Beaufort SC Politics & Civic News — Page 5
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.
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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Quick Resources
Beaufort is in Beaufort County, South Carolina. Mayor, City of Beaufort: Phil Cromer; Chair, Beaufort County Council: Alice Howard.
Latest Beaufort Politics News — Page 5
North Korea Orders Border Troops to Hit Back
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has instructed soldiers along its southern frontier to respond swiftly and forcefully if South Korean forces endanger them, state media reported Wednesday,…
SC Early Voting Opens With Nearly 98,000 First-Day Ballots
COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina voters wasted little time once in-person early ballots became available for the 2026 general election, with 97,968 people casting ballots statewide on Monday,…
Trump Rallies for Graham as SC Senate Race Moves to Lean GOP
CLEMSON, S.C. — President Donald Trump heads to the Upstate on Wednesday night to campaign for U.S. Sen. Darline Graham, a stop that comes one day after a…
SC 2026 Ballot Guide: Governor, Senate and the 1st District
COLUMBIA, S.C. — With early voting open, South Carolina voters are deciding three contests that will shape the state for years: an open governor's office, a U.S. Senate…
Early Voting Opens at Four Beaufort County Sites
BEAUFORT, S.C. — Beaufort County residents can now cast ballots at four early voting sites, and voters at the first busy locations reported waits of roughly half an…
Midterm Ad Spending Tops $10B as Super PACs Pour in Cash
WASHINGTON — Money for political ads in this year’s midterm elections has blown past $10 billion, a record for a non-presidential year, and the total is on track…
Beaufort County Council Votes 11-0 to Release Quick Group Report
BEAUFORT, S.C. — Beaufort County Council reversed course Monday night and agreed without dissent to make public the findings of its outside inquiry into county administration, setting a…
Zelenskyy Says Kyiv Got No U.S. Warning
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia pounded Kyiv and the surrounding region with waves of ballistic missiles overnight into Monday, cutting electricity to roughly 550,000 households, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy…
Trump Heads to Kansas to Rally for Sen. Roger Marshall
PARK CITY, Kan. — President Donald Trump is scheduled to hold a rally Monday just north of Wichita for Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, the latest stop in a…
Trump Returns to South Carolina Wednesday to Rally
CLEMSON, S.C. — President Donald Trump is coming back to South Carolina on Wednesday, Oct. 21, for a midterm rally in the Upstate meant to fire up Republican…
South Carolina Early Voting Opens Today
COLUMBIA, S.C. — In-person early voting for the 2026 statewide general election starts Monday across South Carolina, giving voters in all 46 counties nearly two weeks to cast…
Paxton and Talarico Locked in Tight Texas Senate Race
AUSTIN, Texas — With the midterm election less than a month away, the U.S. Senate race in Texas has turned into a genuine contest, an unusual spot for…











