SC senators swap powerful roles in leadership change in wake of Leatherman’s death
The South Carolina Legislature’s upper chamber has a new leader, marking a new era in the Senate after the death of longtime state Sen. Hugh Leatherman.
State Sen. Thomas Alexander, R-Oconee, was elected Senate president Monday, gaining control over the 46-member chamber and responsibilities from choosing who gets to sit on what committees and deciding who gets recognized on the floor.
“My heart is full with gratitude as you have entrusted me with to serve as president of the institution we all love and revere,” Alexander said in his first remarks as president, donning the signature purple robe. “This is an exciting time and yet humbling day.”
Alexander succeeds Sen. Harvey Peeler, R-Cherokee, who stepped down Monday to become Senate Finance Committee chairman, giving him control over state spending. Senate rules prevent the president from chairing a committee at the same time, with the exception of the Legislative Oversight Committee.
“Brothers and sisters of the Senate, we have work to do. I will see you on the floor,” Peeler said before stepping down to sit with his colleagues.
Leatherman died in November at age 90 of a non-COVID-19-related illness. He was in his 11th term, having served 41 years in the Senate and, of those years, roughly wo decades as finance chairman. On Monday, his Senate desk was draped in black with a Bible and a single, white rose in a vase.
Though Peeler and Leatherman were elected the same year — 1980 — Leatherman had seniority, and therefore chairmanship on the committee by virtue of alphabetical order.
“Hugh Leatherman will be missed by many, many people in this state,” Peeler said.
SC Senate’s power shift
Alexander, 65, is the second to hold the presidential role in the Senate, after the the chamber did away with the lieutenant governor position altogether and gave it to the executive branch to run as part of a ticket with the governor.
“His experience and wisdom will serve the people of South Carolina well as he leads the Senate,” said Senate Minority Leader Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg.
Peeler, 73 — now the chamber’s second most senior senator after Sen. Nikki Setzler, D-Lexington, who was elected to the Senate in 1976 — was elected the chamber’s first president in 2019, then reelected earlier this year to a four-term in the position.
Peeler did not speak to reporters Monday, but told his colleagues he can best serve constituents in District 14 — which includes all of Cherokee and parts of Spartanburg, Union and York counties — as Senate Finance Committee chairman as opposed to president.
“My work on the finance committee will allow me to focus on the issues most important to our state,” Peeler said. “This includes, and is not limited to, a focus on fiscal conservatism and building and maintaining a taxpayer financial system (where) families and businesses can locate, grow and thrive.”
Alexander’s election to president also is nod to his seniority in the Senate, now the fifth most senior senator. Alexander, who runs an office supply business, previously served in the House from 1987-1994. His positions in the Senate have included chairing panels responsible for spending COVID-19 aid from the American Rescue Plan Act, and screening candidates for the Public Service Commission and appointees to the Santee Cooper Board.
He also serves on the Joint Bond Review Committee, which oversees construction projects carried out by the state.
Because of the Senate rule, Alexander stepped down as chairman on the Senate’s Labor Commerce and Industry Committee, a position now held by Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort.
“The South Carolina Senate is an institution of fairness and compromise,” Alexander said. “As your president I will be fair and do my part to foster compromise.”
The Upstate could have more regional influence in the chamber with Alexander as president and Peeler as finance chairman.
“We’re state senators and certainly the president of the Senate serves all the senators and the state of South Carolina,” Alexander told reporters when asked what their positions mean for the region. “I’m honored to reside in Walhalla and to serve District No. 1, (but) the president of the Senate, that is an institutional position that I look to serve all of the state and more importantly, serve the colleagues that have placed me in that position.”
This story was originally published December 6, 2021 at 2:35 PM with the headline "SC senators swap powerful roles in leadership change in wake of Leatherman’s death."
