Danny Verdin

Last updated
Kimberlee Diane Owens
​
​
(m. 1987)​
Daniel B. Verdin III
Danny Verdin by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Member of the South Carolina Senate
from the 9th district
Assumed office
2001
Children4 (Annemarie, Daniel, Whitson, and Caroline)
Parent(s)Daniel B. Verdin, Jr., Eloise Watts Verdin
Residence Laurens County, South Carolina
Education Bob Jones University (BA, 1986)
ProfessionBusiness owner, politician

Daniel Byron "Danny" Verdin III (born May 9, 1964) is a member of the South Carolina Senate, representing District 9 (Greenville, Laurens, & Union Counties). In November 2008, he was chosen as majority whip. [1]

Contents

Personal Life & Early Career

Verdin is the son of Dr. Daniel B. and Eloise Watts Verdin. He was born in Louisiana but raised in Greenville County, where his father was a veterinarian. In 1986, Verdin graduated with a bachelor's in history from Bob Jones University. In 1987, Verdin married Kimberlee Owens; they have four children.

Verdin served as Agriculture and Natural Resources Advisor to Governor Carroll Campbell, 1987–89. He is the owner of Verdin's Farm & Garden Center in Laurens, South Carolina. Verdin is a member of Faith Free Presbyterian Church in Greenville, and he has served as South Carolina Division Commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, 1998–2000. [2]

Political career

S.C. Senate

Elections

In 2000, Verdin ran for the District 9 South Carolina Senate seat as a conservative Republican and defeated a 16-year Democratic incumbent, Jim Bryan, in an upset election, winning 54% of the vote. Verdin's election shifted the balance of power in the South Carolina Senate by creating a 23–23 tie between Republicans and Democrats.

Anticipating that the Senate rules would be re-written to favor Republicans and that Republican Senate President (and Lieutenant Governor) Bob Peeler would break the tie in the Republicans' favor, long-time Democratic Senator Jefferson Verne Smith (Greenville) switched his party affiliation to Republican in order to retain his powerful committee chairmanship. [3] This switch resulted in the end of more than a century of Democratic control of the South Carolina Senate.

In 2004, Verdin was challenged by former Senator Jim Bryan winning 60% of the vote. [1] He was unopposed for reelection in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020. In 2024, he will face his first challenger in over a decade, Democrat Randy Driggers.

For details on individual elections, see:

Tenure

Verdin serves as the Chairman of the Senate Medical Affairs Committee.

In 2006, the South Carolina Farm Bureau named Verdin Legislator of the Year; and in 2007, Verdin was named Legislator of the Year by the South Carolina Veterinarians Association. Verdin has been consistently rated A+ by the NRA Political Victory Fund. [4] [5] In announcing Verdin's selection as majority whip in 2008, Majority Leader Harvey Peeler said that in the current political environment, the Republican caucus needed "to return to core conservative values". [1]

Following the Charleston church shooting of 2015, Verdin said he would not vote to remove the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the state house. [6]

Following redistricting after the 2020 US Census, S.C. Senate District 9 covers a portion of Greenville & Laurens Counties.

2020 Census Redistricting
South Carolina Statewide Senate Districts after 2020.jpg
All S.C. State Senate Districts, following the redistricting after the 2020 Census.
SC Senate District 09 Greenville, Laurens, & Union Counties.jpg
South Carolina State Senate District 9 consists of Greenville, Laurens, & Union Counties.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008811260366%5B%5D Greenville News, November 26, 2008, 2A.
  2. ↑ SC Statehouse website.
  3. ↑ "Sen. Verne Smith remembered for helping land BMW, dedication to education". Destination Greenville. Archived from the original on May 9, 2010. Just days before the 2001 session was to convene, the conservative Smith changed to the GOP, saying he could better represent his strongly Republican district within that party. For the first time in 124 years, Republicans held both legislative bodies.
  4. ↑ Vote-Smart website
  5. ↑ "NRA-PVF | Grades | South Carolina". NRA Political Victory Fund . Archived from the original on November 3, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ↑ Hawes, Jennifer (24 June 2015). "We're asking every member of the SC legislature about the Confederate flag". Post and Courier (Charleston). Archived from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
South Carolina Senate
Preceded by Member of the South Carolina Senate
from the 9th district
2001–present		Incumbent
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