South Carolina 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.
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.

Composition

Leadership

Members of the South Carolina Senate

Except as noted, all Senators were elected in November 2016. All terms expire in November 2020.
DistrictRepresentativePartyResidence
1Thomas C. AlexanderRepublicanWalhalla
2Rex RiceRepublicanEasley
3Richard CashRepublicanPowdersville
4Michael GambrellRepublicanHonea Path
5Thomas D. CorbinRepublicanTravelers Rest
6Dwight LoftisRepublicanGreenville
7Karl B. AllenDemocraticGreenville
8Ross TurnerRepublicanGreenville
9Danny VerdinRepublicanLaurens
10Floyd NicholsonDemocraticGreenwood
11Glenn G. ReeseDemocraticInman
12Scott TalleyRepublicanSpartanburg
13Shane MartinRepublicanSpartanburg
14Harvey S. Peeler Jr.RepublicanGaffney
15Wes ClimerRepublicanRock Hill
16Greg GregoryRepublicanLancaster
17Mike FanningDemocraticGreat Falls
18Ronnie CromerRepublicanProsperity
19John L. Scott Jr.DemocraticColumbia
20Dick HarpootlianDemocraticColumbia
21Darrell JacksonDemocraticHopkins
22Mia McLeodDemocraticColumbia
23Katrina ShealyRepublicanLexington
24Tom Young Jr.RepublicanAiken
25A. Shane MasseyRepublicanEdgefield
26Nikki G. SetzlerDemocraticWest Columbia
27Vincent SheheenDemocraticCamden
28Greg HembreeRepublicanNorth Myrtle Beach
29Gerald MalloyDemocraticHartsville
30Kent M. WilliamsDemocraticMarion
31Hugh LeathermanRepublicanFlorence
32Ronnie A. SabbDemocraticGreeleyville
33Luke A. RankinRepublicanMyrtle Beach
34Stephen GoldfinchRepublicanMurrells Inlet
35Thomas McElveenDemocraticSumter
36Kevin L. JohnsonDemocraticManning
37Larry GroomsRepublicanBonneau
38Sean BennettRepublicanSummerville
39John W. Matthews Jr.DemocraticBowman
40Brad HuttoDemocraticOrangeburg
41Sandy SennRepublicanCharleston
42Marlon KimpsonDemocraticCharleston
43Chip CampsenRepublicanIsle of Palms
44Paul G. Campbell Jr.RepublicanGoose Creek
45Margie Bright MatthewsDemocraticCharleston
46Tom DavisRepublicanBeaufort

Past composition of the Senate

YearDemocratic
Party		Republican
Party		Independent
/ Other
Majority
1865003131
1868625019
1870526121
1872825017
1874026719
1876151803
1878285023
1880332031
1882332031
1884323029
1886332031
1888350035
1890323029
1892360036
1894290722
1896360036
1898–
1908		410041
1910–
1916		440044
1918–
1964		460046
1966436137
1968473044
1970442042
1972433040
1976424038
1980397032
19843610026
19883511024
19923016014
1996252104
2000222402
2004202606
2008192708
20121828010
20161828010
Current192708

The election of a Democrat from Abbeville was declared void and the seat remained vacant.

All 7 were members of the Conservative Party of South Carolina.

All 7 were Independent Democrats.

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.

Republicans gained an additional seat in a 2007 special election.