News analysis by Andy Brack, editor and publisher | Next year’s South Carolina Senate will be different from any convening of senators in recent memory.
Not only will there be eight new senators — nine if you include Sen. Mike Gambrell (R-Honea), who really got started just days before the Senate finished its work for this year. But the leadership of major committees will change in ways u
nlike anything anyone ever remembers.
“You’ve had a bigger turnover in leadership than I can ever recall,” said former Sen. John Land, D-Clarendon. “At the top before, change was always very gradual and gentle as far as replacements were concerned.”
Haley may have a more difficult time in the Senate
The Senate also will be home to group of members who might find it a little tougher to deal with lame-duck GOP Gov. Nikki Haley, who actively campaigned against three senior members of her own party — Senate Finance Chair Hugh Leatherman of Florence, Ethics Chair Luke Rankin of Conway, and Banking and Insurance Chair Wes Hayes of Rock Hill.
Hayes, who lost his bid for reelection, said the Senate may find it a little harder next year to listen to the governor.
“Ultimately, a proposal should rise or fall on its own merit,” he said. “But human nature being what it is, I think that there’s going to be probably, I would imagine, some difficulty putting everything completely behind and welcoming the governor’s proposals with open arms.”
Democratic Sen. Brad Hutto of Orangeburg agreed.
“She hasn’t been exactly successful in getting anything passed that she wanted before this,” he said “Now with her initiatives, the Senate will probably be less inclined to follow her lead.”
Recent results reshape Senate
In the June 14 primary, Leatherman and Rankin trounced Haley-backed candidates fueled by thousands of PAC dollars, but Hayes fell victim to Haley-backed Wes Climer.
In the June 28 runoffs, Haley made a late endorsement of former Rep. Scott Talley in his Spartanburg County race against controversial Sen. Lee Bright, who Haley endorsed four years earlier. Talley narrowly won, but an incumbent backed by Haley, powerful Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Larry Martin of Easley, didn’t. He lost by eight points to former Rep. Rex Rice. Haley also unsuccessfully backed a primary challenger to state GOP Rep. Stephen Goldfinch of Murrells Inlet, who won a runoff race to replace Georgetown GOP Sen. Ray Cleary.
Also on the GOP side, Charleston lawyer Sandy Senn won a runoff to fill the open seat of retiring Sen. Paul Thurmond, R-Charleston. And in Greenville, newcomer William Timmons beat Senate Corrections and Penology Chair Sen. Mike Fair by a 2-1 vote in the runoff. Neither of the winners faces a challenger in November’s general election.
On the Democratic side, newcomer Mike Fanning of Great Falls beat incumbent Sen. Creighton Coleman of Winnsboro. In the fall, Columbia-area voters will pick between Democratic state Rep. Mia McLeod and former GOP county council member Susan Brill in a race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Joel Lourie of Columbia.
Rearranging the deck chairs
With eight brand new senators and vacancies in the Judiciary, Banking and Insurance, and Corrections and Penology committees, there will be a lot of committee shuffling, which is based on seniority of members on each committee. This makes for a lot of speculation, but it is clear that leadership will dramatically change, generally in favor of Senate GOP moderates. (The way the rules work because Republicans control the chamber, they will assume all committee chairmanships — even if a Democrat on the committee has longer experience.)
Some changes that may occur:
Finance: Leatherman will keep this committee, arguably the most powerful in the state.
Judiciary: With Larry Martin out, Rankin — one of Haley’s targets — will take this major committee. It means Haley may find some deaf ears in the two most powerful committees in the Senate.
Ethics: If Rankin moves to Judiciary, there will be an opening here. Most of the other Republicans on the committee are pretty senior and will have other committees, making it a possibility that a new senator may become the chair.
Banking and Insurance: With Hayes gone, this chairmanship opens the possibility that Sen. John Courson of Columbia could switch from Education or Sen. Ronnie Cromer of Prosperity could switch from Rules. Next in line would be Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort.
Corrections and Penology: With Fair not in the Senate, look for Sen. Paul Campbell, R-Goose Creek, or Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, to take over, although there are other possibilities.
Other committees: Sources say some committee chairs may decide to keep their positions, even though they may be able to switch. Among them are Agriculture and Natural Resources Chair Danny Verdin, R-Laurens; Labor, Commerce and Industry Chair Thomas Alexander, R-Walhalla; General Committee Chair Kevin Bryant, R-Anderson; Medical Affairs Chair Harvey Peeler, R-Gaffney; and Transportation Chair Larry Grooms, R-Daniel Island. But politics being what it is, sources are quick to add that nothing is certain as the bumping for positions moves forward.
- See the attached sheet that outlines seniority and vacancies by committee.
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