New Session, Who’s This?
The start of a new legislature session means new elected officials step foot into the Statehouse to take the first step into their new roles. Below we have rounded up all of the new members of the state House of Representatives and State Senate.
Senate
Everett Stubbs: District 17
Stubbs narrowly defeated incumbent Upstate Democratic Senator Mike Fanning in the 2024 election by 29 votes.
Stubbs ran on a platform of protecting the First and Second Amendments, increasing sentence lengths for violent crimes, harsher crimes for repeat offenders, school choice, an increase in technical and vocational schools and protecting our state’s natural resources.
Stubbs will be serving on the agriculture and natural resources, banking and insurance, family and veteran services, fish, game and forestry and judiciary committees.
Find out more about Stubbs and what he’s doing in the Senate here.
Ed Sutton: District 20
Sutton defeated his Libertarian Party opponent Kendal Ludden 74% to 25.6%.
He ran on a platform of reducing Lowcountry congestion, strengthening infrastructure, increasing affordable housing and increasing funding for public education.
Sutton will serve on the agriculture and natural resources, corrections and penology, fish game and forestry, judiciary and transportation committees.
Find out more about Sutton and what he’s doing in the Senate here.
Overture Walker: District 22
Walker ran unopposed in the 2024 election.
He ran on economic growth, reforming judicial selections and improving infrastructure.
Walker is seated on the corrections and penology, judiciary, rules and transportation committees.
Find out more about Walker and what he’s doing in the Senate here.
Allen Blackmon: District 27
Blackmon defeated his Democratic opponent Yokima Cureton 68.3% to 31.6%.
He campaigned on being pro-life, term limits, pro-2nd Amendment, improving the state’s infrastructure and judicial reform.
Blackmon will be serving on the banking and insurance, fish, game and forestry, judiciary, rules and transportation committees.
Find out more about Blackmon and what he’s doing in the Senate here.
Jeffrey Graham: District 35
Graham won against his Republican opponent Mike Jones 52.1% to 47.8%
He campaigned on economic development, infrastructure, tourism and education.
Graham will serve on the agriculture and natural resources, family and veterans’ services, fish, game and forestry and judiciary committees.
Find out more about Graham and what he’s doing in the Senate here.
Jeffrey Zell: District 36
Zell narrowly won his election against incumbent Democrat Kevin Johnson getting 50.6% to Johnson’s 49.3%
He campaigned on limited growth for certain areas in the state, honest government, cracking down on crime and medical freedom.
Zell will be seated on the agriculture and natural resources, family and veterans’ services, fish, game and forestry, judiciary and medical affairs committees.
Find out more about Zell and what he’s doing in the Senate here.
Tom Fernandez: District 39
Fernandez won the election over Democratic incumbent Vernon Stephens by less than 1200 votes.
He campaigned on being very pro-2nd Amendment, limited government involvement in infrastructure development, banning abortions and school choice.
Fernandez will be serving on the corrections and penology, education, family and veterans’ services, judiciary and medical affairs committees.
Find out more about Fernandez and what he’s doing in the Senate here.
House of Representatives
Adam Duncan: District 2
Duncan ran unopposed in the 2024 election for his district.
Duncan will serve on the education and public works and interstate cooperation committees.
Learn more about Duncan and what he’s doing in the House here.
Philip Bowers: District 3
Bowers beat Democrat Eunice Lehmacher 64.3% to 35.6%
Bowers will be seated on the education and public works and legislative oversight committees.
Learn more about Bowers and what he’s doing in the House here.
Lee Gilreath: District 7
Gilreath won his district’s election with 88.9% of the vote against Libertarian candidate Hunter Savirino.
His main priorities are protecting 2nd Amendment rights, cutting government spending, implementing term limits for elected officials and ensuring that the state enforces stricter immigration laws.
Gilreath is taking a seat on the education and public works committee.
Learn more about Gilreath and what he’s doing in the House here.
Blake Sanders: District 9
Sanders ran unopposed during this year’s election
Sanders campaigned on infrastructure improvements, cutting government spending, investing in education and growing job opportunities and businesses within the state.
He is seated on the medical, military, public and municipal affairs and legislative oversight committees.
Learn more about Sanders and what he’s doing in the House here.
Luke Rankin: District 14
Rankin was unopposed in this year’s election
His platform included protecting 2nd Amendment rights, protecting natural resources within his district and the state, holding criminals accountable and being pro-life.
Rankin will be seated on the rules and agriculture, natural resources and environmental affairs committees.
Learn more about Rankin and what he’s doing in the House here.
Stephen Frank: District 20
Frank won the election to his seat by beating his Democratic opponent Stephen Dreyfus 68.1% to 31.7%
His campaign centered around fixing the state’s roads, judicial reform, ending the state income tax and ending corporate welfare.
Frank will be serving on the education and public works committee.
Learn more about Frank and what he’s doing in the House here.
Paul Wickensimer: District 22
Wickensimer beat his Democratic opponent Brann Fowler 60% to 39.8%.
He promised during his campaign to cut taxes, defend the 2nd Amendment, improve infrastructure, outlaw abortions and reform the state’s justice system.
Wickensimer will serve on the judiciary and legislative oversight committees.
Learn more about Wickensimer and what he’s doing in the House here.
David Martin: District 26
Martin easily won election to his seat, beating Democrat Matt Vilardebo 62.6% to 37.2%.
He ran on improving public education, supporting law enforcement, helping small businesses and reforming the judicial selection in the state.
Martin is seated on the judiciary and regulations, administrative procedures, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity committees.
Learn more about Martin and what he’s doing in the House here.
Chris Huff: District 28
Huff beat his Democratic opponent John Fritz Wiebel by over 4,000 votes.
He campaigned on universal school choice, a parental bill of rights and outlawing DEI and CRT in the state.
Huff will be taking a seat on the education and public works committee.
Learn more about Huff and what he’s doing in the House here.
Scott Montgomery: District 32
Montgomery ran unopposed and garnered 98% of his district’s vote.
He campaigned on infrastructure improvements, defending the 2nd Amendment and outlawing abortion and cutting taxes and government spending.
Montgomery will serve on the legislative oversight and medical, military, public and municipal affairs committees.
Learn more about Montgomery and what he’s doing in the House here.
Sarita Edgerton: District 34
Edgerton was unopposed in this year’s election and got 98.4% of the vote.
She ran on being anti-abortion, being pro-gun, fixing the state’s roads and lower taxes.
Edgerton will be serving on the medical, military, public and municipal affairs committee.
Learn more about Edgerton and what she’s doing in the House here.
Jason Luck: District 54
Luck won his seat by less than 1,000 votes when he beat Republican Sterling McDiarmid.
He is seated on the invitations and memorial resolutions and judiciary committees.
Learn more about Luck and what he’s doing in the House here.
Robert Reese: District 70
Reese ran unopposed in his district and received 97.3% of the vote.
His campaign centered around expanding access to healthcare in rural areas, energy conservation, increasing funding for education and expanding economic and workforce development.
Reese will be taking a seat on the agriculture, natural resources and environmental affairs and operations and management committees.
Learn more about Reese and what he’s doing in the House here.
Hamilton Grant: District 79
Grant beat his Republican opponent Rebecca Madsen by a large margin getting 76.4% of the vote to Madsen’s 23.5%.
He wants to expand access to housing and South Carolina’s workforce and improve public education.
Grant will serve on the education and public works committee and operations and management committees.
Learn more about Grant and what he’s doing in the House here.
Charles Hartz: District 81
Hartz beat his Democrat opponent 68.7% to 31.2%
He ran on fixing infrastructure, supporting law enforcement, cutting spending and enforcing school choice.
Hartz will be serving on the agriculture, natural resources and environmental affairs and regulations, administration, procedures, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity committees.
Learn more about Hartz and what he’s doing in the House here.
Harriett Holman: District 102
Holman beat Democrat Joseph Jefferson Jr. getting 52.7% of the vote to his 47.3%.
Her campaign centered on honoring veterans and keeping communities safe.
Holman is seated on the interstate cooperation and medical, military, public and municipal affairs.
Learn more about Holman and what she’s doing in the House here.
James Teeple: District 116
Teeple beat Democrat Charlie Murray 51.2% to 48.8%.
He ran on increasing infrastructure funding, invoking harsher penalties for those charged with human trafficking or on drug-related offenses and protecting the 2nd Amendment.
Teeple will be taking a seat on the education and public works and regulations, administration, artificial intelligence and regulations committees.
Learn more about Teeple and what he’s doing in the House here.
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