# 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

| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | |
| Affiliation | Republican | Democratic | Independent | Total | Vacant |
| Start of 2023 Session | 30 | 15 | 1 | 46 | 0 |
| Current | 30 | 15 | 1 | 46 | 0 |
| Latest voting share | 65% | 33% | 2% | | |

### Members of the South Carolina Senate

Except as noted, all senators were elected in November 2020 and terms began on January 12, 2021. All terms expire in January 2025.
| District | Representative | Party | Residence | First Elected |
| 1 | Thomas C. Alexander, president | Republican | Walhalla | 1994* |
| 2 | Rex Rice | Republican | Easley | 2016 |
| 3 | Richard Cash | Republican | Powdersville | 2017* |
| 4 | Michael Gambrell | Republican | Honea Path | 2016* |
| 5 | Tom Corbin | Republican | Travelers Rest | 2012 |
| 6 | Jason Elliott | Republican | Greenville | 2024 |
| 7 | Karl B. Allen | Democratic | Greenville | 2012 |
| 8 | Ross Turner | Republican | Greenville | 2012 |
| 9 | Danny Verdin | Republican | Laurens | 2000 |
| 10 | Billy Garrett | Republican | Greenwood | 2020 |
| 11 | Josh Kimbrell | Republican | Inman | 2020 |
| 12 | Roger Nutt | Republican | Moore | 2024 |
| 13 | Shane Martin | Republican | Spartanburg | 2008 |
| 14 | Harvey S. Peeler Jr. | Republican | Gaffney | 1980 |
| 15 | Wes Climer | Republican | Rock Hill | 2016 |
| 16 | Michael Johnson | Republican | Tega Cay | 2020 |
| 17 | Everett Stubbs | Republican | Rock Hill | 2024 |
| 18 | Ronnie Cromer | Republican | Prosperity | 2003* |
| 19 | Tameika Isaac Devine | Democratic | Columbia | 2024* |
| 20 | Ed Sutton | Democratic | Columbia | 2024 |
| 21 | Darrell Jackson | Democratic | Hopkins | 1992 |
| 22 | Overture Walker | Democratic | Columbia | 2024 |
| 23 | Carlisle Kennedy | Republican | Lexington | 2024 |
| 24 | Tom Young Jr. | Republican | Aiken | 2012 |
| 25 | A. Shane Massey | Republican | Edgefield | 2007* |
| 26 | Russell Ott | Democratic | Columbia | 2024 |
| 27 | Allen Blackmon | Republican | Heath Springs | 2024 |
| 28 | Greg Hembree | Republican | North Myrtle Beach | 2012 |
| 29 | JD Chaplin | Republican | Darlington | 2024 |
| 30 | Kent M. Williams | Democratic | Marion | 2004 |
| 31 | Mike Reichenbach | Republican | Florence | 2022* |
| 32 | Ronnie A. Sabb | Democratic | Greeleyville | 2014* |
| 33 | Luke A. Rankin | Republican | Conway | 1992 |
| 34 | Stephen Goldfinch | Republican | Murrells Inlet | 2016 |
| 35 | Jeffrey R. Graham | Democratic | Camden | 2024 |
| 36 | Jeff Zell | Republican | Sumter | 2024 |
| 37 | Larry Grooms | Republican | Bonneau | 1997* |
| 38 | Sean Bennett | Republican | Summerville | 2012 |
| 39 | Tom Fernandez | Republican | Summerville | 2024 |
| 40 | Brad Hutto | Democratic | Orangeburg | 1996* |
| 41 | Matt Leber | Republican | John's Island | 2024 |
| 42 | Deon Tedder | Democratic | Charleston | 2023* |
| 43 | Chip Campsen | Republican | Isle of Palms | 2004 |
| 44 | Brian Adams | Republican | Goose Creek | 2020 |
| 45 | Margie Bright Matthews | Democratic | Charleston | 2015* |
| 46 | Tom Davis | Republican | Beaufort | 2008 |
    *Senator was first elected in a special election

## Composition of the Senate over time

| Year | Democratic Party | Republican Party | Independent / Other | Majority |
| 1865 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 31 |
| 1868 | 6 | 25 | 0 | 19 |
| 1870 | 5 | 26 | 1 | 21 |
| 1872 | 8 | 25 | 0 | 17 |
| 1874 | 0 | 26 | 7 | 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 | 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 | 24 | 0 | 2 |
| 2004 | 20 | 26 | 0 | 6 |
| 2008 | 19 | 27 | 0 | 8 |
| 2012 | 18 | 28 | 0 | 10 |
| 2016 | 18 | 28 | 0 | 10 |
| 2020 | 15 | 30 | 1 | 14 |
* ↑ 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.
* 1 2 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.
* ↑ One independent, Mia McLeod, was formerly a member of the Democratic Party until January 10, 2023.