Latest Downtown Eats & Sweets Closing in Laurens, Near Clinton
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CLINTON, SC · UPSTATE EDITION · FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2026
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Clinton SC Politics & Government

Clinton SC Politics & Civic News

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

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Laurens 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, Laurens County Council, Clinton City Council, and school district boards — each a separately elected body covering its own geographic slice of the county.

Laurens’s federal delegation includes US Rep. Sheri Biggs (SC District 3) and Senators Darline Graham and Tim Scott. In Columbia, Clinton is represented by Sen. Daniel B. "Danny" Verdin III (District 9) and Rep. Leon D. "Doug" Gilliam (District 42).

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

HERE Clinton covers Laurens County Council meetings, Clinton 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 Laurens County is governed, it’s HERE.

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NATIONAL 336 responses

What do you think: Supreme Court Lets New Hampshire Bar Student IDs?

Strongly support — this is overdue 33%
Cautious support — depends on the details 26%
Skeptical — need to see the cost first 15%
Oppose — not the right direction for Clinton 26%
NATIONAL 519 responses

What do you think: Outside Money Tops $18M in Arizona Race for Feely, Shah Seat?

Strongly support — this is overdue 34%
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Political Coverage

Local & State Political News

Clinton, Laurens County, & South Carolina Capitol
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McMaster Creates Commission to Protect More SC Land
Oct 23, 2026
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 places and cultural heritage. Executive Order 2026-24 creates the Governor's Conservation Commission, an advisory group meant to get state agencies, local governments, private landowners and nonprofits pulling
SC Early Voting Passes 280,000 After Three Days
Oct 23, 2026
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, about 6% fewer than the 93,877 on Tuesday. The state also corrected Monday's opening-day count upward by 161, to 98,129, bringing the three-day statewide total to 280,114.
Deputies Probe Assault Report From Trump’s Upstate Rally
Oct 23, 2026
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 several scuffles broke out in the crowd. The Anderson County Sheriff's Office said two incident reports came out of the Oct. 21 event at the T. Ed
Alan Wilson Rallies Republicans in Greenwood on Bus Tour
Oct 23, 2026 · SC Statewide · HERE Greenwood
Via HERE Greenwood: GREENWOOD, S.C. — Attorney General Alan Wilson, the Republican nominee for governor, brought his campaign bus to uptown Greenwood on Thursday morning, Oct. 22, asking local Republicans to turn out and vote the whole party ticket on Nov. 3. The hour-long gathering at the Inn on the Square on East Court Avenue was the first […]
SC Early Voting Opens With Nearly 98,000 First-Day Ballots
Oct 21, 2026
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, Oct. 19, according to a turnout report from state election officials. The heaviest opening-day traffic came from the state's largest counties. Charleston County led with 9,389 voters,
Clinton Voters Can Cast Early Ballots in Laurens Through Oct. 31
Oct 20, 2026
CLINTON, S.C. — Clinton residents who want to vote before Election Day have one place to do it this year.…
Clinton Planning Commission Puts Two Housing Annexations on Hold
Oct 15, 2026
CLINTON, S.C. — Two tracts on the edge of Clinton that could be brought into the city for high-density housing…
Laurens County Council Leaders Back Shealy for House 14
Oct 14, 2026
LAURENS COUNTY, S.C. — The two top leaders of Laurens County Council have endorsed Republican Rick Shealy in the race…
Elected Officials

Your Clinton Reps

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

SC State Senate — Laurens County
State Senate
Daniel B. "Danny" Verdin III
State Senator
District 9
R
SC House of Representatives — Laurens County
State House
Leon D. "Doug" Gilliam
State Representative
District 42
R
US Congress — SC
US House
Sheri Biggs
US Representative
SC District 3
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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Clinton is in Laurens County, South Carolina. Mayor, City of Clinton: Comer H. "Randy" Randall; City Manager, City of Clinton: Joey Meadors.

Latest Clinton Politics News

  1. Clinton Voters Can Cast Early Ballots in Laurens Through Oct. 31

    CLINTON, S.C. — Clinton residents who want to vote before Election Day have one place to do it this year. Laurens County is running all of its in-person…

  2. 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…

  3. 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,…

  4. 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…

  5. 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…

  6. 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,…

  7. 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…

  8. 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…

  9. 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…

  10. 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,…

  11. 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,…

  12. 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…