Dwight Loftis

Last updated
Sandra Elaine Jones
​
(m. 1963)​
Dwight Loftis
Member of the South Carolina Senate
from the 6th district
In office
March 27, 2019 –December 2024
Children3
Education North Greenville University (AA, 1966)
ProfessionInsurance agent, politician

Dwight A. Loftis (born February 4, 1943) is an American politician and retired insurance agent from South Carolina. A member of the South Carolina Senate from 2019 to 2024, he previously represented district 19 in the South Carolina House of Representatives for 23 years from 1996 to 2019. He is a member of the Republican party.

Contents

S.C. House of Representatives (1996–2019)

From 1996 to 2019, Loftis represented district 19 in the South Carolina House of Representatives. His entry to the office was upon winning a January 1996 special election. [4]

S.C. Senate

From 2019 to 2024, Loftis represented South Carolina's 6th Senate District (a portion of Greenville County). He was first elected during a special election when incumbent William Timmons succeeded Trey Gowdy in representing South Carolina's 4th Congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. [1] In 2023, Loftis announced he would retire and not seek reelection. [5] [6]

Political views

Loftis opposes gay marriage and strongly supports marriage as defined between a man and woman. [7] He voted to keep the Confederate Flag flying above the South Carolina Statehouse. [8] He is a strong supporter of "law and order," the second amendment, and South Carolina's "heartbeat bill," restricting abortion after six-weeks. [9]

Personal life

Loftis resides in Greenville, South Carolina with his wife Sandra. They have three children. Loftis first obtained an Associate degree from North Greenville University (then, North Greenville College) in 1966. He was an insurance agent, but has since retired. [10]

Loftis has been an active member of the Greenville community, particularly on issues of crime and education. He is a board member and past president of the Crime Stoppers of Greenville, and has held positions such as:

Electoral history

YearOfficeTypePartyMain opponentPartyVotes for LoftisResult Swing Ref.
Total %P.±%
1996S.C. RepresentativeSpecial Republican Johnnie S. Fulton Democratic 1,42351.35%1stN/AWonHold [11]
1996General Republican Johnnie S. Fulton Democratic 4,99256.48%1stN/AWonHold [12]
1998General Republican Write-in N/A6,22497.69%1st+41.21%WonHold [13]
2000General Republican Debbie Hill Democratic 6,12666.02%1st-31.67%WonHold [14]
2002General Republican Write-in N/A6,44197.80%1st+31.78%WonHold [15]
2004General Republican Luanne M. Taylor Democratic 7,74672.14%1st-25.66%WonHold [16]
2006General Republican Write-in N/A5,99198.89%1st+26.75%WonHold [17]
2008General Republican Write-in N/A9,20598.58%1st-0.31%WonHold [18] [19]
2010General Republican Write-in N/A6,46798.60%1st+0.02%WonHold [20]
2012General Republican Write-in N/A9,21397.90%1st-0.70%WonHold [21]
2014General Republican Write-in N/A6,49298.62%1st+0.72%WonHold [22]
2016General Republican Write-in N/A10,37998.56%1st-0.06%WonHold [23]
2018General Republican Carrie Counton Democratic 6,74461.16%1st-37.40%WonHold [24]
2019 S.C. SenateRep. primary Republican Amy Ryberg Doyle Republican 3,52855.41%1stN/AWonN/A [25] [1]
Special Republican Tina Belge Democratic 4,44055.64%1stN/AWonHold [26]
2020 General Republican Hao Wu Democratic 33,30065.13%1stN/AWonHold [9] [27]

Awards and honors

Governor Henry McMaster presented the Order of the Palmetto to Loftis at the December 2, 2024, Greenville County Legislative Delegation meeting. [28]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "SC State Senate 06 – Special Election". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  2. ↑ "SC State House 019 – Special Election". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  3. ↑ "SC State House 019". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Loftis, Dwight A." Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  5. ↑ Kenmore, Abraham; Adcox, Seanna (2024-04-02). "SC's GOP 'sister senators' among legislators facing primary opposition • SC Daily Gazette". SC Daily Gazette. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  6. ↑ Staff, FOX Carolina News (2023-12-30). "Greenville County councilman announces bid for Senate seat". FOX Carolina. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  7. ↑ "Issues". Dwight Loftis for Senate. Archived from the original on February 19, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  8. ↑ Bowers, Paul (July 9, 2015). "Here are the 20 lawmakers who voted against removing the Confederate flag". Charleston City Paper. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  9. 1 2 Davis, Angelia L. "2020 general election: Here's who is running for South Carolina Senate District 6". The Greenville News. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  10. ↑ "South Carolina Legislature Online - Member Biography". www.scstatehouse.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  11. ↑ "SC State House 019 - Special Election". Our Campaigns. January 23, 1996. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  12. ↑ "South Carolina Election Report 1995-1996". SC State Library. Columbia, SC: S.C. State Election Commission. May 1997.
  13. ↑ "South Carolina Election Report (1997-1998)" (PDF). South Carolina Election Commission. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  14. ↑ "South Carolina Election Report 2000" (PDF). SCVotes.gov. Columbia, SC: S.C. State Election Commission. 2001. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  15. ↑ "South Carolina Election Report (2002)" (PDF). South Carolina Election Commission. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  16. ↑ "South Carolina 2004 Election Report" (PDF). SCVotes.gov. State of South Carolina Election Commission. January 11, 2006. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  17. ↑ "South Carolina Election Report (2006)" (PDF). South Carolina Election Commission. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  18. ↑ "South Carolina Election Commission Election Report 2008" (PDF). SCVotes.org. S.C. State Election Commission. May 2009. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  19. ↑ "South Carolina 2008 General Election: State House of Representatives District 19". South Carolina Election Commission. 2009-06-01. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
  20. ↑ "South Carolina 2010 General Election: State House of Representatives District 19". South Carolina Election Commission. 2010-11-18. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
  21. ↑ "South Carolina 2012 General Election: State House of Representatives District 19". South Carolina Election Commission. 2013-04-09. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
  22. ↑ "South Carolina 2014 Statewide General Election: State House of Representatives, District 19". South Carolina Election Commission. 2014-12-15. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
  23. ↑ "South Carolina 2016 Statewide General Election: State House of Representatives, District 19". South Carolina Election Commission. 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
  24. ↑ "South Carolina 2018 Statewide General Elections: State House of Representatives, District 19". South Carolina Election Commission. 2020-03-03. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
  25. ↑ Brown, Kirk (January 22, 2019). "Loftis wins SC Senate District 6 Republican primary, according to unofficial vote total". Greenville News. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  26. ↑ "Loftis wins South Carolina state Senate primary". AP News. 2019-01-25. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  27. ↑ "South Carolina 2020 Statewide General Election: State Senate, District 6". South Carolina Election Commission. 2021-06-30. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
  28. ↑ Moss, Savannah. "Longtime SC lawmaker receives state's highest civilian honor as new lawmakers take oath". Independent Mail. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
South Carolina House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives
from the 19th district
1996–2019		Succeeded by
South Carolina Senate
Preceded by Member of the South Carolina Senate
from the 6th district
2019–2024		Incumbent
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