I have arrived in Myrtle Beach, where I will focus on the SC-07 Primary to unseat incumbent Republican Tom Rice, one of ten Republicans to impeach Trump for his role in Jan. 6.

A quick thread of the things I'm watching tonight in this one: First off, SC-07 is very red.

Trump carried the district with 59 percent of the vote, and the low watermark for the party under the 2010 district lines was still 54.5 percent for Romney in 2012.

What's important to note, however, is most of the power lies in one county.

Watching today's debate between Sens. Lindsey Graham and Bernie Sanders.

It is streaming exclusively on Fox Nation (have to pay an upfront fee to see) but will be rebroadcast in prime time on Friday night.

postandcourier.com/politics/sen-l… Sanders opens by saying the working class of the United States is in "serious trouble," and that the country is beginning to become an oligopoly.

"We are living in a time where half our people are living paycheck to paycheck in the wealthiest nation in the world."

The better question... who actively has chosen to live in the McMansion microstate that has developed around the airport?

https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/1536083600734552064

That said I actually am able to reach downtown Denver quicker by car than I can reaching Brooklyn from either airport by Uber, so this take is a bit, eh.

Back at the South Carolina Democratic Party Convention this morning. Speakers today have included Joe Cunningham, Mia McLeod, Gilda Cobb-Hunter, Jim Clyburn. Hearing from candidates now. Catherine Fleming Bruce -- a longshot candidate against Tim Scott this fall -- says this year is unlike any other, evoking memories of Jan. 6.

"What is the price of a failed democracy?" she asks the crowd.

The first debate of the SC-07 Republican primary is about to get underway in Florence. Stream here: wmbfnews.com/page/7th-congr…

Tom Rice, one of ten Republicans to impeach Trump, is facing four opponents. One person in the crowd yelled "Tom Rice is a traitor" as he arrived onstage. .@RussellFrySC is considered Rice's chief opponent in the race, with the second-largest war chest and an endorsement from former President, Donald Trump.

Others include @GarrettBartonSC, Ken Richardson, and Barbara Arthur.

Floor debate now starting on the medical marijuana bill.

Rep. John McCravy, R-Greenwood, will be leading opposition on the bill. He is now arguing that based under Supreme Court precedent, this "revenue-raising bill" should have originated in the House, and should be invalid. He cited a 2015 AG's opinion, which sought to raise fuel taxes for road repairs. scag.gov/wp-content/upl…

However, State v. Stanley found that the provision only counts the levying of taxes. Medical marijuana's tax would only be an incidental tax increase.

Rep. Murrell Smith announces on the floor they've reached a deal with the Senate on SC's controversial affordable housing tax credit program.

They have landed on a limit of $20 million per year -- up from the $15 million recommended by the Senate.

postandcourier.com/news/lawmakers… This has a pretty complicated backstory... see my deep-dive on the subject from last November. postandcourier.com/columbia/news/…

Bottom line? The state has huge pent-up demand for affordable housing and can't afford to keep up. And there's concern urban developments will get priority.

Gov. Henry McMaster is giving a press conference on a recently released report about mental health issues in SC. The state's suicide rate is 1.5 times the national average, and gun violence recently has been rampant.

"It is quite clear things are out of control," he says. Says the state is planning to expand mental health resources for the state's youth, ensuring every child will have access to proper, free mental health services.

Says the pandemic not only caused problems, but "showed weakness" in the state's systems.

The House of Representatives is now starting debate on this bill postandcourier.com/news/alcohol-p…

Members just voted 84-26 to debate the bill on the floor. And we have amendments. The legislation would require alcoholic food products to be regulated exactly the same as any other alcohol product.

No more selling 'em off trucks or pontoon boats. Stores only, pretty much, unless you get a special events permit.

Standing outside of the 3M Committee with about a half-dozen other lobbyists trying to listen in. Seats in the room are still socially distanced but nobody in the audience or the committee members I could see were masked. Can barely hear from the hallway. Not ideal. You can stream if you're still interested, that's what I'm doing now. scstatehouse.gov/agendas/124h12…

Listening in to a hearing on legislation that would allow coroners to release certain autopsy photos for various purposes, like research, memorials, etc.

Sitting in the House Judiciary Committee, where lawmakers are discussing a bill that would require healthcare providers to push an unproven "abortion reversal" procedure to abortion patients.

It came up fairly quickly, if you'll recall. postandcourier.com/news/sc-lawmak… Rep. Beth Bernstein says she is concerned with the bill and that the procedure to "reverse" an abortion, per physicians she's spoken to, is unsafe.

Rep. John R. McCravy, the sponsor, cites a study by Dr. George Delgado stating its safe. But Bernstein notes he is not qualified.

Here at the University of South Carolina Law School for a panel on Ukraine featuring alums @LindseyGrahamSC and @RepJoeWilson, along with top instructors at the school.

Relevant updates below. #SCPol Joel Samuels, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and an expert on international law, calls the invasion of Ukraine by Russia unprecedented in his lifetime.

"There has been an event that is shaken my understanding of the world post World War Two like this invasion."

Dispatch from Florence tonight:

Trump fired broad shots at political rivals Tom Rice and Nancy Mace, while Russell Fry and Katie Arrington received some major MAGA world endorsements:

postandcourier.com/politics/trump… Also a major shout-out to my editor, @skropf47, who pulled together substantial portions of this amid significant, cold weather-induced technical issues.

Good morning from a wet and chilly Florence Regional Airport, where former President Trump is set to hold a rally in support of Katie Arrington and Russell Fry tonight.

This is the vendor area. Coming in, dozens of people waving Fry for Congress signs along the highway. Talked to a few.

One was thrilled to be here, and was talking about how nice everyone was. Another told me J6 was a hoax, the election was stolen, and predicted a violent civil war.

Packed committee room for today's hearing on South Carolina's "Save Women's Sports" bill.

We have a hard 10 a.m. stop time, and a full list of speakers. The bill -- as seen in other states -- would require student athletes at public schools to declare their biological gender at-birth for intramural or interscholastic sports.

Females would be permitted to play male sports if those sports are not available to females.

I'm here from the Goose Creek VFW, waiting for a town hall with @RepNancyMace.

It's Mace's first full-scale, in-person town hall since Veterans Day 2021 in Beaufort, 17th overall. Mace arrives at 6:05. Smaller turnout than I expected. Only a few dozen people here, not including the news cameras. (Just three).

Earlier today, SC Rep. Ralph Norman, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, released a statement saying there was nobody to blame for the invasion than Putin himself.

Here, Arrington blaming not just Biden, but the people who certified his election.

https://twitter.com/karringtonsc/status/1496884194693324800

Mace meanwhile critical of Biden foreign policy.

https://twitter.com/RepNancyMace/status/1496893660633436166?t=BTwOR9LanFtRMLdidhDYVA&s=19

At a press conference with @henrymcmaster this morning, where he is announcing the appointment of acting director of the Department of Juvenile Justice, Eden Hendrick, to the position full-time. Hendrick has been in the post since September, and has a long public service career in the state.

What's been happening in the House this morning is real interesting.

Today, lawmakers were considering a bill to allow Lancaster County to have partisan elections for school boards.

They would be just the third county in the state to do so. But Democrats are not happy. Some argued it will close seats to those who will not be able to afford to campaign.

Others think it's the beginning of an effort to bring politics into otherwise bureaucratic roles during a time of extreme political tension in the state’s education system.

Senate will now vote to table an amendment from Sen. Hembree to effectively gut the medical marijuana bill and turn it into a bill authorizing the state to conduct a clinical trial, significantly downsizing the program from thousands of eligible patients to a handful. The amendment has been tabled, 26-18. This was the first key show of support for Davis' bill, and a significant moment indicating it is likely to pass.

Davis' purported whip count was right around this number.

Good morning all!

The South Carolina Senate will return today to debate @SenTomDavisSC's medical marijuana after 8 hours of amendments yesterday.

Many were carried over. Only a handful passed outright. Here's some of the most significant/potential changes.

🧵 ADOPTED: A dual Davis/Kimbrell amendment reducing the maximum size of grow operations from 15 to 2 acres. Would also eliminate dispensaries from the equation, creating something more akin to a pharmacy, with a program to track cannabis products like opioids or other meds.