political News

Beaufort, Beaufort County, & South Carolina Capitol
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Stumbo and Hricik Square Off for SC Attorney General
Nov 1, 2026
COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina voters will pick a new attorney general on Tuesday, and the two people on the ballot took very different roads to get there: a career prosecutor backed by sheriffs and a solo trial lawyer running on a shoestring. Republican David Stumbo has been solicitor for the 8th Judicial Circuit, which
Graham and Andrews Race to the Wire in SC Senate Contest
Nov 1, 2026
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A U.S. Senate seat that Republicans long treated as safe in South Carolina is heading into Tuesday as one of the closest-watched races in the country. Sen. Darline Graham, a first-time candidate, was appointed to the seat after her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, died of a torn aorta this summer, and she
New Sheriff, City Council Seats on Beaufort Ballot Tuesday
Nov 1, 2026
BEAUFORT, S.C. — Beaufort County will elect a new sheriff on Tuesday, Nov. 3, as Republican Doug Seifert and Democrat Alphonso Small Jr. meet at the top of a long local ballot that also covers county money, schools and city leadership. Inside the city, Grady Woods, Josh Scallate, Jared Madison and Thad E. Lane are
New Statewide Program Aims to Help Small SC Towns Run Better
Oct 31, 2026
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Small South Carolina towns and counties that run on a handful of employees will soon have a…
Beaufort County Voters Get Touchscreen Tips as Early Voting Ends
Oct 31, 2026
BEAUFORT, S.C. — As early voting wraps up Saturday, Beaufort County election officials are steering voters around two problems before…
Sheriff Helicopter to Fly Daufuskie Election Results to Beaufort
Oct 31, 2026
BEAUFORT, S.C. — Votes cast on Daufuskie Island should reach Beaufort County election headquarters much sooner on Tuesday night, because…
Early Voting Enters Final Two Days in Beaufort County
Oct 30, 2026
BEAUFORT, S.C. — Beaufort County voters who want to skip the Election Day lines are down to their last two…
Seven Beaufort County School Board Seats Go to Voters Nov. 3
Oct 30, 2026
BEAUFORT, S.C. — Voters in Beaufort and across Beaufort County will fill seven of the seats on the county school…
Elected Officials

Your Beaufort Reps

Every official with a vote on Beaufort's future — pulled live from our roster.

SC State Senate — Beaufort County
State Senate
Margie Bright Matthews
State Senator
District 45
D
State Senate
George E. "Chip" Campsen III
State Senator
District 43
R
SC House of Representatives — Beaufort County
State House
Michael F. Rivers, Sr.
State Representative
District 121
D
State House
Shannon S. Erickson
State Representative
District 124
R
US Congress — SC
US House
Nancy Mace
US Representative
SC District 1
R
US Senate
US Senate
Darline Graham
US Senator
South Carolina
R
US Senate
Tim Scott
US Senator
South Carolina
R
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Beaufort is in Beaufort County, South Carolina. Mayor, City of Beaufort: Phil Cromer; Chair, Beaufort County Council: Alice Howard.

Latest Beaufort Politics News — Page 4

  1. Justice Department Sues Over Alaska Senate Certification

    ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The U.S. Justice Department has gone to federal court in Alaska asking a judge to keep the state from certifying its Nov. 3 U.S. Senate…

  2. Beaufort County Council Chair Questions Parts of CFO Report

    BEAUFORT, S.C. — The head of Beaufort County Council is raising doubts about parts of an outside investigation into why Pinky Harriott, who ran county finances as CFO,…

  3. Supreme Court Lets New Hampshire Bar Student IDs

    WASHINGTON — New Hampshire can turn away student IDs as proof of identity at the polls in next month's midterm election after the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday…

  4. Outside Money Tops $18M in Arizona Race for Feely, Shah Seat

    PHOENIX — Outside groups have poured roughly $18.8 million into the general election fight for Arizona's 1st Congressional District, one of the state's two most competitive House seats,…

  5. Trump Rallies for Hinson in Sioux City

    SIOUX CITY, Iowa — President Donald Trump rallied more than a thousand supporters in Sioux City on Thursday night, pressing Iowans to back Republican Ashley Hinson in a…

  6. McMaster Creates Commission to Protect More SC Land

    COLUMBIA, S.C. — Gov. Henry McMaster signed an executive order Thursday setting up a new statewide panel to coordinate how South Carolina protects its open land, wildlife, historic…

  7. SC Early Voting Passes 280,000 After Three Days

    COLUMBIA, S.C. — More than 280,000 South Carolinians have already voted, the state's newest turnout figures show after three days of in-person early voting. Wednesday drew 88,108 voters,…

  8. Deputies Probe Assault Report From Trump’s Upstate Rally

    COLUMBIA, S.C. — Anderson County deputies are investigating an assault complaint from President Donald Trump's campaign rally near Clemson this week, after protesters repeatedly interrupted his speech and…

  9. Waterfront Park, Growth Top Beaufort City Council Race

    BEAUFORT, S.C. — Voters in Beaufort will pick two at-large members of City Council on Nov. 3, and all four people on the ballot say fixing Henry C.…

  10. Outside Probe Questions Beaufort County CFO Exit in Beaufort

    BEAUFORT, S.C. — An outside investigation ordered by Beaufort County Council has found that the county could not back up most of the reasons it gave for parting…

  11. Russia Frees Jailed Michigan Man After Trump Appeal to Putin

    ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Russia on Wednesday freed an American from Michigan who had been held since the spring of 2022 on charges that he fought as a…

  12. Kagan Says Court Election Rulings Have Hurt Democracy

    WASHINGTON — Justice Elena Kagan on Tuesday faulted the conservative majority on the Supreme Court for a run of election decisions she said have pushed the country further…