Harvey S. Peeler Jr.

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 by	Office established[a]
Succeeded by	Thomas C. Alexander
Member of the South Carolina Senate
Incumbent
Assumed office January 14, 1981
Preceded by	John David Long III
Constituency	5th district (1981–1985) 14th district (1985–present)
Personal details
Born	(1948-09-08) September 8, 1948 (age 76) Gaffney, South Carolina, U.S.
Political party	Republican (1989–present)
Other political affiliations	Democratic (before 1989)
Spouse	Ila LaDonna Caudill
Relations	Bob Peeler
Education	Clemson University (BS)
Profession	Dairyman, businessman

S.C. Senate

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

Confederate flag

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

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

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

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

1. South Carolina Senate biography
2. 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. 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.

External links

• Follow the Money – Harvey S. Peeler Jr.
  • 2006 2004 2002 2000 campaign contributions
• Appearances on C-SPAN

South Carolina Senate
Preceded by John David Long III	Member of the South Carolina Senate from the 5th district 1981–1985 Served alongside: Robert Lake	Succeeded by Jefferson Smith
Preceded by Rembert Dennis	Member of the South Carolina Senate from the 14th district 1985–present	Incumbent
Preceded by Hugh Leatherman	Majority Leader of the South Carolina Senate 2005–2016	Succeeded by A. Shane Massey
Preceded by Hugh Leatherman	Chair of the South Carolina Senate Finance Committee 2021–present	Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Kevin L. Bryant as Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina	President of the South Carolina Senate 2019–2021	Succeeded by Thomas C. Alexander
Preceded by Hugh Leatherman as President pro tempore of the South Carolina Senate