Jake Knotts
John M. Knotts, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Member of the South Carolina Senate from the 23rd district | |
| In office 2002–2012 | |
| Preceded by | Joe Wilson |
| Succeeded by | Katrina Shealy |
| Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 88th district | |
| In office 1994–2002 | |
| Preceded by | C. Lenoir Sturkie |
| Succeeded by | Mac Toole |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 12, 1944 West Columbia, South Carolina |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Betty Lee |
| Profession | law enforcement |
John M. "Jake" Knotts, Jr. (born December 12, 1944) is a former Republican member of the South Carolina Senate, representing the 23rd District from 2002 to 2012. Previously he was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1994 through 2002.
Early life
[edit]Knotts was born in December 1944 in West Columbia, South Carolina, the son of John Milton, Sr. and Dovereen Jessie (Williams) Knotts.[1] He was the child of a poverty-stricken family and raised as Jakie Webster until he was told his real name at age 12.[2] Knotts served in the Navy.[3] Following his service, Knotts worked as a police officer for the Columbia Police Department, a detective, and an assistant coroner before entering politics.[3] Knotts married Betty Lee in 1965,[1][4] with whom he has two children, Michelle Nicole and Tara Marie.[4]
Political career
[edit]Knotts was a prominent critic of governor and fellow Republican Mark Sanford and was a leading critic of the governor following his disappearance and admission of an extramarital affair.[5][6]
Knotts was defeated for re-election in the 2012 general election by Katrina Shealy, a Republican petition candidate who he had defeated in the 2008 Republican primary.
Committee assignments
[edit]Knotts served on the following committees in the state senate:[1]
- Agriculture and Natural Resources
- Fish, Game and Forestry
- General
- Invitations (Chairman)
- Judiciary
- Rules
Controversies
[edit]"Raghead" comment
[edit]On June 3, 2010, Knotts used the word "raghead" to describe President Barack Obama and Republican gubernatorial candidate (and fellow Lexington County resident) Nikki Haley while appearing on a live broadcast of Pub Politics. Several people present at the political talk show's broadcast confirmed Knotts said "We already got one raghead in the White House, we don’t need a raghead in the governor's mansion."[7] Haley was raised as a Sikh and later converted to Christianity. Haley has stated she attends services of both faiths.[7]
Other South Carolina Republicans were quick to distance themselves from Knotts and called for an apology.[8] Knotts later issued a statement, saying, "Since my intended humorous context was lost in translation, I apologize. I still believe Ms Haley is pretending to be someone she is not, much as Obama did, but I apologize to both for an unintended slur."[9] Haley campaign manager Tim Pearson called Knotts "an embarrassment to our state and to the Republican Party."[10]
After Knotts' controversial remarks, former Lexington County Republican Party chairwoman Katrina Shealy announced a primary candidacy to challenge Jake Knotts in 2012.[11] On June 10, the Lexington County Republican Party voted to censure Knotts and asked him to resign from office, by a vote of 26 to 7.[12] Knotts reiterated that he would not resign, saying "I'm truly, deeply sorry I used those words and there was no intention for them to be interpreted to be prejudice."[12]
In a 2021 interview, Knotts said again that Haley "wasn't a real Christian" and had "converted for political purposes".[13]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Senator John M. "Jake" Knotts, Jr". South Carolina State Legislature. Archived from the original on June 21, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
- ^ "How Jake became Jake: Knotts on growing up poor in Columbia." Interview with Jake Knotts. 23 May 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
- ^ a b Definition of a hard-nose. The Item via Google News Archive. 6 July 1996.
- ^ a b "Senator John Milton 'Jake' Knotts, Jr. (SC)". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
- ^ "Republican calls for investigations into Sanford." CNN Political Ticker. 26 June 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
- ^ Yvonne Wenger. "Knotts admonishes Sanford but will not call for his resignation." Post and Courier. 26 June 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
- ^ a b O'Connor, John., Smith, Gina. Knotts' slur stirs the Haley storm. Archived 2014-12-27 at the Wayback Machine The State. June 3, 2010.
- ^ Smith, Ben. S.C. Republicans condemn 'raghead' comment. Politico. June 3, 2010.
- ^ US lawmaker under fire over racist slur of Indian-American. Associated Press. Yahoo! News. June 4, 2010.
- ^ Ivey, Page (June 4, 2010). "SC state senator refers to candidate as 'raghead'". The Guardian. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
- ^ Landreth, Rob (June 4, 2010). "Shealy Says She Will Challenge Knotts In 2012". WSPA-TV. Archived from the original on June 8, 2010. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
- ^ a b "Local GOP Leaders Ask S.C. State Senator to Resign Over 'Raghead' Remark". Fox News. June 11, 2010. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- ^ "Nikki Haley's Time for Choosing". Politico.
External links
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