South Carolina's McMaster is now the longest serving governor at the job he loves

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Wednesday was a big day for South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster. Yes, he gave his eighth State of the State address. And he became the Palmetto State's longest serving governor at 2,927 days, thanks in large part to his evolving political instincts over 40 years in politics and a boost from President Donald Trump.

It's another bit of history for the 77-year-old Republican who also is the oldest governor in South Carolina's 249 years as a state.

McMaster didn't mention the milestone in Wednesday night's speech before the General Assembly. His staff has politely waved off requests for a big retrospective. A reporter did ask him last week how it felt to be on the cusp of such an achievement.

“Well, all you have to do is stay alive," McMaster said.

South Carolina originally had two-year terms for governor, and they could not seek reelection. That was later extended to four-year terms and not until 1980 did the state allow a governor to serve two consecutive terms.

Since then, three governors have made it all eight years, and thanks to the quirk of the calendar and inauguration dates Democrat Dick Riley served eight years plus four days from 1979 to 1987.

McMaster should blow well past the Riley record because he took over for Gov. Nikki Haley in 2017 when Trump appointed her U.N. ambassador during his first term. McMaster finished the last two years of that term and has been reelected twice. His final term runs out in January 2027.

McMaster was born in Columbia, got both his undergraduate and law school degrees from the University of South Carolina and speaks like a native. Always a Republican in a state flush with Democrats as he grew up, McMaster was a legislative assistant for U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond in the early 1970s.

He's one of the few Republicans left in office who has lost to a Democrat. McMaster took on U.S. Sen. Ernest “Fritz” Hollings in 1986 and was trounced. He got 36% of the vote and won only one county.

McMaster later led the South Carolina Republican Party as it took over the Legislature, power it has not relented. He was elected state attorney general and planned to used that as a stepping stone to governor but finished a distant third in 2010 Republican primary with just 17% of the vote. Several political obituaries were written.

McMaster aligned with Haley and was elected lieutenant governor in 2014. Then came perhaps his savviest political move.

At a January 2016 rally, McMaster became the highest ranking state officer in the U.S. to endorse Trump's candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination, calling him a “man of action” at a time many establishment Republicans were trying to get momentum for some alternative.

So when Trump won the presidency 10 months later, he said he had offered McMaster whatever he wanted. McMaster wanted the governor's office, so Trump offered a job to Haley so the lieutenant governor could move up.

McMaster loves his job. On many of the weekly schedules released by his office, he is traveling the state speaking to Rotary clubs or giving out South Carolina's highest honor, the Order of the Palmetto.

His eight years have been much more harmonious at the Statehouse. Unlike Haley and Gov. Mark Sanford, McMaster has no greater ambition. He's willing to work with both parties in the General Assembly and managed to accomplish things not usually embraced by conservatives like raising teacher pay and protecting pristine land from development.

“He at least recognizes there is some General Assembly required,” said Democratic Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, the House's longest serving member at 33 years. “He's been easy to work with even though I don't agree with many of his policies. I like him personally. You know, it's business.”

McMaster's State of the State address Wednesday hit on the same themes as past speeches. He is set in his ways. McMaster wants to continue to increase teacher pay. He wants fewer regulations to help businesses and more money to be set aside to conserve land. He wants more resources to study inefficiencies in South Carolina’s colleges and universities and even to stop illegal dogfighting.

It took him a little time to make it to the front of the House chamber. There were hugs to give, hands to shake and selfies. At the podium to hold up early in his speech was his well-marked edition of “South Carolina: A History,” the 1999 book authored by historian Walter Edgar he frequently cites.

But he did look both backward and forward. He mentioned the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War and declared that South Carolina's “history and culture are unsurpassed in the creation of this nation.”

And then he asked what South Carolina would be like 100 years from now.

“We’ve answered that question. For years we’ve invested billions of dollars in time and talent in education to prepare our children to build their lives and economy. And we’ve invested billions in our lands and waters to protect our health, expand our economy, preserve life in all its forms for its beauty and wonder, our education and joy, and the fulfillment of our duty to nourish the Lord’s Garden,” McMaster said.

McMaster is at his best one-on-one, whether he recruiting international business leaders or working a county GOP meeting, said Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, whose political career started a decade after McMaster's.

“He’s made our state a prosperous, good place to do business,” Graham told reporters this week. ”He’s a dear friend, and I think he’s going to go down in history as one of the greatest governors we’ve ever had.”

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, right, gives his State of the State speech Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, center, gives his State of the State speech Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster gives his State of the State speech Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)

FILE - Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, at left, congratulates current Governor Henry McMaster, middle, after he was sworn in by S.C. Chief Justice Don Beatty during a ceremonial swearing in at the Statehouse Tuesday Jan. 24, 2017, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith, File)

FILE - Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump gestures with South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster during halftime in an NCAA college football game between the University of South Carolina and Clemson Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)

FILE - South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster speaks at a news conference revealing his proposal for the state budget on Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins, File)

FILE - South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, at left, is sworn in as by S.C. Chief Justice Don Beatty, at right, during a ceremonial swearing in at the Statehouse Tuesday Jan. 24, 2017, in Columbia, S.C. In middle is McMaster's wife Peggy. (AP Photo/Mic Smith, File)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal agents carrying out immigration arrests in Minnesota's Twin Cities region already shaken by the fatal shooting of a woman rammed the door of one home Sunday and pushed their way inside, part of what the Department of Homeland Security has called its largest enforcement operation ever.

In a dramatic scene similar to those playing out across Minneapolis, agents captured a man in the home just minutes after pepper spraying protesters outside who had confronted the heavily armed federal agents. Along the residential street, protesters honked car horns, banged on drums and blew whistles in attempts to disrupt the operation.

Video of the clash taken by The Associated Press showed some agents pushing back protesters while a distraught woman later emerged from the house with a document that federal agents presented to arrest the man. Signed by an immigration officer, the document — unlike a warrant signed by a judge — does not authorize forced entry into a private residence. A warrant signed by an immigration officer only authorizes arrest in a public area.

Immigrant advocacy groups have conducted extensive “know-your-rights” campaigns urging people not to open their doors unless agents have a court order signed by a judge.

But within minutes of ramming the door in a neighborhood filled with single-family homes, the handcuffed man was led away.

More than 2,000 immigration arrests have been made in Minnesota since the enforcement operation began at the beginning of December, said Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News on Sunday that the administration would send additional federal agents to Minnesota to protect immigration officers and continue enforcement.

The Twin Cities — the latest target in President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign — is bracing for what is next after 37-year-old Renee Good was shot and killed by an immigration officer on Wednesday.

“We’re seeing a lot of immigration enforcement across Minneapolis and across the state, federal agents just swarming around our neighborhoods,” said Jason Chavez, a Minneapolis city councilmember. “They’ve definitely been out here.”

Chavez, the son of Mexican immigrants who represents an area with a growing immigrant population, said he is closely monitoring information from chat groups about where residents are seeing agents operating.

People holding whistles positioned themselves in freezing temperatures on street corners Sunday in the neighborhood where Good was killed, watching for any signs of federal agents.

More than 20,000 people have taken part in a variety of trainings to become “observers” of enforcement activities in Minnesota since the 2024 election, said Luis Argueta, a spokesperson for Unidos MN, a local human rights organization .

“It’s a role that people choose to take on voluntarily, because they choose to look out for their neighbors,” Argueta said.

The protests have been largely peaceful, but residents remained anxious. On Monday, Minneapolis public schools will start offering remote learning for the next month in response to concerns that children might feel unsafe venturing out while tensions remain high.

Many schools closed last week after Good’s shooting and the upheaval that followed.

While the enforcement activity continues, two of the state’s leading Democrats said that the investigation into Good's shooting death should not be overseen solely by the federal government.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and U.S. Sen. Tina Smith said in separate interviews Sunday that state authorities should be included in the investigation because the federal government has already made clear what it believes happened.

“How can we trust the federal government to do an objective, unbiased investigation, without prejudice, when at the beginning of that investigation they have already announced exactly what they saw — what they think happened," Smith said on ABC’s "This Week."

The Trump administration has defended the officer who shot Good in her car, saying he was protecting himself and fellow agents and that Good had “weaponized” her vehicle.

Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, defended the officer on Fox News Channel’s “The Sunday Briefing.”

"That law enforcement officer had milliseconds, if not short time to make a decision to save his life and his other fellow agents,” he said.

Lyons also said the administration’s enforcement operations in Minnesota wouldn't be needed “if local jurisdictions worked with us to turn over these criminally illegal aliens once they are already considered a public safety threat by the locals.”

The killing of Good by an ICE officer and the shooting of two people by federal agents in Portland, Oregon, led to dozens of protests in cities across the country over the weekend, including New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Oakland, California.

Contributing were Associated Press journalists Giovanna Dell’Orto in Minneapolis; Thomas Strong in Washington; Bill Barrow in Atlanta; Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio.

A woman gets into an altercation with a federal immigration officer as officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A federal immigration officer deploys pepper spray as officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A family member, center, reacts after federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Bystanders are treated after being pepper sprayed as federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A family member reacts after federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Federal agents look on after detaining a person during a patrol in Minneapolis, Minn., Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Bystanders react after a man was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a traffic stop, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Robbinsdale, Minn. (AP Photo/John Locher)

People stand near a memorial at the site where Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)

A man looks out of a car window after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a traffic stop, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Robbinsdale, Minn. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Border Patrol agents detain a man, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

People shout toward Border Patrol agents making an arrest, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Demonstrators protest outside the White House in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey holds a news conference on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)

Protesters react as they visit a makeshift memorial during a rally for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier in the week, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)