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USC Aiken Men Hold Off Lander 2-1 in Aiken Soccer Match Driver Dies as Car Hits Tree, Burns on Silver Bluff Road in Aiken FAA Certifies Boeing 737 Max 10 Russia Frees Jailed Michigan Man After Trump Appeal to Putin Kagan Says Court Election Rulings Have Hurt Democracy
Aiken SC Politics & Government

Aiken SC Politics & Civic News — Page 10

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

City Council County Council SC Senate SC House US Congress Elections Civic Issues
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POLITICSSC Early Voting Opens With Nearly 98,000 First-Day Ballots ◆ POLITICSTrump Rallies for Graham as SC Senate Race Moves to Lean GOP ◆ POLITICSSC 2026 Ballot Guide: Governor, Senate and the 1st District ◆ POLITICSWilson and Johnson Make Final Push in Governor’s Race ◆ POLITICSAviation Commission Weighs Naming Aiken Airport for Graham Today ◆ POLITICSAiken County Early Voting Centers Open Through Oct. 31 ◆ POLITICSTrump Waives Most Penalties in Graham Act Russia Sanctions ◆ POLITICSClarendon Poll Closures Test South Carolina Voting Law ◆ POLITICSTrump Rallies South Carolina Voters for Darline Graham ◆ POLITICSGraham, Andrews Senate Race Tight as SC Early Voting Opens ◆ POLITICS23 Counties Put Penny Sales Taxes on Nov. 3 Ballots ◆ POLITICSWilson, Johnson Split on School Choice and Pre-K ◆

Aiken 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, Aiken County Council, Aiken City Council, and school district boards — each a separately elected body covering its own geographic slice of the county. South Carolina is the only state in the nation where the full SC General Assembly elects justices to the SC Supreme Court — not the governor — making Statehouse races consequential even to courtroom outcomes.

Aiken’s federal delegation includes US Rep. Joe Wilson (SC District 2) and Senators Darline Graham and Tim Scott. In Columbia, Aiken is represented by Sen. Tom Young, Jr. (District 24) and Reps. Charles V. Hartz (District 81) and William "Bill" Clyburn (District 82).

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

HEREAiken covers Aiken County Council meetings, Aiken 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 Aiken County is governed, it’s HERE.

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Oct 21 SC Early Voting Opens With Nearly 98,000 First-Day Ballots
Oct 21 Trump Rallies for Graham as SC Senate Race Moves to Lean GOP
Oct 22 Clarendon Poll Closures Test South Carolina Voting Law
Oct 22 Trump Rallies South Carolina Voters for Darline Graham
Oct 20 Wilson and Johnson Make Final Push in Governor’s Race
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NATIONAL 340 responses

What do you think: Russia Frees Jailed Michigan Man After Trump Appeal to Putin?

Strongly support — this is overdue 38%
Cautious support — depends on the details 27%
Skeptical — need to see the cost first 22%
Oppose — not the right direction for Aiken 13%
Based on our coverage · October 21, 2026
NATIONAL 489 responses

What do you think: Kagan Says Court Election Rulings Have Hurt Democracy?

Strongly support — this is overdue 35%
Cautious support — depends on the details 21%
Skeptical — need to see the cost first 18%
Oppose — not the right direction for Aiken 26%
Based on our coverage · October 21, 2026
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SC Early Voting Opens With Nearly 98,000 First-Day Ballots
Oct 21, 2026
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, 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,
Trump Rallies for Graham as SC Senate Race Moves to Lean GOP
Oct 21, 2026
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 national election handicapper moved South Carolina's Senate race a notch closer to a toss-up. The 7 p.m. rally is set for the T. Ed Garrison arena, a
SC 2026 Ballot Guide: Governor, Senate and the 1st District
Oct 21, 2026
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 seat drawing national attention and a coastal U.S. House district both parties think they can win. Governor. For the first time since 2017, the state will get
Wilson and Johnson Make Final Push in Governor’s Race
Oct 20, 2026
Wilson and Johnson Make Final Push in Governor’s Race
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The contest to replace term-limited Gov. Henry McMaster has entered its last two weeks, and both nominees used Monday, the opening day of early voting, to campaign in different corners of South Carolina. Republican Alan Wilson, the state attorney general, worked the Upstate with a pitch built around affordability. His platform calls
Clarendon Poll Closures Test South Carolina Voting Law
Oct 22, 2026 · SC Statewide · HERE Columbia
Clarendon Poll Closures Test South Carolina Voting Law
Via HERE Columbia: MANNING, S.C. — With early voting underway for the Nov. 3 general election, a fight over shuttered polling places in rural Clarendon County is raising a statewide question: who gets to decide where South Carolinians cast their ballots. The county Board of Voter Registration and Elections voted at meetings in June and August to close […]
Trump Rallies South Carolina Voters for Darline Graham
Oct 22, 2026 · SC Statewide · HERE Columbia
Trump Rallies South Carolina Voters for Darline Graham
Via HERE Columbia: PENDLETON, S.C. — President Donald Trump came to the Upstate on Wednesday to shore up Sen. Darline Graham, drawing a crowd to the T. Ed Garrison arena less than two weeks before South Carolina picks its next U.S. senator. Trump told the crowd that Graham is smart, widely respected and would not let voters down, […]
Aviation Commission Weighs Naming Aiken Airport for Graham Today
Oct 20, 2026
Aviation Commission Weighs Naming Aiken Airport for Graham Today
AIKEN, S.C. — The city advisory board that oversees flying at Aiken Regional Airport takes up a politically touchy question Tuesday: whether the airport should carry the name of the late U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham. The General Aviation Commission meets at 5 p.m. Oct. 20 at City Hall, the Cavanaugh municipal building on Chesterfield Street,
Aiken County Early Voting Centers Open Through Oct. 31
Oct 20, 2026
Aiken County Early Voting Centers Open Through Oct. 31
AIKEN, S.C. — Aiken County voters can cast ballots early for the Nov. 3 general election at any of six centers around the county, with the early voting window running through Oct. 31. Hours at each center run 8:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily, but all six sites will be closed on Sunday, Oct. 25.
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Elected Officials

Your Aiken Reps

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

City of Aiken
City
Teddy W. Milner
Mayor of Aiken
City of Aiken · 111 Chesterfield St S · Aiken, SC 29801
803-642-7654 · Since November 2023
City
Stuart T. Bedenbaugh
City Manager
Aiken City Hall
Since July 2018
City
Gail Bush Diggs
City Council Member
District 1
City
Lessie B. Price
City Council Member
District 2
City
Kay Biermann Brohl
City Council Member
District 3
City
Barbara Ruth Morgan
City Council Member
District 6
City
Peter Messina
City Council Member
District 4
City
Braylen Waldo
City Council Member
District 5
Aiken County Council
County
Aiken County Council
Aiken County Council
Aiken County Government Center · 1930 University Pkwy
803-642-1500
SC State Senate — Aiken County
State Senate
Tom Young, Jr.
State Senator
District 24
R
SC House of Representatives — Aiken County
State House
Charles V. Hartz
State Representative
District 81
R
State House
William "Bill" Clyburn
State Representative
District 82
D
US Congress — SC
US House
Joe Wilson
US Representative
SC District 2
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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SC Voter Registration (scvotes.gov) → Aiken City Council Agendas → South Carolina General Assembly → Find Your District (SC) → Find Your US Rep → SC Ethics Commission → City of Aiken Official Site → Rep. Joe Wilson · SC District 2 → Sen. Lindsey Graham · US → Sen. Tim Scott · US →
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Aiken is in Aiken County, South Carolina. Mayor: Teddy Milner; City Manager: Stuart Bedenbaugh; County Council Chair: Gary Bunker.

Latest Aiken Politics News — Page 10

  1. U.S. Actions in Iran, Strait of Hormuz Incidents Prompt Economic Watch in Aiken

    The United States has conducted military strikes in Iran, according to international and U.S. reporting, following a series of reported attacks on commercial vessels operating near the critical…

  2. Supreme Court Decision on Texas App Age Verification Draws Attention in Aiken

    The Supreme Court has permitted a Texas law mandating age verification for minors accessing certain apps to proceed, a decision that comes amidst ongoing legal battles challenging the…

  3. Supreme Court Justices Testify on Budget, Security Before Congress, Drawing Attention in Aiken

    Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett were scheduled to testify before a congressional panel this week, addressing the federal judiciary’s budget and security requirements. This…

  4. U.S. Strikes in Iran, New Oil Sanctions Carry Economic Implications for Aiken

    The United States has conducted strikes in Iran, according to non-federal international and U.S. reporting. These actions come in response to recent attacks on ships operating near the…

  5. New Tariff Letters Put Aiken’s Manufacturing and Retail Sectors in Focus

    President Donald Trump announced that tariff letters to a dozen countries had been signed and were scheduled to be dispatched on Tuesday, July 7. This development has brought…

  6. Supreme Court’s Emergency Orders on Executive Power, Election Rules Draw Scrutiny, With Implications for Aiken

    The Supreme Court of the United States has increasingly relied on its emergency docket, often referred to as the ‘shadow docket,’ to issue significant rulings on matters of…

  7. Aiken Watches as Supreme Court Prepares for Landmark Term on Guns, Voting, and Rights

    The U.S. Supreme Court is gearing up for a new term, expected to commence in October, with a docket that includes several high-profile cases touching on fundamental legal…

  8. President Trump’s Declassification Directive Prompts Discussion in Aiken

    President Donald Trump recently stated that his acting spy chief possesses broad authority to declassify records, a directive that includes material tied to the 2020 election. This announcement…