{"id":2385881,"date":"2025-01-03T04:35:01","date_gmt":"2025-01-03T09:35:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-the-south-made-headlines-in-2024-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-01-03T04:37:16","modified_gmt":"2025-01-03T09:37:16","slug":"how-the-south-made-headlines-in-2024-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-the-south-made-headlines-in-2024-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"How the South made headlines in 2024 &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhow-the-south-made-headlines-in-2024-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2385881&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In 2024, the Southeastern United\u2064 States made meaningful political \u200bheadlines, especially \u200bin Florida, \u2064Georgia, \u200cand\u200c North Carolina. <\/p>\n<p>In **Florida**, while governor Ron DeSantis&#8217;s presidential campaign faltered, he achieved crucial victories, including a dismissal of Disney&#8217;s \u200clawsuit against him and a settlement that allowed the company to invest in\u200b the state. DeSantis also succeeded in opposing ballot \u2063measures for recreational marijuana and abortion rights, despite similar \u2062measures passing in other states.Additionally, President-elect Donald Trump secured a decisive\u2064 win \u2063in Florida against vice \u200cPresident Kamala Harris, further cementing the state&#8217;s\u200b reputation as a Republican stronghold.<\/p>\n<p>In **Georgia**, Trump faced legal challenges \u200brelated to alleged election interference but saw his fortunes change as \u2063a state appeals court disqualified the prosecutor overseeing his case. He also improved ties with Governor\u2064 Brian Kemp, contrasting with their strained relationship after the 2020 election.Trump ultimately flipped Georgia \u200bfrom a loss in 2020 to \u2064a narrow \u2064victory over Harris, winning 50.7% to 48.5%.<\/p>\n<p>**North Carolina** witnessed the end of a Republican \u2064supermajority in the legislature, but the GOP capitalized on its power before\u200b the shift, passing significant laws, including a notable veto override. <\/p>\n<p>the region played a critical role in\u200b shaping the political landscape of the United States for the year.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">How the South made headlines in 2024<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1916455\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The Southeast was a major headline-maker in 2024, with some of the biggest stories in the political world stemming from the region.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>As a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/florida\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Florida\">Florida<\/a> resident prepares to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3210669\/donald-trump-wins-2024-election-defeating-kamala-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"retake the White House\">retake the White House<\/a> this month, here are the ways some of the areas in the South made headlines in 2024.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Florida &ndash; Red wedding for GOP opponents<\/h2>\n<p>Florida Republicans had a good year of cementing the Sunshine State&rsquo;s status as a GOP stronghold.<\/p>\n<p>While Gov. Ron DeSantis&rsquo;s (R-FL) presidential bid fizzled, leading him to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2808578\/ron-desantis-drops-out-of-2024-gop-presidential-race-days-before-new-hampshire-primary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"drop out\">drop out<\/a> of the GOP primary last January, he got a major victory in his yearslong battle with Disney. The company&rsquo;s federal court lawsuit was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2829570\/disney-lawsuit-against-ron-desantis-dismissed-by-federal-judge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"dismissed\">dismissed<\/a>, while the governor-appointed board and House of Mouse came to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/2941229\/desantis-appointed-board-reaches-settlement-disney-ending-two-year-legal-saga\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"settlement\">settlement<\/a>. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3028657\/disney-and-desantis-get-fairy-tale-ending-with-17-billion-plan-for-new-parks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"fairy-tale ending\">fairy-tale ending<\/a> has Disney looking to invest in the state, as the feud stemming from the 2022 Parental Rights in Education Act has come to its conclusion.<\/p>\n<p>The Florida governor also saw victories in the failure of both ballot measures that sought to legalize <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/3217472\/florida-voters-reject-marijuana-legalization-amendment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"recreational marijuana\">recreational marijuana<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/3217809\/abortion-rights-measure-fails-florida-first-lose-following-dobbs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"enshrine abortion\">enshrine abortion<\/a> through viability. DeSantis and his state GOP allies had campaigned hard against both measures, which failed despite similar measures in other states largely passing.<\/p>\n<p>The country&rsquo;s most famous Florida resident, President-elect Donald Trump, also had a good year, handily winning Florida&rsquo;s GOP primary and defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race in the Sunshine State &mdash; en route to Electoral College and popular vote victories nationally.<\/p>\n<p>Trump won Florida over Harris, 56.1%-43%, winning by nearly 1.5 million votes. It was the largest victory in a presidential race in the state since George H.W. Bush in 1988 and proved Republicans&rsquo; sweeping 2022 victories in the state were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3222100\/florida-republicans-prove-midterm-wave-no-fluke\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"no fluke\">not a fluke<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3151958\/florida-democrats-claim-state-play-arent-putting-money\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">contended<\/a>&nbsp;that the state would be &ldquo;in play&rdquo; at the presidential level, touting&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3013038\/democrats-believe-abortion-florida-play-november\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">abortion<\/a>&nbsp;on the ballot as something that could motivate Democratic voters, but instead, Harris and the abortion measure went down. At the state legislature level, the GOP maintained supermajorities, while no congressional Florida Republican incumbent at the federal level lost their reelection bid.<\/p>\n<p>Trump also survived a second assassination attempt at his golf course in the Sunshine State, though the would-be assassin was thwarted before getting a direct line of sight of the president-elect, unlike the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/watch\/1918800\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"July assassination attempt\">July assassination attempt<\/a> in Butler, Pennsylvania, in which Trump suffered minor injuries.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Georgia &ndash; Trump&rsquo;s reversal of fortune<\/h2>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s fortunes in Georgia were not peachy keen going into 2024, but at the end of the year, he likely has Georgia on his mind for positive reasons.<\/p>\n<p>The president-elect entered the year facing a criminal case over his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election in the state, but that case quickly became derailed after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis&rsquo;s relationship with Nathan Wade, the lead prosecutor on the case, was revealed. Willis was originally allowed to stay on the case, but an appeal to the state&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gender-dysphoria-covered-under-disability-law-federal-court-rules\/\" title=\"Gender Dysphoria Covered Under Disability Law, Federal Court Rules\">appeals court held<\/a> up the case for much of the year.<\/p>\n<p>In December, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fact-check-does-an-emotional-jenna-ellis-regret-taking-now-disgraced-fani-willis-plea-deal\/\" title=\"Fact Check: Does an Emotional Jenna Ellis Regret Taking Now-Disgraced Fani Willis&#039; Plea Deal\">state appeals court ruled<\/a> that Willis and her office were disqualified from the case, meaning another <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">county district attorney&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s office would have to agree to take it on &mdash; if it were to continue. The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3265216\/fani-willis-disqualified-trump-rico-case\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">decision<\/a> added further uncertainty to a case that already appeared to be doomed against Trump.<\/p>\n<p>The president-elect also repaired his relationship with Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA), with the two appearing at a press conference in the Peach State after Hurricane Helene. The joint appearance was their first since the 2020 election, in which Trump was frustrated after Kemp stood by the state&rsquo;s results, which showed a victory by President Joe Biden.<\/p>\n<p>In the presidential election, Trump also had a reversal from four years ago, winning the important swing state. The president-elect defeated Harris 50.7%-48.5% after he narrowly lost the state in 2020.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">North Carolina &ndash; Republicans maximize their fading supermajority<\/h2>\n<p>In the Tar Heel State, November&rsquo;s election brought the end of a legislative supermajority that helped it pass laws without the consent of the Democratic governor, but Republicans maximized their supermajority while they had it.<\/p>\n<p>The state legislature went a perfect 29-29 for veto overrides in the 2023-2024 legislative session, but the final veto override by the GOP supermajority made the most headlines. <\/p>\n<p>The legislature had passed Senate Bill 382 during a special session after the November election. The bill included the transfer of $227 million in funds from the state&rsquo;s savings to a fund for Hurricane Helene relief, but it also featured several other elements aimed at thwarting Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>The bill would take appointment power for several state boards away from the governor, along with taking away various powers from the state superintendent of public instruction and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nevada-trump-campaign-says-clark-county-registrar-joe-gloria-hiding-from-subpoena-service\/\" title=\"Nevada: Trump Campaign Says Clark County Registrar Joe Gloria Hiding From Subpoena Service\">state attorney general<\/a> from siding against the state review board for charter school applications and the state legislature&rsquo;s position on laws, respectively. Democrats will hold all of those offices this month.<\/p>\n<p>Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) vetoed the legislation, but weeks later, the state House and state Senate overrode his veto, putting the bill into law.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Western North Carolina small businesses and communities still wait for support from the legislature while Republicans make political power grabs the priority,&rdquo; Cooper said in a statement after the veto was overridden. &ldquo;Shameful.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Republicans will still have significant majorities in both chambers for the next legislative session, but the state House will be just short of a supermajority. Democrat Josh Stein won the gubernatorial race in November, but unlike his predecessor, he will have an effective veto.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Washington, DC &ndash; Positive developments after a rough 2023<\/h2>\n<p>Washington, D.C., had a significantly better year in 2024 than in 2023. Going into the year, Washington was facing spiking crime, the prospect of losing the Washington Capitals and Wizards to Virginia, and a lot of heavy lifting needed to get the Washington Commanders back to the district.<\/p>\n<p>Data from the Metropolitan Police Department at the end of the year, which haven&rsquo;t been verified by the FBI yet, showed that violent crime compared to 2023 was down 35% year to year, while property crime was down 11% year to year. The drop in crime came after Washington officials <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2805790\/dc-crime-package-council-next-week-what-to-know\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"passed new legislation\">passed new legislation<\/a> aimed at combating crime at the beginning of the year, with improvement being shown in the year-to-year statistics.<\/p>\n<p>The effort for a new arena in Alexandria, Virginia, also fell apart at the beginning of 2024, giving Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser a massive victory as she and the council approved a renovation of the existing Capital One Arena to keep the Capitals and Wizards in the district.<\/p>\n<p>The year closed out with a Christmas gift from Congress: legislation giving Washington control over the former RFK Stadium land passed at the last minute.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The law means Washington now appears to be the favorite to land the Commanders&rsquo; new stadium and capped off a year of what Bowser called the district&rsquo;s &ldquo;comeback story.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is a win for DC, for our region, and for America. Everybody loves a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rfk-stadium-deal-barred-from-government-funding-bill-but-gets-second-chance-in-senate-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"RFK stadium deal barred from government funding bill but gets second chance in Senate - Washington Examiner\">good comeback story &#038;mdash<\/a>; and that&rsquo;s DC&rsquo;s story,&rdquo; Bowser said in a post on X.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1916455\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1916455\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The South dominated headlines in 2024, especially Florida<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2638,"featured_media":2385882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/trump-south-2024-headlines.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4506,12620,4133,3960,32076],"class_list":["post-2385881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-4506","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-south","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/trump-south-2024-headlines.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2385881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2638"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2385881"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2385881\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2385885,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2385881\/revisions\/2385885"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2385882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2385881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2385881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2385881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}