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Danny Verdin

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Daniel B. Verdin III
Member of the South Carolina Senate
from the 9th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
2001
Preceded byJames Edward Bryan, Jr.
Personal details
Born (1964-05-09) May 9, 1964 (age 60)
England Air Force Base in Alexandria, Louisiana
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Kimberlee Owens
​
(m. 1987)​
Children4
EducationBob 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, and Union Counties). In November 2008, he was chosen as majority whip.[1]

Personal Life & Early Career

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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 degree 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]

S.C. Senate

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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. 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.

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]

Electoral history

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Year Office Type Party Main opponent Party Votes for Turner Result Swing Ref.
Total % P. ±%
2000 S.C. Senate General Republican James Edward Bryan, Jr.[a] Democratic 16,793 54.46% 1st N/A Won Gain [7]
2004 General Republican James Edward Bryan, Jr. Democratic 19,402 60.04% 1st +5.58% Won Hold [1][8]
2008 General Republican Write-in N/A 27,405 99.04% 1st +39.00% Won Hold [9]
2012 General Republican Write-in N/A 27,931 98.91% 1st -0.13% Won Hold [10]
2016 General Republican Write-in N/A 32,168 98.85% 1st -0.06% Won Hold [11]
2020 General Republican Write-in N/A 39,049 96.95% 1st -1.90% Won Hold [12]

Notes

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  1. ^ Incumbent seeking re-election.

References

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  1. ^ a b c http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008811260366[permanent dead link‍] 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.
  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.
  7. ^ "South Carolina Election Report 2000" (PDF). SCVotes.gov. Columbia, SC: S.C. State Election Commission. 2001. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  8. ^ "South Carolina 2004 Election Report" (PDF). SCVotes.gov. State of South Carolina Election Commission. January 11, 2006. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  9. ^ "2008 General Election: State Senate District 9". South Carolina Election Commission. 2009-06-01. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
  10. ^ "2012 General Election: State Senate District 9". South Carolina Election Commission. 2013-04-09. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
  11. ^ "2016 General Election: State Senate, District 9". South Carolina Election Commission. 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
  12. ^ "2020 General Election: State Senate, District. 9". South Carolina Election Commission. 2021-06-30. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
South Carolina Senate
Preceded by Member of the South Carolina Senate
from the 9th district
2001–present 		Incumbent


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