I’m just a nerd when it comes to understanding how the sausage is made in our government. One thing I particularly enjoy is connecting the dots between policy and politics (two completely different things, in my opinion) in state government so that clients can develop the knowledge, messaging or advocacy plans that best suit their goals.
I recently had the chance to lead a workshop with a group of educators from around the state who are part of SC Teacher’s 2026-27 Litmus Policy Solutions cohort. SC TEACHER is a state-funded research consortium housed in the College of Education at the University of South Carolina. This year-long experience brings together a group of 25 senior level educators from around the state for a series of highly interactive sessions that take a deep dive into the policy and politics behind education-related issues.
We spent a couple of hours examining the state’s current political landscape through the lens of historical perspective and the legislative process with a little behind-the-scenes storytelling thrown in. My goal, by the end of the year-long experience next spring, is for all 25 participants to proudly claim their own title of “policy nerd.”
We got off to a good start in this first gathering with two session participants gaining their first “policy nerd” ID badge by winning the trivia game we played at the end of the session.
One new resource I enjoyed introducing into this presentation is a recently released book, “The Concise Guide to SC Government” by Vincent Sheheen (read my recent review of this book). For those who follow legislative shenanigans on a regular basis, the book provides a great backdrop for the historical “why” behind the day-to-day “what” of making laws.
I’ve found people typically connect best with with government actions when they hear real life stories or see how government impacts their lives. I’ve compiled a comprehensive list across the political spectrum of sources that includes books, podcasts, websites and TV/streaming that help bring the minutiae of government to life (yes, the list does skew toward education topics because that’s been the focus of my presentations, but I welcome ideas of other resources to add).
Podcasts
- The SC Lede – SC Public Radio’s twice weekly round-up of government and politics in SC
- From the Dome to Your Home – weekly podcast during the legislative session by the Municipal Association of SC. Typically covers local government issues but also includes lots of great info about the legislative process in general.
- Bourbon in the Back Room – Former senators Joel Lourie and Vincent Sheheen interview political types, authors, academics and journalists
- Pints and Politics – Reps. Brandon Guffey and Heath Sessions discuss issues from the previous week’s session
- Current Situation – Chair of the SC Freedom Caucus examines a variety of issues.
- Palmetto State Teachers Assn podcast – PSTA lobbyist and staff dive into education issues
- Voice of School Boards – SC School Boards Assn leaders look at education issues.
Books and reading
- The State House Gavel – Daily blog update Tuesday – Fridays during the session by SC Public Radio reporters that’s written so the average reader will find it engaging and relevant. Subscribe here to get the daily update in SCETV’s daily news email (check #6)
- The Concise Guide to SC State Government – Recently published book by former state Senator Vincent Sheheen that’s a must-read for anyone who works in or around state government
- Walter’s Edgar History of SC
- Trips and traps of reading a bill – An excellent column by Cindi Ross Scoppe of the Post and Courier that gives five tips for understanding the details of reading a bill.
- Against the Tide – Written by former Rep. Harriet Keyserling about her experience as a “young turk” in the legislature of the late 70s through the early 90s.
- Article about former Gov. Riley’s education reforms
- Statehouse Report (Chas City Paper)
- South Carolina: A Synoptic History for Laymen – Lewis Jones – My college textbook that’s a great read about SC history.
TV/Streaming
- This Week in SC – SCETV’s weekly public affairs program
- This Week in SC: 60 – SCETV’s short takes on political and government
- Statehouse Today – Landing page for SCETV’s broadcast coverage and all other legislative resources
- Daily streaming schedule for the General Assembly plus all other government agency streams
- Archive of all House and Senate livestreams
General resources
- SC legislative website
- Glossary of legislative terms
- History of SC education in SC Encyclopedia
- Ratified bills from the 2025-2026 session
- State budget summary of the FY 26-27 bill
- LegiScan – A free, real-time website that shows state legislative activity in a format different from the SC legislature’s website.
- Find your legislator
- Set up your own legislative tracking system – This link gets you into the system but it’s too complicated to try and create a handout that illustrates how to actually find relevant bills, get them into the system and set up the various types of tracking levels most people need. Contact me directly for assistance with this!
- Legislator search by city/town represented (courtesy Municipal Assn of SC)
Got a group coming to town or just want to give your staff, members or interested stakeholders an overview of how things work in the Statehouse? Let me know and we can set up a individualized presentation to meet your organization’s needs.
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