Ivory Thigpen | |
|---|---|
| Member of the South CarolinaHouseofRepresentatives from the 79th district | |
| In office November 14, 2016 –December 4, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Mia McLeod |
| Succeeded by | Hamilton R. Grant |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ivory Torrey Thigpen May 11,1978 Jackson,Mississippi,U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | Jackson State University (BS) Palmer College of Chiropractic (DC) Morehouse School of Religion (MDiv) |
Ivory Torrey Thigpen Jr. is an American former politician. He is a member of the Democratic party. [1]
Thigpen was born and educated in Mississippi,a graduate of Jackson State University. He is Pastor of Rehoboth Baptist Church in Columbia. Thigpen and his wife are co-owners of a chiropractic office. [2]
Thigpen was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 79th District,serving from 2016 to 2024. [3] He served on the House Judiciary and Rules committee. [4]
In 2023,Thigpen chaired the South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus. [5]
Thigpen attended the 2024 Democratic National Convention as a Party and Elected Leader delegate. [6]
In January 2024,Thigpen announced his candidacy for State Senate District 22,the seat currently held by incumbent Mia McLeod. [7] [8] [9] Educator Dr. Monica Elkins also announced a run in the Democratic Primary. [10]
In February 2024,businessman Hamilton R. Grant announced plans to run for House District 79,the seat currently held by Thigpen. [11] Grant and community advocate Jonneika Farr faced each other in the Democratic Primary. Grant defeated Farr to become the Democratic nominee,and defeated Republican Rebecca Madsen in the General Election. [12] [13] [14]
On April 1,2024,McLeod announced that she would not seek re-election. Richland County Council member Overture Walker joined Thigpen and Elkins as candidates for the Democratic Primary nomination. Lee Blatt filed to run as a Republican candidate for the seat. [15] [16]
On June 11,Thigpen and Walker were the top vote getters in the Democratic Primary,and faced each other in a runoff. Lee Blatt withdrew,and Gary Votour with the South Carolina Workers Party faced the winner of the Democratic Primary in the general election. [17]
On June 25,Thigpen was defeated by Walker in the Primary runoff. [18] Walker went on to win the seat in November 2024.
| Year | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Candidate | Votes | Pct | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 Democratic Primary [19] | Ivory Torrey Thigpen | 2,105 | 46.74% | Monica Elkins | 2,074 | 46.05% | Vannie Williams,Jr. | 325 | 7.22% | |||
| 2016 Democratic Primary Runoff [20] | Ivory Torrey Thigpen | 1,275 | 63.88% | Monica Elkins | 721 | 36.12% | ||||||
| 2016 General Election [21] | Ivory Torrey Thigpen | 13,366 | 73.03% | Donald Miles | 4,581 | 25.03% | Victor Kocher | 354 | 1.93% | |||
| 2018 Democratic Primary | Ivory Torrey Thigpen (i) | Winner | ||||||||||
| 2018 General Election [22] | Ivory Torrey Thigpen (i) | 13,307 | 87.8% | Victor Kocher | 1,782 | 11.8% | Others/Write-in | 63 | 0.4% | |||