Jim Hodges | |
---|---|
![]() | |
114th Governor of South Carolina | |
In office January 13, 1999 –January 15, 2003 | |
Lieutenant | Bob Peeler |
Preceded by | David Beasley |
Succeeded by | Mark Sanford |
Member of the South CarolinaHouseofRepresentatives from the 45th district | |
In office December 2,1986 –December 5,1997 | |
Preceded by | Tom Gibson Mangum |
Succeeded by | Eldridge Emory |
Personal details | |
Born | James Hovis Hodges November 19,1956 Lancaster,South Carolina,U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Rachel Gardner |
Children | 2 |
Alma mater | University of South Carolina (BSBA,JD) |
James Hovis Hodges (born November 19,1956) [1] is an American businessman,attorney,and politician who served as the 114th governor of South Carolina from 1999 to 2003. A former member of the South Carolina House of Representatives,Hodges is the most recent Democrat to serve as the state's governor.
James Hovis Hodges was born on November 19,1956,to parents George N. and Betty H. Hodges. [1] [ citation needed ] He grew up in Lancaster,South Carolina,near the North Carolina border. He attended Davidson College but later transferred to the University of South Carolina,where he completed a BSBA in 1979 and earned election to Phi Beta Kappa. [2] During his undergraduate studies,Hodges worked summers at a cotton mill to pay for his schooling. [3]
In 1982,Hodges received a J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law. [3] From 1983 to 1986,Hodges served as Lancaster County Attorney. [4]
At age 30,Hodges first won an election in a December 1986 special election for the 45th district seat in the South Carolina House of Representatives vacated by the late Tom Mangum. [5] While in the House,Hodges served as chair of the House Judiciary Committee from 1992 until 1994 and as House Democratic Leader from 1995 until 1997. [3]
The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce named Hodges "Legislator of the Year" in 1993,and the National Federation of Independent Business bestowed Hodges with its "Guardian of Small Business" award. [6]
While serving in the state legislature,Hodges also worked as general counsel for The Springs Company. [6]
Hodges entered the 1998 gubernatorial election in South Carolina an underdog but took advantage of controversy and missteps by incumbent Republican governor David Beasley,namely Beasley's indecisiveness on allowing a Confederate flag to fly at the state capitol and call to eliminate video poker. [7] Donations from video gambling interests helped Hodges narrow a near million-dollar fundraising gap with Beasley. [8]
In what was reported as an upset victory, [9] Hodges won the gubernatorial race by a 8% margin and won 35 of 46 counties. [10] Hodges became the first challenger to defeat a sitting governor since the South Carolina constitution first allowed consecutive terms in 1980. [11] [12]
As South Carolina's 114th governor,Hodges signed a law that made Martin Luther King,Jr. Day an official state holiday;South Carolina was the last state in the U.S. to do so. That law also added a Confederate Memorial Day,a move that drew opposition from the NAACP. [13] Several hours later,Hodges signed the South Carolina Heritage Act which the General Assembly had passed as a compromise so that the Confederate flag could be moved from the state capitol's dome to its grounds. [14]
Public education was a major focus in the Hodges administration,as Hodges oversaw the founding of the South Carolina Education Lottery and the First Steps preschool initiative. The governor also helped pass a $1.1 billion school construction initiative,and the lottery funded millions in college scholarships to South Carolina students. [10] [12]
Hodges made efforts to reform land use policy in South Carolina. He signed several executive orders which created task forces and interagency councils. Besides the Historic Preservation Task Force created by Hodges,Governor Mark Sanford did not continue Hodges policies. [15] Hodges also instituted the construction of the Ravenel Bridge in Charleston,which is North America's longest cabled spanned bridge.[ citation needed ]
Hodges received criticism in his first year in office for his management of the Hurricane Floyd evacuation,particularly his decision not to make Interstate 26 one-way westbound. [16] [17] Hodges also received blame for financial problems with the state Department of Commerce and long lines at Division of Motor Vehicles offices. [12]
In 2003,the University of South Carolina self-reported to the NCAA several secondary recruiting violations on Hodges' part. Hodges had met with recruits,something he was prohibited from doing as an ex-oficio trustee of the university. [18]
In 2002 Hodges ran for reelection Against former U.S. Representative Mark Sanford. Like Hodges' 1998 bid,the race concentrated on issues such as education and the state budget. [19]
During the campaign,Sanford "likened Hodges to a weasel and to former President Bill Clinton and Al Gore," reported The State in October 2002. [20] On November 5,2002,Sanford defeated Hodges,53%-47%. To date,Hodges remains the last Democrat to have served as governor of South Carolina.
Since leaving office as governor,Hodges has served as a senior advisor at McGuire Woods Consulting,LLC,and as partner in the affiliated law firm of McGuireWoods,LLP,and is based in Columbia,South Carolina.
He endorsed General Wesley Clark's (D-Arkansas) campaign in the 2004 Democratic presidential primaries. [21]
In 2007,Hodges publicly supported Stephen Colbert's attempt to run for president in the South Carolina primaries,and even offered himself up as a vice presidential choice should the comedian actually win the nomination. In February 2008 the former governor officially endorsed U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois) in the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries. The Obama campaign,in turn,named Hodges as one of its national co-chairs. [22]
Hodges and his wife Rachel live in Columbia with their two sons. He is an Episcopalian.
Marshall Clement "Mark" Sanford Jr. is an American politician and author who served as the U.S. representative for South Carolina's 1st congressional district from 1995 to 2001 and from 2013 to 2019,and as the 115th governor of South Carolina from 2003 to 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party.
David Muldrow Beasley is an American politician and the former Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme. A member of the Republican Party,he served one term as the 113th Governor of South Carolina from 1995 until 1999 before losing reelection to Democrat Jim Hodges. He also served as a state representative from 1981 until 1995.
The Order of the Palmetto is the highest civilian honor awarded by the governor of South Carolina. It is awarded to South Carolinians who demonstrate extraordinary lifetime achievement,service and contributions of national or statewide significance.
The 2006 South Carolina gubernatorial election took place on November 7,2006. Incumbent Republican Governor Mark Sanford won re-election against Democratic State Senator Tommy Moore,becoming only the third Republican governor in South Carolina to win a second term. Sanford started the campaign with a double-digit edge over Moore and he maintained that lead to election day. During the campaign,Sanford's approval rating averaged in the mid-fifties. In Sanford's re-election victory,he also garnered 22% of the African American vote.
Rudolph Andreas "André" Bauer is an American businessman and politician who was the 87th Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina from 2003 to 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party. Bauer was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives (1996–1999) and a member of the South Carolina State Senate (1999–2003). In 2016,he became a CNN political analyst,supporting the presidential campaign of Donald Trump. CNN dismissed Bauer in February 2019.
The 1998 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 3,1998 to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. Jim Hodges,the Democratic nominee,handily defeated Republican Governor David Beasley to become the 114th governor of South Carolina. Beasley was the first incumbent governor to be defeated for reelection since Daniel Henry Chamberlain in the disputed election of 1876. As of 2024,this was the last time that a Democrat was elected Governor of South Carolina.
The 2002 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 5,2002 to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. Mark Sanford,the Republican nominee,defeated incumbent Democratic Governor Jim Hodges to become the 115th governor of South Carolina. Hodges became only the third incumbent governor and the first Democratic governor in South Carolina history to lose reelection.
The 2010 South Carolina gubernatorial election took place on November 2,2010. Incumbent Republican Governor Mark Sanford was term limited and unable to seek re-election. Primary elections took place on June 8,2010,and a runoff election,as was necessary on the Republican side,was held two weeks later on June 22.
Nimarata Nikki Haley is an American politician and diplomat who served as the 116th governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017 and as the 29th U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from January 2017 to December 2018. A Republican,Haley is the first Indian American to serve in a presidential cabinet. She was a candidate in the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries. Her victory in the Washington,D.C. primary on March 3,2024,made her the first woman ever to win a Republican Party presidential primary contest.
Robert Ford is an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the South Carolina Senate from 1993 to 2013,representing District 42,which is located in Charleston. From 1974 to 1992,he served as a member of the Charleston City Council.
John Mark Hammond is an American Republican politician from South Carolina. He has served as South Carolina Secretary of State since January 15,2003.
The 2014 United States Senate election in South Carolina took place on November 4,2014,concurrently with a special election for South Carolina's other Senate seat,as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
The 2014 United States Senate special election in South Carolina took place on November 4,2014,concurrently with the regular election for the other South Carolina Senate seat. The special-election Senate seat was formerly held by Republican Jim DeMint,who resigned on January 2,2013,to become president of The Heritage Foundation.
A special election for South Carolina's 1st congressional district was held on May 7,2013,to fill the seat following the resignation of U.S. Representative Tim Scott,who was appointed to the United States Senate by Governor Nikki Haley to fill the seat previously held by Jim DeMint. DeMint resigned from the Senate on January 2,2013,to accept a position as president of The Heritage Foundation.
The 2018 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 6,2018,to elect the Governor of South Carolina. Incumbent Republican Governor Henry McMaster,who took office after Nikki Haley resigned to become U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations,ran for election to a full term. The primary was held on June 12,with the Democrats nominating State Representative James E. Smith Jr. McMaster failed to win a majority of the vote,and then defeated John Warren in the Republican runoff on June 26. In the general election,McMaster defeated Smith,winning election to a full term.
The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina were held on November 6,2018,to elect the seven U.S. representatives from the state of South Carolina,one from each of the state's seven congressional districts. The elections coincided with a gubernatorial election,as well as other elections to the House of Representatives,elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.
Joseph Kendrick Cunningham is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for South Carolina's 1st congressional district from 2019 to 2021. The district includes much of South Carolina's share of the Atlantic Coast,from Charleston to Hilton Head Island.
The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina were held on November 3,2020,to elect the seven U.S. representatives from the state of South Carolina,one from each of the state's seven congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election,as well as other elections to the House of Representatives,elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.
The 2022 United States Senate election in North Carolina was held on November 8,2022,to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of North Carolina. Primary elections were scheduled for March 8,2022,but were delayed by the North Carolina Supreme Court and rescheduled for May 17.
The 2022 South Carolina gubernatorial election took place on November 8,2022,to elect the governor of South Carolina. Incumbent Republican Governor Henry McMaster ran for re-election for a second full term in office and secured the Republican nomination in the June 14 primary. Joe Cunningham,former United States Representative from South Carolina's 1st congressional district,was the Democratic nominee. McMaster won the general election with 58% of the vote —a larger margin than in 2018.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)