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Harvey S. Peeler Jr.

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Harvey Smith Peeler Jr. (born September 8, 1948) is an American politician.[1][2] He is a member of the South Carolina Senate, representing the 14th District from since the 1980s, initially as a Democrat, and from October 1989, as a Republican. He was the Senate Majority Leader from 2005 to 2016[1] and President of the Senate from 2019 to 2021. In 2021, he became Chair of the Finance Committee after the death of Hugh Leatherman.[3][4]

Harvey Peeler
1st President of the South Carolina Senate
In office
January 8, 2019 – December 6, 2021
Preceded byOffice established[a]
Succeeded byThomas C. Alexander
Member of the South Carolina Senate
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 14, 1981
Preceded byJohn David Long III
Constituency5th district (1981–1985)
14th district (1985–present)
Personal details
Born (1948-09-08) September 8, 1948 (age 76)
Gaffney, South Carolina, U.S.
Political partyRepublican (1989–present)
Other political
affiliations		Democratic (before 1989)
SpouseIla LaDonna Caudill
RelationsBob Peeler
EducationClemson University (BS)
ProfessionDairyman, businessman

S.C. Senate

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Peeler has served as a state senator for South Carolina since 1981.[1][2] He became Senate Majority Leader in 2005 after the resignation of Hugh Leatherman.[5][6] He resigned as Majority Leader in 2016, passing the position to A. Shane Massey.[7][8]

In Peeler's first year in the state senate, he formed a voting bloc with Hugh Leatherman.[9] In 1989, he was one of five Democratic South Carolina legislators to switch to the Republican Party from the Democratic.[10]

He has previously chaired the Senate Medical Affairs Committee, and served as vice-chairman of the Senate Finance Committee since 2007.[1] Peeler currently serves on the Senate Ethics, Interstate Cooperation, Medical Affairs and Transportation Committees.[11]

Controversies

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Confederate flag

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In 2015, after the shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, which killed fellow State Senator Clementa C. Pinckney, Peeler voted against removing the Confederate flag. Peeler compared removing it to "removing a tattoo from the corpse of a loved one and thinking that that would change the loved one's obituary."[12] He was one of only three state senators to vote against its removal, the other two being Danny Verdin and Lee Bright.[12][13] Fifteen years earlier, Peeler was one of only seven senators who voted against the flag's removal from the top of the South Carolina Capitol Dome and both chambers of the South Carolina Legislature to its present position on the capitol grounds, arguing that the flag's removal would only worsen race relations.[14] The 2000 vote was a compromise between anti- and pro-flag forces in the wake of an economic boycott of the state.[15]

Personal life

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Peeler was born on September 8, 1948, in Gaffney, South Carolina.[1] He received a Bachelor of Science from Clemson University in 1970.[1][2] He served as a lieutenant in the United States Army from 1970 to 1972.[1] He is a dairyman.[1][2]

Peeler married Ila LaDonna Caudill on August 8, 1969, and they have three children: Brantlee Rene, Harvey Smith III, and Boone Solomon.[1] He is the brother of former South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Bob Peeler. Peeler attends Gaffney First Baptist Church.[1] He is a Mason and a Shriner.[1] He is a member of the American Jersey Cattle Association and the American Legion.[1]

Electoral history

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Year Office Type Party Main opponent Party Votes for Peeler Result Swing Ref.
Total % P. ±%
1980 S.C. Senator General Democratic Write-in N/A 33,268 99.97% 1st N/A Won Hold [16]
1984 General Democratic James Y. Sparks Republican 14,558 73.09% 1st −26.88% Won Hold [17]
1988 General Democratic Write-in N/A 14,685 96.76% 1st +23.67% Won Hold [18]
1992 General Republican Larry Sossamon Democratic 13,292 51.53% 1st −45.23% Won Hold[b] [19][c]
1996 General Republican Henry L. Jolly Democratic 15,612 61.92% 1st +10.39% Won Hold [20]
2000 General Republican Write-in N/A 21,739 99.76% 1st +37.84% Won Hold [21]
2004 General Republican Rick Dizbon Democratic 22,957 69.48% 1st −30.28% Won Hold [22]
2008 General Republican Write-in N/A 29,179 99.22% 1st +29.74% Won Hold [23]
2012 General Republican Write-in N/A 31,620 99.13% 1st −0.09% Won Hold [24]
2016 Rep. primary Republican Kenny Price Republican 5,196 82.87% 1st N/A Won N/A [25]
General Republican Write-in N/A 36,427 99.09% 1st −0.04% Won Hold [26]
2020 General Republican Sarah Work Alliance 42,377 83.86% 1st −15.23% Won Hold [27][28][29]

Notes

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  1. ^ A constitutional amendment combined the offices of president pro tempore and lieutenant governor to create the president of the senate.
  2. ^ Peeler switched parties in 1989.
  3. ^ Note that the numbers in the table for State Senate District 14 incorrectly list the U.S. House votes for Cherokee County. Additionally, the Union County votes are also incorrect when compared with the County-specific record. Adjusting for these errors in the aggregate table gives the correct vote total and result, whereas the table as recorded suggests Sossamon won.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l South Carolina Senate biography
  2. ^ a b c d Official website
  3. ^ "Harvey Peeler replaces Hugh Leatherman as Senate Finance Committee chairman". December 6, 2021.
  4. ^ "SC Senate names Thomas Alexander new president as Harvey Peeler steps down". December 8, 2021.
  5. ^ "Peeler to Replace Leatherman as Majority Leader". May 26, 2005.
  6. ^ "Peeler assumes Senate Republican leadership post".
  7. ^ "Harvey Peeler to step down as Senate majority leader".
  8. ^ "Massey Named New SC Senate Majority Leader". April 6, 2016.
  9. ^ Wilks, Avery G.; Hobbs, Stephen (April 8, 2020). "How Hugh Leatherman took control of South Carolina's budget and built a political empire". Post and Courier. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  10. ^ "Politics: After 125 years, S.C. is becoming a two-party state". GoUpstate.com. Gannett Co., Inc. December 29, 1989. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  11. ^ "Senate Standing Committees". South Carolina Legislature. 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Roldan, Cynthia; Kropf, Schuyler (July 6, 2015). "S.C. Senate: Flag needs to come down; House vote next". The Post and Courier. Retrieved July 6, 2015. To remove the flag from the Statehouse grounds and thinking it would change history would be like removing a tattoo from the corpse of a loved one and thinking that that would change the loved one's obituary. That won't change history.
  13. ^ Smith, Tim (July 6, 2015). "Senate gives approval to remove Confederate flag; Third reading tomorrow". Greenville News. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  14. ^ Firestone, David. "S. Carolina Senate Votes To Remove Confederate Flag". The New York Times on the Web. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  15. ^ Braun, Stephen (April 13, 2000). "South Carolina Senate Moves to End Stalemate on Confederate Flag". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  16. ^ "Report of the South Carolina Election Commission For the Period Ending June 30, 1981" (PDF). South Carolina Election Commission. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  17. ^ "Report of the South Carolina Election Commission For the Period Ending June 30, 1985" (PDF). South Carolina Election Commission. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  18. ^ "South Carolina Election Commission Annual Report 1988–1989" (PDF). South Carolina Election Commission. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  19. ^ "South Carolina Election Commission Annual Report 1992–1993" (PDF). South Carolina Election Commission. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  20. ^ "South Carolina Election Report 1995–1996" (PDF). South Carolina Election Commission. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  21. ^ "South Carolina Election Report 2000" (PDF). South Carolina Election Commission. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  22. ^ "South Carolina Election Report 2004" (PDF). South Carolina Election Commission. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  23. ^ "2008 General Election: State Senate, District 14". South Carolina Election Commission. June 1, 2009. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  24. ^ "2012 General Election: State Senate, District 14". South Carolina Election Commission. April 9, 2013. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  25. ^ "2016 Republican and Democratic Primaries: State Senate, District 14 – REP". South Carolina Election Commission. July 26, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  26. ^ "2016 Statewide General Election: State Senate, District 14". South Carolina Election Commission. February 1, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  27. ^ Statehouse Report (April 3, 2020). "NEW for 4/3: Who's running and who's not; Sanford; Hard times ahead; Elections – Statehouse Report". www.statehousereport.com. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  28. ^ "2020 Statewide General Election: State Senate, District 14". South Carolina Election Commission. June 30, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  29. ^ Dys, Andrew (November 4, 2020). "SC House incumbents in York, Chester, Lancaster had challengers. Who's keeping seats?". The Herald. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
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South Carolina Senate
Preceded by Member of the South Carolina Senate
from the 5th district
1981–1985
Served alongside: Robert Lake 		Succeeded by
Jefferson Smith
Preceded by Member of the South Carolina Senate
from the 14th district
1985–present 		Incumbent
Preceded by Majority Leader of the South Carolina Senate
2005–2016 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of the South Carolina Senate Finance Committee
2021–present 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded byas Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina President of the South Carolina Senate
2019–2021 		Succeeded by
Preceded byas President pro tempore of the South Carolina Senate
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