Vincent Sheheen
Vincent Sheheen (Democratic Party) was a member of the South Carolina State Senate, representing District 27. He assumed office in 2004. He left office on November 8, 2020.
Sheheen (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the South Carolina State Senate to represent District 27. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Sheheen served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2000 to 2004.
Sheheen was the Democratic nominee in the 2010 gubernatorial election in South Carolina.[1] He won the nomination for governor again in 2014.[2] Vincent Sheheen lost the general election on November 4, 2014.
Biography
Sheheen earned his B.A. from Clemson University in 1993. He went on to receive his J.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1996. Sheheen was a Law Clerk for the United States District Judge from 1996 to 1998. In 2000 he was Prosecutor for the City of Camden. He was then an adjunct instructor for the University of South Carolina School of Law from 1998 to 2001. He worked as an attorney for the law firm Savage, Royall, and Sheheen, L.L.P.
In June 2011, Governing Magazine named Sheheen one of 12 "Democratic Legislators to Watch." Each of the legislators was selected on the basis of qualities such as leadership, ambition and political potential.[3]
Committee assignments
2019-2020
Sheheen was assigned to the following committees:
- Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee
- Education Committee
- Finance Committee
- Fish, Game, and Forestry Committee
- Family and Veterans' Services Committee
- Senate Legislative Oversight Committee
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Agriculture and Natural Resources |
| • Education |
| • Finance |
| • Fish, Game, and Forestry |
| • General |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Sheheen served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Agriculture and Natural Resources |
| • Education |
| • Finance |
| • Fish, Game and Forestry |
| • General |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Sheheen served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Agriculture and Natural Resources |
| • Education |
| • General |
| • Judiciary |
| • Fish, Game and Forestry |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Sheheen served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Agriculture and Natural Resources |
| • Fish, Game and Forestry |
| • General |
| • Judiciary |
| • Transportation |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Sheheen served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Agriculture and Natural Resources |
| • Fish, Game and Forestry |
| • General |
| • Judiciary |
| • Transportation |
Issues
Balance of powers
Before the 2011 session began, three bills were filed in the South Carolina State Legislature that would have restructured the amount of power the legislature has compared to the state executive and judicial branches. The lawmakers who submitted the bills held that the scales of authority and oversight have been weighted against the executive and judicial branches in favor of the Legislature for decades, both constitutionally and statutorily.
For example, the state Budget and Control Board is both an agency and a board and it is a discordant hybrid of the executive and legislative branches that is unique to South Carolina. The board consists of three constitutional officers elected statewide, including the governor as chairman, and two of the most powerful legislators – the chairmen of the budget-writing Senate Finance and House Ways and Means committees. In another example, the power to appoint hundreds of members to executive boards and commissions rests with the General Assembly.
"We need to give the governor the power to be governor," said Sen. Chip Campsen (R).
Campsen was the chief sponsor of one of the three restructuring bills, S. 134.
"The small little cabal of senior legislators and those they influence, they don’t want to give up any power," said Sen. Mike Rose (R), who co-sponsored Campsen’s bill.
Bringing bipartisanship to the reform table, Sen. Sheheen sponsored one of the other two bills, S. 261. Campsen and Rose both signed onto the Sheheen measure.[4]
Presidential preference
2016 presidential endorsement
✓ Sheheen endorsed Martin O'Malley for the Democrat primary in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[5]
- See also: Endorsements for Martin O'Malley
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2020
See also: South Carolina State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for South Carolina State Senate District 27
Penry Gustafson defeated incumbent Vincent Sheheen in the general election for South Carolina State Senate District 27 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Penry Gustafson (R) | 51.0 | 22,294 |
 | Vincent Sheheen (D) | 48.9 | 21,406 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 41 | ||
| Total votes: 43,741 | |||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Vincent Sheheen advanced from the Democratic primary for South Carolina State Senate District 27.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Penry Gustafson advanced from the Republican primary for South Carolina State Senate District 27.
2016
Elections for the South Carolina State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 14, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The primary runoff election was held on June 28, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 30, 2016.
Incumbent Vincent Sheheen ran unopposed in the South Carolina State Senate District 27 general election.[6][7]
| South Carolina State Senate, District 27 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Vincent Sheheen Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 27,101 | |
| Total Votes | 27,101 | |||
| Source: South Carolina State Election Commission | ||||
Incumbent Vincent Sheheen ran unopposed in the South Carolina State Senate District 27 Democratic primary.[8][9]
| South Carolina State Senate, District 27 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Vincent Sheheen Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
Sheheen ran for Governor of South Carolina in the 2014 election. In April 2013, Sheheen announced in an email to supporters that he was building a campaign for governor in 2014. "Three years ago, we came so very close to changing South Carolina for the better. Now we can finish the job together," he stated.[10]
Sheheen won the Democratic nomination in the unopposed primary on June 10. The general election took place on November 4, 2014.
Sheheen's campaign manager was former North Carolina Democratic Party executive director Andrew Whalen. Whalen previously served as campaign manager for U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler (D).[11]
Results
General election
| Governor of South Carolina, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Nikki Haley Incumbent |
55.9% | 696,645 | |
| Democratic | Vincent Sheheen | 41.4% | 516,166 | |
| Libertarian | Steve French | 1.2% | 15,438 | |
| Independent | Tom Ervin | 0.9% | 11,496 | |
| United Citizens | Morgan Reeves | 0.5% | 5,622 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.1% | 934 | |
| Total Votes | 1,246,301 | |||
| Election results via South Carolina State Election Commission | ||||
Debates
October 14 debate
Charleston State University hosted a debate featuring all five candidates for governor, though Nikki Haley (R) and Vincent Sheheen (D) trained their attention against each other on the issue of ethics. Sheheen struck at Haley for past accusations of illegal lobbying during her time as a state legislator, arguing that the state would never be led in the right direction with Haley in office. Haley responded that she was cleared of charges twice by the state House in 2012 and that Sheheen voted against a proposed ethics reform law twice over the past two years. Sheheen claimed that the Republican-supported reform would not go far enough to deal with lobbying concerns.[12]
The three third-party candidates discussed their stances on marijuana legalization and job creation. Independent candidate Tom Ervin argued against the legalization of marijuana, suggesting that medical evidence showed lowered intelligence from habitual use. United Citizens Party candidate Morgan Reeves countered Ervin's points by stating that marijuana first existed in the "imagination of God" and could produce tax revenue for the state. Libertarian Party candidate Steve French opposed increasing the state's minimum wage and compared jobs to sex by saying, "You shouldn't brag about it if you have to pay for it." On the issue of jobs, Haley pointed to a previous announcement that 57,000 jobs would be created throughout the state; Sheheen suggested that only half of those jobs have been created in her first term.[12]
2012
Sheheen won election in the 2012 election for South Carolina State Senate District 27. Sheheen ran unopposed in the June 12 Democratic primary and ran unopposed in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[13][14][15]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Vincent Sheheen Incumbent |
99% | 29,031 | |
| Other | Write-Ins | 1% | 298 | |
| Total Votes | 29,329 | |||
2010
Sheheen defeated Jim Rex and Robert Ford in the June 8 primary.
He lost to Nikki Haley (R) in the general election on November 2, 2010.
| South Carolina Governor, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Nikki Haley |
51.4% | 690,525 | |
| Democratic | Vincent A. Sheheen | 46.9% | 630,534 | |
| Green | Morgan Bruce Reeves | 0.9% | 12,483 | |
| UNC | Morgan Bruce Reeves | 0.6% | 7,631 | |
| Write-In | Various | 0.2% | 3,025 | |
| Total Votes | 1,344,198 | |||
| Election results via South Carolina Election Commission | ||||
2008
Sheheen won re-election for District 27 of the South Carolina State Senate with 28,838 votes, ahead of write-ins (129).[16]
He raised $56,274 for his campaign.[17]
| South Carolina State Senate, District 27 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Vincent Sheheen (D)
|
28,838 | |||
| Write-ins | 129 | |||
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Vincent Sheheen did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of South Carolina scorecards, email suggestions to [email protected].
2020
In 2020, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 14 to June 25. The state Senate reconvened September to September 3. Both chambers reconvened September 15 to September 24.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental and conservation issues.
- Legislators are scored on business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 8 through May 21.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 9 through May 10.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 10 through May 11.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 12 through June 2.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 13 through June 4.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 14 through June 6.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 8 to June 20.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 11 through June 7.
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2011
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
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In 2011, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 11 through June 2. On June 2, 2011, Governor Nikki Haley (R) attempted to call the legislature into an "emergency" special session to begin on June 7 to create the new South Carolina Department of Administration. A lawsuit was filed by Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell (R), in which he contended that Haley's call for a special session was unconstitutional, and that it violated the state Constitution's requirement of separation of powers among the governor, legislature and courts.[18] On June 6, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled 3-2 against Governor Haley, stating that her order violated the Legislature's ability to set its calendar and agenda. The legislature met in a special redistricting session from June 14 - July 1.[19] The legislature re-convened July 26.[20]
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The Palmetto Liberty PAC Scorecard
The Palmetto Liberty Political Action Committee, a conservative, pro-limited government think tank in South Carolina, releases its scorecard for South Carolina representatives and senators once a year. The scorecard gives each legislator a score based on how he or she voted in the two-year legislative term prior to the election on specific issues that the Palametto Liberty PAC thinks are anti-limited government. "Most of the votes shown on the score card are votes that we lost. Now we can identify the Legislators that caused us to lose these votes. These Legislators are the ones who need to be replaced if we are to achieve the vision of having the most free state in the nation."[21]
2012
Vincent A. Sheheen received a score of 6% in the 2012 score card, ranking 40th out of all 46 South Carolina Senate members.[22] His score was followed by Senators Ralph Anderson (0%), Paul Campbell (0%), Creighton B. Coleman (0%).[23]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Sheheen and his wife, Amy, have three children.
Noteworthy events
Complaints filed by GOP operative
A paid South Carolina Republican Party operative filed three ethics complaints against Sheheen. The complaints were that Sheheen failed to report expenses paid to fly to Kentucky on a campaign-related trip, a gasoline reimbursement to a volunteer and an unreported in-kind contribution. The South Carolina Ethics Commission dismissed the complaints against Sheheen, however. The in-kind donation was made during the quarter in which the complaint was filed, and Sheheen said he would file it with the next quarter's fundraising, as he is legally required to do. Sheheen also noted that he drove his own car to Kentucky for the campaign event, and did not accrue any flight expenses. Sheheen called the charges "desperate accusations" and claimed that they were simply meant to distract from the blemished ethics record of Governor Nikki Haley (R).[24]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Vincent + Sheheen + South + Carolina + Senate"
See also
2020 Elections
External links
- Vincent Sheheen's official campaign website
- Profile from Open States
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2012, 2010 Governor, 2010 Senate, 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002, 2000
- Vincent Sheheen on Twitter
- Vincent Sheheen's YouTube Channel
Footnotes
- ↑ Congressional Quarterly Politics, "Barrett Touts $300K Quarter for South Carolina Gov Bid," April 9, 2009
- ↑ The State, "Sheheen challenging Haley again," April 10, 2013
- ↑ Governing, "GOP Legislators to Watch," May 24, 2011
- ↑ The Nerve, "Bills Target Legislature's Lopsided Power," January 04, 2011 (dead link) (dead link)
- ↑ CNN Politics, "First on CNN: S.C. lawmaker endorses Martin O'Malley," October 22, 2015
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Candidate listing for the 11/8/2016 statewide general election," accessed August 26, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "2016 Statewide General Election," accessed November 28, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina Election Commission, "Candidate Tracking," accessed March 31, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Unofficial primary election results," accessed June 14, 2016
- ↑ Washington Post, "Vincent Sheheen to run against Nikki Haley again," April 10, 2013
- ↑ The State, "Democrat Vincent Sheheen names campaign manager for 2014 SC governor’s race," July 9, 2013
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 The State, "2014 Elections: Gloves off for Haley, Sheheen in SC governor’s debate," October 14, 2014
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, “2012 General Election – Official Results,” November 19, 2012
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "2012 Candidates," accessed April 26, 2012
- ↑ AP.org, "South Carolina State Senate and State House Election Results," accessed November 7, 2012
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Official election results for 2008," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "2008 campaign contributions," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑ The State, "High court rules against Haley," June 6, 2011
- ↑ The Sun News, "S.C. House to have special session in June," May 6, 2011
- ↑ The Island Packet, "S.C. Senate OKs new congressional districted anchored in Beaufort County," June 29, 2011
- ↑ The Palmetto Liberty Political Action Committee, "Voting Records," accessed April 11, 2014
- ↑ Palmetto Liberty Political Action Committee, "South Carolina Senate Score Card 2012," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑ Palmetto Liberty Political Action Committee, "South Carolina Senate Score Card 2012," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑ The State, "Sheheen accuses SC GOP of ‘desperate accusations’ in dismissed ethics charges," September 19, 2013
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Donald Holland |
South Carolina State Senate - District 27 2004–2020 |
Succeeded by Penry Gustafson (R) |
