Republicans gained a super majority in SC Senate. What items might be on their agenda?
Republicans gained a supermajority in the state Senate by picking up at least two seats, and are on their way to picking up two more seats in the upper chamber. The probable 34-seat caucus in the 46-member chamber could lead way to even more conservative policies that did not pass when the GOP controlled just 30 seats.
The GOP ousted state Sen. Vernon Stephens, D-Orangeburg, in District 39 and state Sen. Kevin Johnson, D-Clarendon, in District 36.
Stephens lost to Republican lawyer Tom Fernandez and Johnson lost to Jeff Zell of Sumter County.
After Tuesday's results, two districts are going to automatic recounts: District 17 where state Sen. Mike Fanning, D-Fairfield, trails Republican Everett Stubbs by 32 votes, and District 29 where state Sen. Gerald Malloy trails Republican JD Chaplin by 287 votes.
Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey of Edgefield County said he expects the caucus to meet in the next couple of weeks to talk about agenda priorities.
Massey said to expect legislation on educational scholarship accounts after the state Supreme Court struck down the program, as well as legislation on joint and several liability, and addressing South Carolina's future energy needs.
"We had some good candidates and these are serious people," Massey said. "They're coming because they want to serve and they want to try to make South Carolina a better place, so I know those new senators are going to want to work and they're going to want to work to advance a conservative agenda."
But with the primary defeat of the three Republican women senators, the additional seats in the Senate may give Republicans motivation again to try to bring up a total abortion ban, or near total ban. South Carolina law currently bans abortions after cardiac activity can be detected, which is usually around the sixth week of a pregnancy when a woman may not know she is pregnant.
"That issue is different," Massey said. "It's much more personal and individual and so that's one of those things I've got to talk to everybody and try to get a better feel for where people are."
With the new supermajority in the upper chamber, the House may look to the Senate to take a lead on the issue. The House has previously passed a ban that starts at conception, but the Senate did not have the votes to pass it.
"We've dealt with abortion issue many times and our friends in the Senate at times have let it lie over there, now we believe with the changes that happened in the Senate, they may have the majority they need to get something done and we look forward to them sending us a bill," said House Majority Leader Davey Hiott.
One bright spot for Democrats is state Rep. Russell Ott's victory in state Sen. District 26 to succeed state Sen. Nikki Setzler, D-Lexington. Ott, a Calhoun County Democrat, now moves from the House, where Republicans have had a supermajority, to the Senate, where Republicans will now have a supermajority.
"I think if Republicans don't listen to whatever Democrats are in the Senate, they're going to be doing that at their own detriment," Ott said. "I think that all you can do is look at the House, see the dysfunction that is going on there. I think that once you get that supermajority in the Senate, I don't know why they would think that it's going to be any different. So look, I can't make those types of predictions. All I can control is the way that I conduct myself."
The House has been marked with dysfunction as hard-line conservative members have sought to hold up legislation pushed by Republican leadership because they don't believe it's conservative enough.
Having that many Republicans in the caucus can create a challenge for leadership, Massey said.
"If we can make sure everyone has a seat at the table and everybody is involved in the process, then I'm hopeful that will allow us to keep moving as we've been moving," Massey said. "That worked for us well over the last four years, but I think it's important that everyone is heard and everybody feels like they're part of the team."
House margins stayed the same
Democrats hope of going on offense in the House did not come to fruition. They looked to flip back four seats they lost in 2022 previously held by Black lawmakers, including three seats that fall within U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn's district.
Republicans held on to all four seats: District 12, District 64, District 116 and District 122.
After a redistricting lawsuit settlement in 2022, Democrats gained a seat in this election after a district was returned to Richland County.
But the GOP counteracted by flipping state House District 102 where Republican Harriet Holman defeated state Rep. Joe Jefferson, D-Dorchester. Holman is a former Democrat who served on the Democratic National Committee's platform committee in 2020.
Republicans won 88 seats in the House and Democrats won 36 seats.
Going into Tuesday's election 74 out of the 124 House seats only had one of the major parties on the ballot. In the Senate, 24 seats only had one of the major parties on the ballot. Because the way districts have been drawn in South Carolina, most of the competitive elections take place in the primaries, not the general election.
S.C. GOP Chairman Drew McKissick would not say what he wanted to see the Legislature tackle first in the upcoming session.
"I'll let them argue about the differences and how they want to approach our priorities. We lay out priorities. They decide how best to go about legislating so it's going to be a very different legislative session next year," McKissick told reporters outside of the SCGOP office.
But he did say the supermajority in the state Senate should help Republicans move priorities forward.
"It's going to make it obviously, virtually impossible for Democrats to filibuster and stifle legislation now that we have a supermajority there," McKissick said. "So I think we'll be able to see the Senate be able to move even faster than it certainly has in the past, and maybe even compete with the House and how fast they can move."
