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Through the services of Andrew Clawson, Government Affairs Advisor at MaynardNexsen, we maintain active engagement with policymakers to ensure your voice is heard in Columbia.
All contributions help amplify the voice of mortgage professionals at the state level. Thank you for your support.
Drew Clawson
Drew is a Government Affairs Advisor in Maynard Nexsen’s Government Solutions practice group. Prior to joining Maynard Nexsen, Drew owned a political consulting firm that provided South Carolina-focused lobbying, consulting, legislative monitoring, grassroots, communication and association management services. Drew's previous firm represented clients in a wide variety of fields, including health care, community association management, education and small business.
Graham serves as a senior vice president of state government relations for McGuireWoods Consulting in South Carolina. Graham has over forty years’ experience in national and state politics and government relations. He draws on his extensive experience to assist clients on a variety of issues that include energy, education, healthcare and general advocacy
Updates
2024 brought a red Republican wave in the state’s Senate races, with Republicans picking up four seats in the Senate, giving Republicans a supermajority in the body and bringing the total number of Republicans in the chamber to 34. With Tuesday’s results, Democrats will now only hold 12 seats in the Senate, pending the confirmation of results from two automatic recounts detailed below. Tuesday’s results, there will be thirteen new Senators when the legislature reconvenes in January, with 28% of the body having turned over since the 2020 election. This will be the biggest freshman class in the state Senate since the 2012 election.
There were relatively few shakeups in the House as only one House incumbent lost his seat in 2024’s general election, with Democrat Joe Jefferson losing to Republican political newcomer Harriet Holman in the District 102 race that covers Berkeley County. There will be nineteen new members of the House for the new upcoming two-year session.
Legislative Makup:
The South Carolina House of Representatives in made up of 124 separate single-member districts - The current House political makeup is 88 Republicans and 36 Democrats. (Two-year Terms)
The South Carolina Senate consists of 46 members who are elected from single-member districts of approximately 87,200 citizens. The current Senate political makeup is 34 Republicans and 12 Democrats. (Four-year Terms)
The first year of the two-year legislative began on January 14, 2025. First Session: January 14, 2025 – May 8, 2025 | Second Session: January 12, 2026 – May 14. 2026
The 2026 House and Senate Pre-file dates have not yet been set, but it is expected that members will begin prefiling bills around December of 2025.
Statewide offices up for election on November 3, 2026:
Governor, Lieutenant Governor
Agriculture Commissioner
Attorney General
Comptroller General
Secretary of State
Superintendent of Education
Treasurer