Vincent Sheheen

Vincent Sheheen
Member of the South Carolina Senate
from the 27th district
Assumed office
February 4, 2004
Preceded by Donald Holland
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives
from the 52nd district
In office
November 28, 2000 – February 4, 2004
Preceded by Robert Sheheen
Succeeded by Laurie Funderburk
Personal details
Born Vincent Austin Sheheen
(1971-04-29) April 29, 1971
Camden, South Carolina, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Amy Renee (1995–present)
Children Anthony
Austin
Joseph
Residence Camden, South Carolina
Alma mater Clemson University
University of South Carolina,
Columbia
Religion Roman Catholicism
Website Official website

Vincent Austin Sheheen (born April 29, 1971) is an American attorney and politician. He has been a member of the South Carolina Senate since 2004, representing the 27th District, which comprises Chesterfield, Kershaw, and Lancaster counties. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

He was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2001 to 2004. He ran for Governor of South Carolina, losing to Nikki Haley in 2010. He ran against and lost to Gov. Haley again[1] in 2014, as she won 56 percent of the vote to his 41 percent.[2][3]

Background

Vincent Sheheen was born and raised in Camden, South Carolina. His father, Fred Sheheen, was the former executive director of the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education. His mother is Italian.[4] His uncle Robert Sheheen was the former Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives, becoming the first Lebanese speaker of the house in 1986.[5] His great grandfather Abraham Sheheen immigrated to the U.S. from Lebanon, and his great-grandmother was also Lebanese.[4][6]

Sheheen received a bachelor's degree from Clemson University, where he met his wife, Amy. Later he attended law school at the University of South Carolina. They have three sons, Anthony and twins Austin and Joseph. Sheheen served as a city prosecutor before being elected to public office and was named, "Legislator of the Year" by the South Carolina Solicitor's Association for his work on behalf of law enforcement.

SC House of Representatives and Senate

While serving in the South Carolina House of Representatives, Sheheen worked to create a conservation land bank that has preserved thousands of acres in South Carolina.[7] After Republican Governor Mark Sanford announced that he would reject stimulus money for South Carolina, Sheheen helped lead an effort in the South Carolina Senate to bypass the governor and claim about $700 million in stimulus funds.[7] He is pushing a bi-partisan ethics reform package which would require former legislators to wait eight years before they can register as lobbyists.[8]

Sheheen is the author of the book The Right Way: Getting the Palmetto State Back on Track.[9]

Candidacy for Governor of South Carolina

2010

Sheheen announced his intention to run for Governor of South Carolina with the Democratic party on February 6, 2009. On June 8, 2010, Sheheen won the primary over State Superintendent Jim Rex, and was the party's nominee for Governor in the November general election. He lost in the general election to the Republican party's nominee, State Representative Nikki Haley by a margin 51% to 47%.[10]

2014

Sheheen announced his intention for a second run for governor in 2014.[11]

During a campaign event in Florence, Sheheen said: "We are going to escort her out the door", referring to Governor Haley. It sounded like he said "whore" rather than "her". [12] Part of Sheheen's campaign for governor was the Democratic Party's "support and respect for women."[13] A video of the event went viral, prompting an outraged response from Ann Romney, a Haley supporter. The video was posted by The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative website, on YouTube, where it gained attention and was later removed due to a copyright claim by Morning News.[14] Sheheen later apologized for the incident, calling it a "slip of the tongue."[15]

He ran against and lost to Haley again in 2014, as she won 55 percent of the vote to his 41 percent.[1][2][3]

References

  1. 1 2 "COLUMBIA, S.C.: Nikki Haley wins a second term as SC governor — Scott, Graham also claim victory – Local News – The State". C1 control character in |title= at position 63 (help)
  2. 1 2
  3. 1 2 Shain, Andrew (April 10, 2013). "Sheheen announces another run for governor". The State. Archived from the original on April 12, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Vincent Sheheen: Moving South Carolina Forward". aaiusa.org.
  5. ↑ "Vincent Sheheen: Moving South Carolina Forward".
  6. ↑ "S.C. Governor candidate Sheheen has deep roots in Camden". Post and Courier.
  7. 1 2 Smith, Gina (October 4, 2009). "A Camden favorite son might shine statewide". The State. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
  8. ↑
  9. ↑ Douglas, Anna (March 12, 2013). "Sen. Sheheen in Rock Hill: SC is ‘laughingstock’ of TV". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved October 21, 2013. C1 control character in |title= at position 34 (help)
  10. ↑ O'Connor, John (November 3, 2010). "Haley defeats Sheheen in historic victory". The State. Archived from the original on January 6, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
  11. ↑ Weiner, Rachel (April 10, 2013). "Vincent Sheheen to run against Nikki Haley again". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Nikki Haley's opponent accidentally says 'whore' in speech attacking her". Washington Post. 28 October 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  13. ↑ John Nolte (24 October 2014). "Nikki Haley's Dem Opponent: 'Escort Whore Out The Door!'". Breitbart. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  14. ↑ CBS, Charlotte (October 28, 2014). "Dem Candidate Accidentally Calls Gov. Haley ‘Whore’ During Campaign Event". CBS Charlotte.
  15. ↑ Cassie Cope. "Sheheen apologizes for campaign gaffe". The State.

External links

Party political offices
Preceded by
Tommy Moore		 Democratic nominee for Governor of South Carolina
2010, 2014 		Most recent
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