@MattMooreSC became one of the youngest state party chairs in the country when he took the helm of the @SCGOP. @harrisonjaime chaired the Democratic National Committee after leading the @scdp. At #StraightTalk2026, they brought those two different careers to the same question.

Today, our members unanimously selected Representative Micah Caskey to serve as our new Majority Leader as we prepare for the upcoming November elections. Majority Leader Davey Hiott is stepping into a new role focused on strengthening our members and supporting their campaigns across the state. We are grateful for his leadership and continued commitment to our Caucus. The South Carolina House Republican Caucus is entering November united and energized, with a strong team in place and ready to continue delivering results for South Carolina.

‘Travel sports,’ a term that has come to encompass all sorts of private teams, leagues, and clubs, used to be for the truly exceptional young athlete. Now, they’re for anyone willing to pay — an expensive, exhausting commitment that has become popular not necessarily because millions of parents want them for their children but because it can feel like there’s no other choice. Rec programs are underfunded and struggle to compete with for-profit leagues for prime field, rink, and court times. And the level of play is diluted, often very early, as travel teams are incentivized to enroll children at young ages. Around 5 million children in the U.S. now compete on travel teams. Parents find themselves trapped. They know the benefits of sports and want that for their children, yet giving it to them often means buying into a sports ecosystem that’s inherently flawed. As the pay-to-play model increasingly takes hold, so does the idea that kids should start competing at younger and younger ages, risking their sense of self along with their shoulders and ACLs. “I never want my kids to look back and say I didn’t do everything I could to help them live their dreams,” a mother of three soccer players said. She’s hired professional photographers to take action shots for her 12- and 13-year-olds’ Instagram accounts — the platform has become a recruiting tool — and they’ve both asked her to pay for personal trainers. “I think the word isn’t ‘specialize’; you are ‘professionalizing’ your kid early. You are exposing them to everything professionals have to deal with — I’m talking injury, time, schedule, everything,” said John Van Benschoten, a former MLB player and travel-baseball coach. It makes one ask: All this for what? And for whom? Read Caitlin Moscatello’s cover story on how travel leagues have made youth sports more expensive, hypercompetitive, and all-consuming — and the investors who are making a killing: nymag.visitlink.me/1-gbZQ

NEW: South Carolina U.S. Senate Special Republican Primary Poll Senate Ballot: Darline Graham: 30% Russell Fry: 16% Ralph Norman: 15% Mark Sanford: 9% Mark Lynch: 6% Duke Buckner: 3% Mark McBride: 1% Glenda Gail Parker: 0% Sam Shepherd: 0% Undecided: 20% Head to Head Runoff Ballots: Russell Fry: 40% Darline Graham: 31% Undecided: 29% Russell Fry: 36% Ralph Norman: 28% Undecided: 35% Darline Graham: 40% Ralph Norman: 35% Undecided: 25% July 28-30, 2026 | 857 LV (R) | MoE ±3.33% | Not sponsored by any candidate or candidate’s committee. Full deck: app.coefficient.org/public/f…

Had no dog in the race, but the way Team Wilson organized within hours of the first results, built a coalition, secured a Trump endorsement, and created real momentum says a lot. Congrats @MattMooreSC and the @FirstTuesdaySC team 🫡

🚨 Exciting Campaign Update 🚨