WASHINGTON (AP) — South Carolina voters will choose nominees for governor and other offices in a state primary on Tuesday, the latest test of President Donald Trump’s sway over Republican voters.
Seven Republicans and three Democrats have lined up to succeed Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, who is term-limited after 10 years in office. Regardless of party, his replacement will play a key role in the early stages of the 2028 presidential race, with the state expected to again hold critical first-in-the-South presidential primaries.
Trump’s recent endorsement of Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette to succeed McMaster could be decisive in a state he carried in three presidential campaigns with at least 55% of the vote. But a recent Republican gubernatorial primary in Iowa showed that Trump’s backing, while powerful, is not a guarantee of success. Trump’s pick in that race, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, narrowly lost to businessman Zach Lahn.
Nonetheless, Trump’s endorsement is still highly coveted. U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, a onetime staunch Trump ally who broke with the president in calling for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, still touts a past Trump endorsement on her current gubernatorial campaign website.
Other Republican candidates for governor include U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman and state Attorney General Alan Wilson, the son of Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson.
McMaster also has endorsed Evette.
The candidates for the Democratic nomination are state Rep. Jermaine Johnson, attorney Mullins McLeod and businessman and former Bill Clinton-era U.S. Department of Education chief of staff Billy Webster.
Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham faces five Republican primary challengers in his bid for a fifth term. He also has Trump’s endorsement.
Among the Democrats running is Annie Andrews, a physician who unsuccessfully challenged Mace for her U.S. House seat in 2022.
Graham had spent more than $29 million on his reelection bid as of May 20, far outpacing any of his Republican or Democratic challengers. He entered the final stretch of the primary campaign with about $4.2 million remaining in the bank, more than double the rest of the Republican field combined.
Mace’s campaign for governor leaves her 1st Congressional District seat open. Seven Democrats and 11 Republicans will appear on the primary ballots, although one Republican, former Gov. Mark Sanford, has dropped out of the race.
None of South Carolina’s seven congressional seats is expected to be particularly competitive in November, but those seats were at the center of a mid-decade redistricting effort backed by Trump to eliminate the state’s sole Democratic-held seat. The Republican-controlled state Senate rejected that effort, and candidates are running under the existing map.
Primary winners must receive a majority of the vote to avoid a June 23 runoff between the top two vote-getters.
Greenville, Horry, Charleston, Richland and Spartanburg counties are the most populous in the state and play significant roles in primaries for both parties, although large counties with significant Black populations, like Richland, Florence and Sumter, tend to have a bigger impact in Democratic contests.
Here are some of the key facts about the election and data points the AP Decision Team will monitor as the votes are tallied:
When do polls close?
Polls close at 7 p.m. ET.
What’s on the ballot?
The Associated Press will provide vote results and declare winners in contested primaries for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor, secretary of state, treasurer, attorney general, comptroller, state school superintendent, agriculture commissioner and state House.
Who gets to vote?
Any registered voter may participate in any party’s primary.
How many voters are there?
As of Friday, there were about 3.4 million registered voters in South Carolina. Voters in South Carolina do not register by party.
How many people actually vote?
The 2018 and 2022 Republican primaries for governor each had about 368,000 votes cast. In the Democratic gubernatorial primaries, there were about 240,000 votes cast in 2018 and about 182,000 in 2022.
How much of the vote is cast early or by absentee ballot?
About 29% of the Democratic primary vote and about 17% of the Republican primary vote in the 2022 gubernatorial primaries was cast before primary day.
As of Friday, about 279,000 ballots had already been cast in Tuesday’s election, almost all of it from early in-person voting.
When are early and absentee votes released?
Nearly all of South Carolina’s 46 counties release all or almost all of their early in-person and mail voting results in the first vote update of the night, usually before releasing any results from in-person Election Day voting.
How long does vote-counting usually take?
In the 2022 primary, the AP first reported results at 7:21 p.m. ET, or 21 minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 1:14 a.m. ET, with 99.9% of total votes counted.
When will the AP declare a winner?
The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.
How do recounts work?
In South Carolina, recounts are automatic if the margin between the winning and losing candidates is 1% of the total vote or less. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.
Are we there yet?
As of Tuesday, there will be 14 days until the primary runoff elections on June 23 and 147 days until the Nov. 3 general election.
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is recovering some of its sell-off from Friday, as stocks swept up in the artificial-intelligence boom bounce back on Monday. Oil prices, meanwhile, are higher following fighting between Israel and Iran, but they have come off their peaks from overnight.
The S&P 500 rose 0.7%, coming off a drop of 2.6% from Friday that was its worst since October. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 7 points, or less than 0.1%, as of 2:09 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.3% higher.
Some of the best performers were companies that sell computer chips, memory and other products fueling the AI boom. They had plunged Friday amid worries that their prices had shot too high due to AI euphoria. Such worries dragged South Korea’s Kospi index down 8.3% early Monday, pummeling tech stocks there like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.
But prices recovered as trading moved westward through Europe to New York. Micron Technology rose 10.5% after sliding 13.3% Friday for the largest loss in the S&P 500. That resumed a run where its stock has more than tripled so far in 2026.
Marvell Technology climbed 14.7% in its first trading after S&P Dow Jones Indices said the semiconductor company’s stock has grown enough to join its widely followed S&P 500 index. Marvell’s stock has also more than tripled so far this year, aided by a 32.5% surge in one day last week. That was its best day since it began trading in 2000, and it came after Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, suggested at a conference in Taiwan that Marvell could be “the next trillion-dollar company.”
That such a comment could add billions of dollars to a company’s value in an instant suggests to critics that AI stocks are running too hot. Chip and memory companies are indeed reaping big growth in revenue and profit because of the AI boom, but their stock prices have been soaring at astounding speeds. A widely followed index of semiconductor stocks surged nearly 85% for the year so far through Thursday, for example.
Now, the question is whether Friday’s drop is the start of a downturn or just a pause that shakes out excessive optimism.
Michael Wilson, a strategist at Morgan Stanley, is relatively optimistic. “Markets rarely move in a straight line at the pace seen since the March lows,” he wrote in a report. “In our view, a correction was inevitable and ultimately healthy if this bull market is going to extend into year-end” and pull the S&P 500 to his baseline target of 8,000. That would be an 8.3% rise from Friday’s close.
Corning climbed 6.5% after Amazon announced a multibillion dollar deal where Corning will produce optical fiber, cable and other products for its data centers across the country.
That helped offset a 1% dip for Campbell’s, which reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected but also a worse decline in revenue. The company’s stock is also set to drop out of the S&P 500 index when Marvell Technology’s stock joins it.
In the oil market, prices jumped after Israel and Iran launched strikes against each other, threatening to drag the region back into full-scale war. The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil, the international standard, briefly topped $98 overnight.
But it later eased back after the Iranian military said that it was halting offensive operations. Brent’s price was most recently at $94.14 per barrel, up 1.1% from Friday.
High oil prices caused by the war with Iran have already sent inflation higher, which increases not only bills for households but also yields in the bond market. High yields worldwide recently have threatened to slow economies and undercut prices for stocks and all kinds of other investments.
On Monday, Treasury yields held mostly steady following a jump on Friday. The yield on the 10-year Treasury held steady at 4.55%.
In stock markets abroad, indexes edged lower Europe following sharp losses in Asia.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 dropped 3.8% after the Japanese government revised the country’s annualized economic growth rate to 1.8% for the first quarter this year, down from an earlier estimate of 2.1%.
Stocks also fell 1.7% in Shanghai and 1.2% in Hong Kong.
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump is set to be the first sitting U.S. president to attend an NBA Finals game, bringing strict security measures that will require New York Knicks fans to navigate an extensive safety perimeter around Madison Square Garden and an expected lengthy wait to get inside the building.
The security for Game 3 between the Knicks and San Antonio Spurs and the scene around the arena more closely resembled New Year’s Eve in Times Square, and for fans, it might seem more akin to a trip to the airport. They were asked to get to the game two hours early and will be required to provide a ticket to get past various checkpoints along with passing through a TSA-style magnetometer.
Trump’s appearance led the New York Police Department and Secret Service to establish a multi-block security perimeter around the arena, cancel a watch party outside and institute a no-bag policy for ticket-holders. Fans had gathered around the Garden to watch games during this playoff run, during which the Knicks have won 13 games in a row to reach the final for the first time since 1999 and move two victories from their first NBA title since 1973.
“The NYPD in coordination with the Secret Service made the decision for Game 3, where we have a presidential visit, that we could not support watch parties right outside of the Garden,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference Monday. “We are looking forward to bringing back watch parties for Game 4. But I think New Yorkers are used to presidents coming to town, and they understand that that generally means lockdowns of areas and that’s what you’re going to see tonight at the Garden.”
Trump has attended several major sporting events in his time as president, and the security measures have created major hassles for fans.
Thousands of fans missed the start of last year’s U.S. Open men’s singles final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner because of lengthy security lines. Even though the U.S. Tennis Association pushed back the start of the match by a half-hour, many fans still couldn’t get in because added measures meant that they had to go through screening not only when they arrived at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center but again in front of the steps into Arthur Ashe Stadium, where Trump watched from a suite.
Asked his thoughts on Trump attending, Knicks center Mitchell Robinson said: “Cool, I guess. We can still get out there and play (no matter) who’s here and who’s not.”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other dignitaries are also expected to be at the game Monday night.
It was already hard enough for Knicks fans to get inside Madison Square Garden because of astronomical ticket prices. The get-in price for a ticket is higher than the average cost of monthly rent in New York, surging over $6,000. The best seats are tens of thousands of dollars. Mamdani said he bought his ticket for about $1,000 directly from Madison Square Garden.
The difficulty of seeing the game in-person has prompted fans to crowd bars, streets and watch parties all over the city. The watch party near the Garden has become a major event all through the playoffs, but with Trump attending, that event will be moved a few blocks away outside the security perimeter, at Bryant Park.
“We improvise,” said Knicks guard Jose Alvarado, who is a New York native. “We’re New Yorkers. We’re going to find a way to watch a game, and that’s what we’re doing.”
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AP Sports Writer Brian Mahoney contributed to this report.
DAVAO, Philippines (AP) — An offshore earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 hit the southern Philippines on Monday, killing at least 35 people, injuring more than 200 others mostly in ruined buildings and sending a 1-meter (3-foot) tsunami into nearby coasts.
Several mostly low-rise buildings collapsed or sustained heavy damages in the hard-hit city of General Santos. Tsunami damage was reported in at least one southern coastal village. Smaller waves were measured in Indonesia and Palau and as far away as southern Japan.
People look at a collapsed structure, following an earthquake in General Santos city, Philippines on Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
The quake also triggered a landslide in Glan, a municipality in the province of Sarangani, that killed 13 villagers, Rene Punzalan, a provincial disaster-mitigation official, told the DZBB radio network. Four other villagers died in Sarangani, he said.
The major earthquake was the strongest to hit the Philippines this year, Teresito Bacolcol, the director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, said. He warned people to seek advice before returning to damaged buildings and houses, which could collapse due to aftershocks.
The United States, a treaty ally of the Philippines, said it was coordinating with Manila and was ready to support Philippine response efforts. France, Japan and New Zealand also expressed support.
“Our pickup truck suddenly jerked and I thought we had a flat tire,” Rod Sosmeña, a regional director of the Office of Civil Defense, told The Associated Press from General Santos, where he was traveling when the quake struck at 7:37 a.m.
“The shaking was very strong and people dashed out of houses into the streets,” Sosmeña said.
Epicenter in sea off Mindanao
More than 100 students in uniforms and a dozen teachers had gathered for a flag-raising ceremony in a coconut tree-ringed grade school compound in the rural town of Malita in Davao Occidental province when the ground shook, turning the first day of school after a two-month summer break into chaos.
“Their excitement on the first day of school turned to trauma,” school principal Rosavel Cachuela told the AP.
Some of the young students screamed in panic and wept but most remained seated and still, preventing any injuries, Cachuela said, adding that a motorcycle was damaged when a shed crumbled to the ground.
At least four people remained missing in General Santos, a port city of more than 700,000 people and a regional hub for the tuna export industry. Search and rescue teams worked to find people who may have been trapped in a supermarket, a warehouse, a grade school, and other small buildings that either collapsed or were severely damaged, officials said.
The international airport in General Santos was temporarily shut due to the earthquake and 17 domestic flights were canceled, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said.
The quake was centered at sea off Mindanao, the second most populous island in the Philippine archipelago. According to Bacolcol, the quake occurred at a depth of 33 kilometers (20 miles), about 32 kilometers (20 miles) southwest of Maasim town in Sarangani province.
Assessing damage and casualties
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the cancellation of classes and directed disaster-response agencies to immediately get to work in quake-hit provinces, saying “the national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind.”
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the threat of a tsunami largely passed about five hours after the quake. Philippine officials also lifted a tsunami warning by mid-afternoon. Six shanties on stilts were damaged in a coastal village in Zamboanga del Sur province due to the quake and taller waves, officials said.
Aside from the landslide in Sarangani, most of the other deaths were caused by collapsing buildings and falling debris, including in a damaged mosque, in the southern provinces of South Cotabato and Davao Occidental, and on Balut Island, according to Sosmeña and another disaster-mitigation official, Ednar Dayanghirang.
The DZRH radio network in Manila reported that a four-story commercial building where its provincial station was located partly collapsed and staffers dashed to the ground floor without injuries.
Tsunami waves near 3 feet measured
Waves of 1 meter (3 feet) were monitored in the provinces of Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani. A 1.4-meter (4.6-foot) wave hit at one time in Kiamba town, Bacolcol said.
The quake was also felt in Malaysia’s Sabah state on Borneo island. Sabah is just a boat ride away from southern Philippines. An 83-centimeter (2.7-feet) tsunami was measured by a gauge off Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, and the PTWC said 30-centimeter (1-foot) waves were measured in Palau.
Waves up to 20 centimeters (7.8 inches) were detected on the remote Japanese island of Chichijima and the central Japanese town of Kushimoto, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The Philippines is often hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of seismic faults around the ocean.
The archipelago is also battered by about 20 typhoons and tropical storms each year, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.
Check out the Mecklenburg County Mugshots from Sunday, June 7th.
*All are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
CHARLOTTE, NC — In recognition of National CPR and AED Awareness Week, representatives from the American Heart Association stopped by WCCB Rising to demonstrate the basics of hands-only CPR and the importance of quick action during a cardiac emergency.
For more information about CPR training and resources, visit the American Heart Association’s website linked here.
Check out the Gaston County Mugshots from Sunday, June 7th.
*All are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
CHARLOTTE, N.C.– Let’s settle a debate that happens in kitchens everywhere. After dinner, are you the type who can’t go to bed until every dish is washed, dried, and put away? Or do you look at that pile in the sink and say, “That’s a problem for tomorrow me!”
Some people swear they sleep better with a spotless kitchen, while others believe the dishes aren’t going anywhere and can wait until morning. So where do you stand? Clean before bed—or leave it overnight?
CHARLOTTE, N.C.– The “pink tax” refers to the markup on goods and services targeting women making them pay more for virtually identical everyday items than men. Examples include higher prices for razors, deodorants, haircuts, and dry cleaning, ultimately costing women an estimated $1,300 or more annually.
CHARLOTTE, NC — Millions of Americans are carrying some form of debt, but financial experts say having a plan can make the path to becoming debt-free more manageable.
Nicole Benford, director of Niner Finances at UNC Charlotte, joined WCCB Rising for Money Monday to discuss two popular debt repayment strategies: the Snowball Method and the Avalanche Method.
Benford said consistency is key regardless of which strategy is chosen, noting that even small extra payments can make a meaningful diference over time.
Viewers looking to compare the Snowball and Avalanche methods or create their own debt payoff plan can download a free debt payoff template here: Debt Reduction Calculator.
