South Carolina Senate

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The South Carolina Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives. It consists of 46 senators elected from single member districts for four-year terms at the same time as United States Presidential elections.

The South Carolina Constitution of 1895 provided for each county to elect one senator for a four-year term. The election of senators was staggered so that half of the state Senate was elected every two years. After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1964 for the case Reynolds v. Sims, the state Senate was reapportioned in 1966 as a temporary measure into 27 districts with 50 members for two-year terms. In 1967, the state Senate was again reapportioned, this time into 20 districts with 46 members for four-year terms. The number of districts was reduced to 16 in 1972 and in 1984, they were eliminated with the creation of single member districts.

Contents

[edit] Make-up of South Carolina Senate

Affiliation Members
  Republican Party 27
  Democratic Party 19
 Total
 46
 Republican Majority
 8

[edit] Leadership

Lieutenant Governor André Bauer (R) is the President of the Senate, Glenn F. McConnell (R-Charleston) is the President Pro Tempore, and John W. Drummond (D-Greenwood County) is the President Pro Tempore Emeritus.

[edit] Members of the South Carolina Senate

Except as noted, all Senators were elected in November 2004. All terms expire in November 2008.

(1) Elected in 2006 special election.
(2) Elected in 2007 special election.

District Senator Party Residence
1 Thomas C. Alexander Republican Walhalla
2 Larry A. Martin Republican Pickens
3 Kevin L. Bryant Republican Anderson
4 William H. O'Dell Republican Greenwood
5 Lewis R. Vaughn (1) Republican Greer
6 Michael L. Fair Republican Greenville
7 Ralph Anderson Democrat Greenville
8 David L. Thomas Republican Greenville
9 Daniel B. Verdin III Republican Laurens
10 John W. Drummond Democrat Ninety Six
11 Glenn G. Reese Democrat Inman
12 John D. Hawkins Republican Spartanburg
13 James H. Ritchie, Jr. Republican Spartanburg
14 Harvey S. Peeler, Jr. Republican Gaffney
15 Robert W. Hayes, Jr. Republican Rock Hill
16 Chauncey K. Gregory Republican Lancaster
17 Linda H. Short Democrat Chester
18 Ronnie W. Cromer Republican Prosperity
19 Kay Patterson Democrat Columbia
20 John E. Courson Republican Richland County
21 Darrell Jackson Democrat Hopkins
22 Joel Lourie Democrat Columbia
23 John M. Knotts, Jr. Republican West Columbia
24 W. Greg Ryberg Republican Aiken
25 A. Shane Massey (2) Republican Edgefield
26 Nikki G. Setzler Democrat West Columbia
27 Vincent A. Sheheen Democrat Camden
28 Dick Elliott Democrat North Myrtle Beach
29 Gerald Malloy Democrat Hartsville
30 Kent M. Williams Democrat Marion
31 Hugh K. Leatherman, Sr. Republican Florence
32 J. Yancey McGill Democrat Kingstree
33 Luke A. Rankin Republican Myrtle Beach
34 Raymond E. Cleary III Republican Murrells Inlet
35 Phil P. Leventis Democrat Sumter
36 John C. Land III Democrat Manning
37 Lawrence K. Grooms Republican Bonneau
38 Randy Scott Republican Summerville
39 John W. Matthews, Jr. Democrat Bowman
40 C. Bradley Hutto Democrat Orangeburg
41 Glenn F. McConnell Republican Charleston
42 Robert Ford Democrat Charleston
43 George E. Campsen III Republican Isle of Palms
44 Paul G. Campbell, Jr. (2) Republican Goose Creek
45 Clementa C. Pinckney Democrat Ridgeland
46 Catherine C. Ceips (2) Republican Beaufort


[edit] Past Make-up of the Senate

Year Democratic
Party		 Republican
Party		 Independent
/ Other
Majority
1865 0 0 31 31
1868 6(a) 25 0 19
1870 5 26 1 22
1872 5 28 0 23
1874 0 26 7(b) 19
1876 15 18 0 3
1878 31 3 0 28
1880 32 2 0 30
1902-
1906		 41 0 0 41
1908 42 0 0 42
1910 43 0 0 43
1912-
1914		 44 0 0 44
1916-
1918		 45 0 0 45
1920-
1964		 46 0 0 46
1966 43 6 1 37
1968 43 3 0 40
1972 43 3 0 40
1976 43 3 0 40
1980 39 5 0 34
1984 36 10 0 26
1988 35 11 0 24
1992 30 16 0 14
1996 25 21 0 4
2000 22(c) 24(c) 0 2
2004 20 26(d) 0 6

(a) The election of a Democrat from Abbeville was declared void and the seat remained vacant.
(b) All 7 were members of the Conservative Party of South Carolina.
(c) After the 2000 elections, the Senate was evenly split between 23 Democrats and 23 Republicans. A Democrat switched to the Republicans to break the tie.
(d) Republicans gained an additional seat in a 2007 special election. The current party makeup is 27 Republicans and 19 Democrats.

[edit] External links


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