Gabriel Penfield, Irmo Town Council
Your Government · S.C. Senate

S.C. Senate Report Card

The 46 senators who share power with the House. Here is who holds each seat, how long they have served, and how the Senate votes, all from public records.

  • 46 seats
  • 4-year terms
  • No term limits

Not on this year’s ballot. Senators were elected in 2024 for terms that run through 2028, so no Senate seat is on the November 3 ballot unless a special election is called.

34 Republicans   12 Democrats
Two-thirds of the Senate is 31 seats. Irmo’s two seats are outlined.

Irmo’s senators

Districts 18 & 19

Irmo is split between two Senate districts. Which one you vote in depends on your address; see the district maps. Or find any senator on the Your S.C. Senate map.

Seniority by party

A senior majority, a newer minority

10 yrsMedian time in the Senate for Republicans
7 yrsMedian time in the Senate for Democrats
14 of 34Republicans who joined the Senate in 2020 or later
6 of 12Democrats who joined the Senate in 2020 or later

The 2024 election, the first under Senate lines redrawn after the 2020 census, brought 13 new senators, the biggest class on this list. Of the 47 people who served in the 2021–22 Senate, 16 are no longer there: 6 of 31 Republicans and 10 of 16 Democrats. Democrats held 16 seats then and hold 12 now.

The longest-serving senator is Sen. Harvey Peeler (R-Gaffney), in the Senate since 1980. The longest-serving Democrat is Sen. Darrell Jackson (D-Hopkins), since 1992. Several newer senators served in the House first; this page counts Senate years only.

How a bill moves

Most bills never leave committee

Every bill and joint resolution introduced by a senator in 2021–2026, grouped by the sponsor’s party. Ceremonial resolutions are not included.

A bill must clear committee and pass the Senate before it can go to the House. “Became law” includes local bills that apply to a single county or town.

How the Senate votes

Mostly in agreement, sometimes split by party

2,210Recorded Senate roll-call votes, 2021–2026
50%Were unanimous
13%Split along party lines, with most Republicans on one side and most Democrats on the other
Votes cast with their own party’s majorityEach dot is one member
On the winning side of a voteMajority members win most votes almost by definition
Attendance at roll-call votesShare of recorded votes each member was present for. Absences have many causes; the record does not say why
RepublicanDemocratIrmo senatorTap or hover a dot for the name

Senate party-line votes are about half as common as in the House (13% against 26%).

Tenure, to scale

How long each senator has served

Each line runs from the year a senator first won the seat to today, in order of seniority. Scroll down to move forward in time.

* First won the seat in a special election. ° Lee Bright also represented District 12 from 2009 to 2017; his line starts with his return. Years count Senate service only, not earlier time in the House. Other lines assume continuous service.

Every senator

2021–2026 record

Numbers cover only votes and bills since January 2021, so they show part of a long career and all of a short one. Senators elected in 2024 have about a year and a half of votes; Lee Bright, who returned in 2026, has only months.

Dist.MemberIn Senate sinceElections won†Bills writtenBecame lawAttendanceWith party

† Estimated from the year the senator joined, assuming continuous service and a general election every four years (2012, 2016, 2020, 2024); left blank for senators with a break in service. Bills written counts bills and joint resolutions where the member is the first-listed sponsor. Official member pages ↗

About this data

Senators and start years: the Senate membership list on Wikipedia, matched to LegiScan’s member records, as of October 2026. The next regular Senate election is November 2028.

Votes and bills: Data: LegiScan, used under CC BY 4.0. Covers the 124th, 125th and 126th General Assemblies (2021–2026): 2,210 Senate roll calls. “With party” means voting the same way as most members of your own party who voted yes or no. “Missed” counts roll calls where the member did not vote, whether excused or not. “Became law” means the bill history records an act number or the Governor’s signature.

What these numbers don’t show: committee work, constituent service, amendments, or why a vote was missed. Members of the majority party chair every committee, which shapes whose bills move.

Prepared by Gabriel Penfield, Irmo Town Council. Spotted an error? Let me know.

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