Bobby Harrell, Jr.

Bobby Harrell, Jr.
South Carolina House District 114
Incumbent
In office
1992 - Present
Term ends
November 10, 2014
Years in position	21
Party	Republican
Leadership
Speaker of the SC State House
2005-Present
Chairman, Ways and Means Committee, SC House
1999-2005
Majority Leader, SC State House
1997-1999
Compensation
Base salary	$10,400/year
Per diem	$131/day
Elections and appointments
Last election	November 6, 2012
First elected	1992
Next election	November 4, 2014
Term limits	N/A
Education
High school	Middleton High School (1974)
Bachelor's	BS, Business Administration, University of South Carolina (1978)
Personal
Birthday	March 7, 1956
Place of birth	Orangeburg, SC
Profession	Business Owner
Religion	Baptist
Websites
Office website

Bobby Harrell, Jr. is a Republican member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing District 114. Prior to his election, he had served on the Highway 61 Commission from 1991 to 1992. Harrell was first elected to the SC House in 1992 and was chair of the Freshmen Caucus in 1993. He served as Majority Leader from 1997 to 1999 and chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee from 1999 to 2005 before becoming Speaker on June 21, 2005.

Committee assignments

2013-2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Harrell served on the following committees:

South Carolina Committee Assignments, 2013
• Operations and Management, Ex-officio member

2011-2012

In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Harrell did not serve on any committees.

Issues

Presidential preference

2012

See also: Endorsements by state officials of presidential candidates in the 2012 election

Bobby Harrell, Jr. endorsed Newt Gingrich in the 2012 presidential election.

Hydrogen funding

Harrell and former Gov. Mark Sanford were at odds for much of the period since Harrell took over as Speaker in June 2005. Harrell blamed the state's high unemployment rate on Sanford's economic development strategy. Sanford believed the way to grow jobs was through broad-based reforms that help all businesses such as eliminating the corporate income tax and providing for an optional flat tax. Harrell has preferred to rely on targeted incentives for businesses and industries.

Among Harrell's biggest focuses has been in the area of hydrogen and fuel cell research - claiming that "South Carolina is on the edge of what could become a multitrillion-dollar industry over the next 20 years - the beginning of a hydrogen revolution." However, results have been spotty, according to the libertarian-leaning South Carolina Policy Council. More than $40 million in tax dollars have been invested in hydrogen research in the South Carolina Midlands alone, with the net result being the creation of a couple hundred jobs, according to the Speaker's Office.

Elections

2012

See also: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2012

Harrell was re-elected to the District 114 seat in the South Carolina House of Representatives in the 2012 election. Harrell ran unopposed in the Republican primary on June 12 and defeated Larry Carter Center (G) and John Steinberger (I) in the general election which took place on November 6, 2012.

South Carolina House of Representatives, District 114, General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Bobby Harrell, Jr. Incumbent	73.9%	11,493
	Green	Larry Carter Center	9.5%	1,473
	Independent	John Steinberger	16.2%	2,512
	Other	Write-Ins	0.5%	70
Total Votes				15,548

2010

Harrell ran unopposed in the June 8 Republican primary for District 114 of the South Carolina House of Representatives. Harrell won unopposed in the general election on November 2.

South Carolina House of Representatives, District 114 (2010)
Candidates		Votes	Percent
Bobby Harrell (R)		8,488	98.86%
Write-In		98	1.14%

2008

On November 4, 2008 Harrell won re-election unopposed to the South Carolina House of Representatives with 12,940 votes, representing District 114. 

Harrell raised $361,053 for his campaign.

South Carolina House of Representatives, District 114 (2008)
Candidates		Votes
Bobby Harrell, Jr. (R)		12,940

Campaign donors

2012

Campaign donor information is not yet available for this year.

2010

In 2010, a year in which Harrell was up for re-election, he collected $217,812 in donations.

His largest contributors in 2010 were:

South Carolina House of Representatives 2010 election - Campaign Contributions
Top contributors to Bobby Harrell, Jr.'s campaign in 2010
Colonial Life & Accident Insurance	$1,000
Select Health Of South Carolina	$1,000
South Carolina Health Care Association	$1,000
Outdoor Advertising Association Of South Carolina	$1,000
Palmetto Primary Care Physicians	$1,000
Total Raised in 2010	$217,812

2008

Harrell raised $361,053 in the 2008 election cycle.

His major contributors are listed below.

Donor	Amount
Select Health of South Carolina	$2,000
Gayle Avert	$2,000
SCANA Corp	$2,000
Hoffman-Laroche	$1,750
Trident Home Builders Association	$1,309

Scorecards

The Palmetto Liberty PAC Scorecard

See also: The Palmetto Liberty Political Action Committee's Legislative Score Card

The Palmetto Liberty Political Action Committee, a conservative pro-limited government think tank in South Carolina, releases its Scorecard for South Carolina Representatives and Senators once a year. The Scorecard gives each a legislator a score based on how they voted in the two-year legislative term prior to the election on specific issues which the Palametto Liberty PAC thought were anti-limited government. "Most of the votes shown on the score card are votes that we lost. Now we can identify the Legislators that caused us to lose these votes. These Legislators are the ones who need to be replaced if we are to achieve the vision of having the most free state in the nation."

2012

Bobby Harrell, Jr. received a score of 20% in the 2012 scorecard, ranking 57th out of all 124 South Carolina House of Representatives members. His score was followed by representatives Jackie Hayes (20%), George Hearn (20%), and Bill Herbkersman (20%).

Controversies

Campaign funds

According to a 2012 investigation by The Post and Courier, Harrell reimbursed himself $326,000 from his campaign funds but failed to keep accurate accounting of where the funds went. This documentation is required by the state to show that reimbursments are made only for political expenses, rather than personal purposes. The most controversial expenditures were related to Harrell's personal plane, which he claimed he only uses for "official legislative trips and politically related travel." Over the past five years, he had reimbursed himself $231,561 for travel costs.

In response to these revelations, South Carolina Common Cause, the South Carolina Democratic Party, and the South Carolina Policy Council requested that Attorney General Alan Wilson formally investigate the matter. While many Republicans were silent on the issue or modestly supported Harrell, Rep. Ralph Norman (R) was more critical of the Speaker, saying "He's gonna have to go overboard now to explain why he hasn't provided this so far. This isn't something he can stonewall. There are enough people in the House that are gonna demand that he answer...You can't govern effectively if you're under this cloud of suspicion. How is he gonna make laws if he's not abiding by them?"

On February 28, 2013, South Carolina's State Law Enforcement Division confirmed that it had opened an investigation of Harrell as result of the South Carolina Policy Council's complaint. SLED's spokesman said they were "actively investigating" the case. According to The Post and Courier, most legislators of both major parties did nothing to challenge the speaker over the allegations.

Charleston conference

In August 2012, The Post and Courier of Charleston revealed that in September 2011, a dozen legislators used $10,000 in taxpayer funds for a conference held at the Charleston Place Hotel. Harrell, the event's official host, defended the expenditures, saying "the overall impact for the Charleston economy and the image of our community to leaders around the country was huge." Harrell's personal tab for his stay at the hotel came in at $1,519.

Personal

Harrell and his wife Cathy have two children, Trey and Charlotte, and live in Charleston. Bobby served as a deacon at Westminster Presbyterian Church from 1991 to 1993, and he and Cathy are members of the First Baptist Church of Charleston. The Harrells operate a State Farm Insurance agency.

Legislative salary

According to an October 2010 report by The Nerve, Harrell recorded salary and expenses of $128,406 for the 2.5-year period from Jan. 1, 2008, through mid 2010, making him the second-highest-compensated legislator in South Carolina during that period.

External links

Suggest a link

• South Carolina House page
• Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
• Biography from Project Vote Smart
• Press Release: Hydrogen: Proving to be a Great Investment for SC
• Technology: Hydrogen Energy for South Carolina?
• Statehouse Leaders Continue Hydrogen Push Despite Shortfalls
• Harrell: Don't Let Facts Get in way of Politics
• Campaign Contributions: 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1998, 1996

References

Political offices
Preceded by -	South Carolina House of Representatives District 114 1992–present	Succeeded by NA