South Carolina Senate

South Carolina State Senate
South Carolina General Assembly
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
Term limits
None
History
New session started
January 8, 2013
Leadership
Henry McMaster (R)
Since January 14, 2015
Hugh K. Leatherman, Sr. (R)
Since June 18, 2014
Majority Leader
A. Shane Massey (R)
Since April 6, 2016[1]
Minority Leader
Nikki G. Setzler (D)
Since November 12, 2012
Structure
Seats 46
Composition of the South Carolina Senate
Political groups

Governing party

Opposition party

Length of term
4 years
Authority Article III, South Carolina Constitution
Salary $10,400/year + per diem
Elections
Last election
November 6, 2012
(46 seats)
Next election
November 8, 2016
(46 seats)
Redistricting Legislative Control
Meeting place
State Senate Chamber
South Carolina State House
Columbia, South Carolina
Website
South Carolina State Senate

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. There are currently, however, only 45 members and one vacancy following the shooting death of Senator Clementa C. Pinckney in Charleston, SC on June 17, 2015. [2]

The annual session of the General Assembly convenes at the State Capitol Building in Columbia on the second Tuesday of January of each year. However, after convening, either the House or the Senate may call for itself a 30-day recess by a majority vote, or a longer recess by a two-thirds vote.[3]

Composition

Affiliation Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
Republican Democratic Vacant
End of previous legislature 27 19 46 0
Beginning of 2013-14 Legislature 28 18 46 0
May 31, 2013[4] 17 45 1
October 7, 2013[5] 18 46 0
June 18, 2014[6] 17 45 1
End of previous legislature[7] 18 46 0
Beginning of 2015-16 Legislature 28 18 46 0
June 17, 2015[8] 17 45 1
Latest voting share 62% 38%

Leadership

South Carolina Senate Officers
Position Name Party
Lieutenant Governor / President of the Senate Henry McMaster Republican
President Pro Tempore Hugh K. Leatherman, Sr. Republican
Majority Leader A. Shane Massey Republican
Minority Leader Nikki G. Setzler Democratic

Members of the South Carolina Senate

Except as noted, all Senators were elected in November 2012. All terms expire in November 2016.

District Representative Party Residence
1 Thomas C. Alexander Republican Walhalla
2 Larry A. Martin Republican Pickens
3 Kevin L. Bryant Republican Anderson
4 Vacant a
5 Thomas D. Corbin Republican Travelers Rest
6 Michael L. Fair Republican Greenville
7 Karl B. Allen Democratic Greenville
8 Ross Turner Republican Greenville
9 Daniel B. Verdin III Republican Laurens
10 Floyd Nicholson Democratic Greenwood
11 Glenn G. Reese Democratic Inman
12 Lee Bright Republican Spartanburg
13 Shane Martin Republican Spartanburg
14 Harvey S. Peeler, Jr. Republican Gaffney
15 Robert W. Hayes, Jr. Republican Rock Hill
16 Greg Gregory Republican Lancaster
17 Creighton B. Coleman Democratic Winnsboro
18 Ronnie W. Cromer Republican Prosperity
19 John L. Scott, Jr. Democratic Columbia
20 John E. Courson Republican Columbia
21 Darrell Jackson Democratic Hopkins
22 Joel Lourie Democratic Columbia
23 Katrina Frye Shealy Republican Lexington
24 Tom Young, Jr. Republican Aiken
25 A. Shane Massey Republican Edgefield
26 Nikki G. Setzler Democratic West Columbia
27 Vincent A. Sheheen Democratic Camden
28 Greg Hembree Republican North Myrtle Beach
29 Gerald Malloy Democratic Hartsville
30 Kent M. Williams Democratic Marion
31 Hugh K. Leatherman, Sr. Republican Florence
32 Ronnie A. Sabb Democratic Greeleyville
33 Luke A. Rankin Republican Myrtle Beach
34 Raymond E. Cleary III Republican Murrells Inlet
35 Thomas McElveen Democratic Sumter
36 Kevin L. Johnson Democratic Manning
37 Lawrence K. Grooms Republican Bonneau
38 Sean Bennett Republican Summerville
39 John W. Matthews, Jr. Democratic Bowman
40 C. Bradley Hutto Democratic Orangeburg
41 Paul Thurmond Republican Charleston
42 Marlon Kimpson Democratic Charleston
43 George E. Campsen III Republican Isle of Palms
44 Paul G. Campbell, Jr. Republican Goose Creek
45 Margie B. Matthews Democratic Charleston
46 Tom Davis Republican Beaufort

^a Seat formerly occupied by William O'Dell, a Republican, until his death on January 7, 2016. [9]

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 21
1872 8 25 0 17
1874 0 26 7(b) 19
1876 15 18 0 3
1878 28 5 0 23
1880 33 2 0 31
1882 33 2 0 31
1884 32 3 0 29
1886 33 2 0 31
1888 35 0 0 35
1890 32 3 0 29
1892 36 0 0 36
1894 29 0 7(c) 22
1896 36 0 0 36
1898–
1908
41 0 0 41
1910–
1916
44 0 0 44
1918–
1964
46 0 0 46
1966 43 6 1 37
1968 47 3 0 44
1970 44 2 0 42
1972 43 3 0 40
1976 42 4 0 38
1980 39 7 0 32
1984 36 10 0 26
1988 35 11 0 24
1992 30 16 0 14
1996 25 21 0 4
2000 22(d) 24(d) 0 2
2004 20 26(e) 0 6
2008 19 27 0 8
2012 18 28 0 10

(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.
(b) All 7 were Independent Democrats.
(d) After the 2000 elections, the Senate was evenly split between 23 Democrats and 23 Republicans. A Democrat, J. Verne Smith of Greer, switched to the Republicans to break the tie.
(e) Republicans gained an additional seat in a 2007 special election.

References

  1. http://www.wltx.com/news/politics/massey-named-new-sc-senate-majority-leader/122786378
  2. http://www.wistv.com/story/29351540/charleston-church-shooting-suspect-dylann-roof-in-custody-in-nc
  3. "ARTICLE 3. Legislative Department., SECTION 9. Sessions of General Assembly.". 2010 South Carolina Constitution - Unannotated. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  4. Democrat Robert Ford (District 42) resigned.
  5. Democrat Marlon Kimpson replaces Robert Ford after a special election.
  6. Democrat J. Yancey McGill ascends from President Pro Tem to become Lieutenant Governor.
  7. Democrat Rep. Ronnie Sabb took McGill's seat.
  8. Democrat Clementa C. Pinckney (District 45) murdered.
  9. http://www.wltx.com/story/news/politics/2016/01/07/south-carolina-state-sen-william-odell-dies/78409168/

Coordinates: 33°50′10″N 81°09′49″W / 33.836081°N 81.1637245°W / 33.836081; -81.1637245

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