Gary Clary
Gary Clary (Republican Party) was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing District 3. Clary assumed office in 2014. Clary left office on November 8, 2020.
Clary (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the South Carolina House of Representatives to represent District 3. Clary won in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Biography
Clary's professional experience includes working as Minority Counsel for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Internal Security, as a Legislative Assistant, as a private attorney, and as a Circuit Judge in South Carolina.[1]
Committee assignments
2019-2020
Clary was assigned to the following committees:
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Judiciary |
| • Legislative Oversight |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Clary served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Education and Public Works |
| • Legislative Oversight |
Campaign themes
2014
Clary's campaign emphasized the following themes:[2]
- Government Spending
Excerpt: "I believe spending taxpayer dollars on special projects that do not improve the quality of life for citizens must stop. I am a fiscal conservative and believe we can do better at prioritizing our budget to fit the needs of our state. I will always fight for an efficient and balanced budget in Columbia."
- Jobs/Economy
Excerpt: "I believe Pickens County has an unlimited potential for continued economic growth. I will ensure economic drivers like Clemson University continue to thrive and I will take advantage of every opportunity to get government out of the way of small business owners. When the private sector partners with the public sector everybody wins."
- Education
Excerpt: "I believe education is the key to a bright future. We have some of the finest education institutions in the nation right here in District 3 but we can do better. When our teachers have the best resources available our students thrive. I will lead the charge to ensure every child has the necessary tools for success. There is no greater investment we can make."
- Accountability and Transparency
Excerpt: "I believe while government has demanded more and more of its citizens that government has become less and less transparent. I will institute an open door policy, vote in favor of income disclosure, and ensure input from the citizens of District 3 will be prioritized over that of lobbyists. I will conduct a quarterly town hall forum so I am certain of the issues that matter most to you and decisive action will be taken."
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2018
General election
General election for South Carolina House of Representatives District 3
Incumbent Gary Clary won election in the general election for South Carolina House of Representatives District 3 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Gary Clary (R) | 97.2 | 7,576 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 2.8 | 220 | ||
| Total votes: 7,796 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 3
Incumbent Gary Clary advanced from the Republican primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 3 on June 12, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Gary Clary |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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2016
Elections for the South Carolina House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 14, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The primary runoff election was held on June 28, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 30, 2016.
Incumbent Gary Clary defeated Travis McCurry in the South Carolina House of Representatives District 3 general election.[3][4]
| South Carolina House of Representatives, District 3 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Gary Clary Incumbent |
83.98% | 8,653 | |
| Libertarian | Travis McCurry | 16.02% | 1,651 | |
| Total Votes | 10,304 | |||
| Source: South Carolina State Election Commission | ||||
Incumbent Gary Clary ran unopposed in the South Carolina House of Representatives District 3 Republican primary.[5][6]
| South Carolina House of Representatives, District 3 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Gary Clary Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
Elections for all 124 seats in the South Carolina House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 10, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 30, 2014. Gary Clary defeated Ed J. Harris in the Republican primary. Travis McCurry ran as a Libertarian. Clary defeated McCurry in the general election.[7][8][9]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Gary Clary |
83.9% | 5,117 | |
| Libertarian | Travis McCurry | 16.1% | 983 | |
| Total Votes | 6,100 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Gary E. Clary |
56.5% | 1,716 |
| Ed J. Harris | 43.5% | 1,320 |
| Total Votes | 3,036 | |
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Carolina State Legislature in 2025.
- Americans for Prosperity - South Carolina — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- The Freedom Index — Legislators are scored on their adherence to the limited government principles of the U.S. Constitution.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Carolina State Legislature in 2024.
- Americans for Prosperity - South Carolina — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- Club for Growth Foundation — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- Conservation Voters of South Carolina — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental and conservation issues.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Carolina State Legislature in 2023.
- Americans for Prosperity - South Carolina — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- Conservation Voters of South Carolina — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental and conservation issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- The Institute for Legislative Analysis — Legislators are scored on their adherence to the limited government principles of the U.S. Constitution.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Carolina State Legislature in 2022.
- Americans for Prosperity - South Carolina — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- Conservation Voters of South Carolina — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental and conservation issues.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Carolina State Legislature in 2021.
- Americans for Prosperity - South Carolina — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- Conservation Voters of South Carolina — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental and conservation issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Carolina State Legislature in 2020.
- Conservation Voters of South Carolina — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental and conservation issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Carolina State Legislature in 2019.
- Club for Growth Foundation — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the organization.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Carolina State Legislature in 2018.
- Club for Growth Foundation — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the organization.
- Conservation Voters of South Carolina — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental and conservation issues.
- South Carolina Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored on business issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Carolina State Legislature in 2017.
- Club for Growth Foundation — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the organization.
- Conservation Voters of South Carolina — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental and conservation issues.
- South Carolina Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored on business issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Carolina State Legislature in 2016.
- Club for Growth Foundation — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the organization.
- Conservation Voters of South Carolina — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental and conservation issues.
- South Carolina Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored on business issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Carolina State Legislature in 2015.
- Club for Growth Foundation — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the organization.
- Conservation Voters of South Carolina — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental and conservation issues.
- South Carolina Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored on business issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Carolina State Legislature in 2014.
- Club for Growth Foundation — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the organization.
- Conservation Voters of South Carolina — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental and conservation issues.
- Greenville Tea Party — Legislators are scored by the Greenville Tea Party on their votes on bills "related to jobs, spending, and freedom."
- South Carolina Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for "Gary + Clary + South + Carolina + House"
- All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.
See also
- South Carolina State Legislature
- South Carolina House of Representatives
- South Carolina House of Representatives District 3
- South Carolina House of Representatives Committees
- South Carolina state legislative districts
External links
- Official campaign website
- Gary Clary on Facebook
- Gary Clary on Twitter
- Profile from Open States
- South Carolina State Legislature
- Campaign contributions via OpenSecrets
Footnotes
- ↑ Gary Clary campaign website, "Meet Gary," accessed May 16, 2014
- ↑ Gary Clary campaign website, "Issues," accessed May 16, 2014
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Candidate listing for the 11/8/2016 statewide general election," accessed August 26, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "2016 Statewide General Election," accessed November 28, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina Election Commission, "Candidate Tracking," accessed March 31, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Unofficial primary election results," accessed June 14, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Election Results," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Official general election results," accessed November 13, 2014
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "2014 Election Information," accessed March 31, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by B.R. Skelton (R) |
South Carolina House of Representatives District 3 2014–2020 |
Succeeded by Jerry Carter (R) |
