The Arena is South Carolina's newest and only progressive media company. We deliver daily quality political content: articles, podcasts, interviews, newsletters, and more from some of SC’s biggest names.
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"I'm not voting for a debate performer. This election isn't about two 80 year old men. This election is about the 168 million women in America and their reproductive freedom. " -
@AnnieAndrewsMD
Watch The Insiders' full post-debate podcast:
Hey Governor! Tell us more about this “grant.”
Particularly which presidential administration made it happen…and whether or not you supported its passage.
South Carolina continues to make significant progress in upgrading our interstates and replacing our state’s aging bridges.
Yesterday, I joined with
@LindseyGrahamSC
and
@RepJamesClyburn
to celebrate a $175 million grant to replace four bridges on I-95 over Lake Marion.
Today, I led 15 states in filing a brief asking a NY court to reverse the $355 million court order against Donald Trump. We think it's an excessive fine under the 8th Amendment and violates the 14th Amend. Due Process clause.
Republican Matt Leber ousted one of the three GOP Sister Senators in a primary last month. But the new GOP nominee for Senate has a long arrest record involving stalking, assault on a female, and even had his weapons taken away by law enforcement.
Read:
South Carolina State offices are closed today for “Confederate Memorial Day.”
It’s time to end this “offensive” holiday, per
@preachjacobs
.
Read more:
In an interview with
@AnnieAndrewsMD
, Democratic strategist
@antjuansea
says he fully supports Joe Biden and argues the stakes in the November election go far beyond just the presidency.
Watch the full interview:
The SC Freedom Caucus is the first to say they're “helping, not harming” children, yet the allegations against one of their own show otherwise.
@emilymayerSC
writes on the search warrant served on former SC Freedom Caucus Vice Chair RJ May.
.
@AnnieAndrewsMD
speaks with
@fred_guttenberg
about what the attempted assassination of President Trump means for the gun violence prevention movement and why its more important than ever to VOTE.
Watch the full interview:
How does
@NancyMace
keep winning?
Her 2022 Democratic opponent,
@AnnieAndrewsMD
, breaks down why Mace continues to find success at the ballot box, despite constant scandal and drama.
Moms for Liberty named Republican State Rep. RJ May their 2023 Legislator of the Year.
He’s now under federal investigation for child exploitation.
#ProtectKids
The Republican Sister Senators who lost their primaries two weeks ago are out campaigning for
@SenatorShealy
in her tough runoff today in Lexington County.
.
@harrisonjaime
joins the Worthy Cause podcast with
@preachjacobs
and highlights President Joe Biden’s transformational impact on South Carolina.
Watch the full podcast:
"We shouldn’t know more about RFK Jr.’s dead brainworm than we know about Trump’s gunshot wound."
@AnnieAndrewsMD
on the strange medical silence coming from the Trump team five days after he says he was shot in the ear.
In the latest episode of Their Future. Our Pod,
@AnnieAndrewsMD
sits down w/
@piper4missouri
to talk about the danger of Republican voucher schemes and why teacher pay is so low in GOP-led states.
Full pod & interview:
NEW: "Republican politicians not only lack expertise, they attack expertise." -
@AnnieAndrewsMD
In her latest piece, Annie discusses the GOP’s dangerous war on experts and her experience dealing with Republican medical ignorance.
Read and subscribe now:
🚨NEWS🚨
We're thrilled to welcome
@DrOBrienMD
to The Arena as our newest contributor! A Lowcountry native now practicing pediatrics in DC, Dr. O'Brien will bring insights on national politics, children's health policy, and more.
Read more:
🚨Exclusive: For the first time,
@AnnieAndrewsMD
and
@chase_a_glenn
share why they left MUSC.
They reveal how far-right legislators spread lies about MUSC’s care for trans kids, leading them to stop providing care to all trans patients.
Full interview:
On the latest episode of Their Future. Our Pod.,
@AnnieAndrewsMD
chats with
@cmclymer
about the White Women for Kamala event, the campaign’s final three months, and everything that’s at stake in this election.
Full pod:
Joe Biden has been an incredible public servant and has always put his country first.
Check out
@HReneeHarvey
’s latest: A love letter to America, from Joe Biden.
SC Republican Senator Katrina Shealy, who lost her GOP primary last month, goes off on Project 2025.
"Why would we ever vote for people who think that?"
Watch
@MWatsonWard
's entire exclusive interview with
@SenatorShealy
:
.
@AnnieAndrewsMD
caught up with trauma surgeon and Chief Medical
Officer at
@bradybuzz
, Dr.
@JosephSakran
, to discuss the breaking news out of
@Surgeon_General
’s office today and what this means for the gun violence prevention movement and the election in Nov.
Full interview 👇
.
@antjuansea
makes the case that the 2024 presidential election is not about the past; it’s about what the next 50, 60, 70 years would look like with a right-wing activist, extremist court.
Watch his entire interview with
@AnnieAndrewsMD
:
While women across our country continue to fight for progress and equality,
@AnnieAndrewsMD
calls out Republican women like Nikki Haley and Nancy Mace who work so hard to uphold the patriarchy.
Read her new piece now:
Paging All Doctors: America is Coding.
Read
@AnnieAndrewsMD
's latest piece on why it's time for Doctors to get engaged in the upcoming presidential election.
Democrats owe Dean Phillips an apology, says SC Rep.
@Dr_JLJohnson
.
"Those same people who treated
@deanbphillips
with so much disrespect are now screaming from the hills the exact same things that Congressman Phillips had been saying all along."
Read:
.
@emilymayerSC
caught up with
@KnowaWasTaken
at the Voters of Tomorrow Summit in Atlanta to talk about how people of all ages can get involved to help Kamala Harris.
With days remaining in session and just weeks before the primaries, Republicans passed a controversial bill targeting transgender children.
Read our inaugural Sunday op-ed by
@emilymayerSC
, who fought the bill at the statehouse.
Leber made a name for himself in GOP circles in Charleston after protesting and subsequently being removed from a Hillary Clinton rally in North Charleston in 2016:
South Carolina primaries exposed more issues than victories, says
@emilymayerSC
. Read her analysis of last week’s primary races and the deeper problems that need addressing in our state.
.
@AnnieAndrewsMD
talks to Nashville pediatrician
@kbgastineau
about the recent news of a Tennessee gun violence prevention PAC donating to GOP politicians who block common sense gun laws. Doesn't this just reinforce bad behavior?
Full interview:
In the latest episode of Their Future. Our Pod.,
@AnnieAndrewsMD
sits down with fellow pediatrician
@DrOBrienMD
to talk about the incredible excitement around Kamala Harris' candidacy.
Full pod:
🚨EXCLUSIVE: Senator Katrina Shealy sits down with
@MWatsonWard
for her first extended interview since last month's primary loss. She talks openly about the race, the state of the senate, and the future of the Republican Party.
Full interview:
Introducing: The Arena.
The Arena is an all-new independent digital media publication peeling back the rich layers of South Carolina's politics, people, and culture.
Our team of award-winning journalists, dedicated researchers, and content creatives find the questions left
.
@EdCSutton
is an Air Force veteran and entrepreneur who was deployed 3 times to Afghanistan.
He’s driven his motorcycle through the Sahara Desert and hunted gators in the Cooper River.
His next mission? The State Senate.
Read Robin Howard’s profile:
No one is safe from the scourge of gun violence in America.
@AnnieAndrewsMD
explains that if we want to regain a sense of physical and psychological safety in our public spaces, we must come together now to address this public health crisis.
Her latest:
“I’m a Black Democratic State Representative and I feel like a sitting duck.”
State Rep.
@Dr_JLJohnson
gives his condolences and immediate reaction to the assassination attempt on former President Trump.
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Death to traitors:’ S.C. elections workers threatened after state Freedom Caucus head’s questionable social media posts.
Scoop + story by
@NikieMayo
.
“If we just plow forward and pretend like that debate didn’t happen, we are doing favors for no one, and we will look like fools to everyone.”
@AnnieAndrewsMD
says the debate didn’t change the fundamentals but it does now require a serious conversation.
🎙NEW PODCAST🎙 dropping today!
“The Insiders,” a weekly show featuring The Arena contributors and covering political news in SC is out!
“Episode 1: Primary Recap” is now available on all platforms.
Full video:
Leber has a history of controversial and offensive statements, particularly on Twitter.
"(Trump) is too moderate for me."
"I think political combat is what makes us American."
"I despise very few things more than a moderate."
"Blacks commit 53% of crime."
And more:
"He genuinely looked like 'Butt-Head.' Could his cartoon doppelgänger be more perfect? Absolutely not. Because Matt Gaetz is, in fact, a butthead."
Botox advice for Matt Gaetz, via
@AnnieAndrewsMD
.
Republican Politicians Will Never Change Their Minds on Guns. So We Have to Change Their Jobs.
Pediatrician, child advocate, and
@TheArenaSC
contributor
@AnnieAndrewsMD
’s latest:
“Our sheriff does not want (open carry). The police chief does not want that.” - Rep.
@bmbrbauer
talks open carry with
@preachjacobs
.
Listen to Worthy Cause wherever you get your podcasts.
Apple:
Spotify:
Have you ever verbally abused a 7-year-old?
@JDVance
has.
@AnnieAndrewsMD
examines Vance’s weird and concerning rhetoric and why it’s so dangerous for women and children.
“What you’re trying to force down the throats of ratepayers in this state, you don’t even know what it means.” - State Rep.
@bmbrbauer
Listen to Worthy Cause with
@preachjacobs
wherever you get your podcasts.
In this week’s Sunday opinion piece,
@ChsDems
chair
@samskardon
sounds off on
@SenatorTimScott
's ‘shameful and embarrassing moment’ and why his newfound election denial is so troubling for S.C.
Read:
.
@TCulliverForSC
isn't waiting on his turn at elected office. The young, dynamic non-profit leader and Ivy School graduate is running to oust a Greenville Republican Senator who voted to prohibit all abortions.
Read more:
SC’s ultra-conservative Superintendent of Education’s short tenure has been consumed by culture wars, book bans, and attacks on…librarians. (Seriously)
Read
@MarleyBassett
’s latest piece on Ellen Weaver’s controversial stint leading SC schools.
In 2022, Heather Bauer knocked off a longtime GOP incumbent in Richland County. Now, her old opponent wants a rematch. Read
@MWatsonWard
's latest piece on why SC Democrats are rallying behind
@bmbrbauer
.
.
@bmbrbauer
was the only Democrat to flip a House seat in 2022, running a campaign almost entirely on the issue of abortion rights.
She pulled off the upset despite being outspent by a longtime GOP incumbent.
Now he wants a rematch.
@bmbrbauer
is ready.
Rank choice voting gives voters an option to vote for multiple candidates in order of preference, ensuring accurate representation for all.
Nicole Sanchez, President of
@betterballotsc
explains more in the latest episode of The
@Dr_JLJohnson
Show.
“South Carolinians have already benefited immensely from Phil’s hard work and commitment to doing what’s right, his willingness to stand up for common sense, decency and the most vulnerable among us. Now let’s stand up for him on June 11th.” -
@AnnieAndrewsMD
Democrats are grappling with what to do in this historic moment. But the echo chamber of denial is far more counterproductive than the public concerns being voiced by the “bed wetters,” writes
@TylerMJones
.
Read:
Republicans are mad again, this time about VP candidate Walz providing menstrual products for all students in Minnesota who need them.
@DrOBrienMD
writes for
@TheArenaSC
:
It's debate night!
If you don't fall asleep or black out during the debate, join
@TheArenaSC
for a special LIVE post-debate podcast with The Insiders as soon as the candidates leave the stage.
Our pod will be live-streamed on our YouTube page.
Info:
Black and Running:
@preachjacobs
writes about the rise of African-American candidates in SC in 2024 and why the recent trend is promising for our state. Stay tuned as Preach continues to highlight black candidate across SC through Election Day.
"In a state deeply entrenched in the legacy of racial inequality, Black elected officials serve as beacons of progress, driving positive transformation in governance, policy-making, and community empowerment." -
@preachjacobs
Read his latest:
The new
@winthropu
poll was released today and it showed overwhelming bipartisan support for abortion rights in South Carolina.
@MarleyBassett
has more:
ICYMI: GOP Senate candidate who defeated one of the Republican Sister Senators in last month’s primary was once arrested for assaulting his wife, resulting in his firearms being seized by police.
Republican Matt Leber ousted one of the three GOP Sister Senators in a primary last month. But the new GOP nominee for Senate has a long arrest record involving stalking, assault on a female, and even had his weapons taken away by law enforcement.
Read:
🚨 Big Announcement! 🚨
The Arena is expanding! Today we're welcoming four new contributors and launching our new Substack platform. Much of our content will remain free but we are now offering exclusive content for $10/month!
Details here:
The two remaining Sister Senators,
@TIDEVINE
and
@margieBmatthews
join
@MWatsonWard
to discuss the importance of sisterhood in the Senate and their bipartisan work with their now-ousted Republican counterparts on women's issues.
Full interview:
The Arena team is headed to Chicago for the DNC Convention and we’ll be reporting, podcasting, and interviewing ALL WEEK LONG!
If you haven’t already, please become a subscriber to The Arena today so you can get all of our DNC updates!
Subscribe now:
In her guest piece for
@TheArenaSC
, Emily Taylor explains how Walz leaned on his experience as a coach and father to implement pro-family policies in Minnesota. South Carolina should take notes.
On Sunday night, 44,000 women gathered with
@WinWithBLKWomen
to support Kamala Harris, and they raised over $1 million.
Now a group of white women - including
@AnnieAndrewsMD
- are stepping up to do the same thing.
Learn more and register now:
“I’m here to tell everyone that’s listening: it’s okay to have Jesus and a therapist.” -
@Dr_JLJohnson
.
Listen to Worthy Cause with
@preachjacobs
wherever you get your podcasts.
.
@NancyMace
is in the headlines for the wrong reasons once again, this time for using taxpayer money for personal expenses.
@MarleyBassett
has the latest:
From education and Head Start to healthcare and hunger, Trump/Vance's Project 2025 would be a disaster for America's children, writes pediatrician
@DrOBrienMD
.
Read:
Gen Z is ready to shape the future: Young Democratic leaders from South Carolina joined the Voters of Tomorrow summit in Atlanta to rally behind
@KamalaHarris
and ignite the "Year of the Youth!"
@emilymayerSC
was there to cover it for
@TheArenaSC
:
Two of South Carolina’s ‘Sister Senators’ fell in the Republican primary last night, with another headed to a runoff. Notes on those races and the race to replace Sen. McLeod: