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Mark Willis
2008 - Present
2026
17
Mark Willis (Republican Party) is a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing District 16. He assumed office in 2008. His current term ends on November 9, 2026.
Willis (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the South Carolina House of Representatives to represent District 16. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Biography
Willis earned his B.A. from Erskine College in 1986. He is a Long Term Care Administrator.
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023-2024
Willis was assigned to the following committees:
2021-2022
Willis was assigned to the following committees:
2019-2020
Willis 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 |
|---|
| • Education and Public Works |
| • Interstate Cooperation, Chair |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Willis served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Education and Public Works |
| • Interstate Cooperation, Chair |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Willis served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Education and Public Works |
| • Interstate Cooperation, Vice Chair |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Willis served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Education and Public Works |
| • Interstate Cooperation, Vice Chair |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Willis served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs |
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
2024
See also: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for South Carolina House of Representatives District 16
Incumbent Mark Willis won election in the general election for South Carolina House of Representatives District 16 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Mark Willis (R) | 98.7 | 17,423 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.3 | 230 | ||
| Total votes: 17,653 | |||
 = 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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Democratic primary election
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Troy Cormier (D)
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Mark Willis advanced from the Republican primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 16.
Campaign finance
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Willis in this election.
Pledges
Willis signed the following pledges.
2022
See also: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for South Carolina House of Representatives District 16
Incumbent Mark Willis won election in the general election for South Carolina House of Representatives District 16 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mark Willis (R) | 98.0 | 11,081 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 2.0 | 224 | ||
| Total votes: 11,305 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Mark Willis advanced from the Republican primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 16.
2020
See also: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for South Carolina House of Representatives District 16
Incumbent Mark Willis won election in the general election for South Carolina House of Representatives District 16 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mark Willis (R) | 96.8 | 15,368 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 3.2 | 509 | ||
| Total votes: 15,877 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Mark Willis advanced from the Republican primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 16.
2018
General election
General election for South Carolina House of Representatives District 16
Incumbent Mark Willis won election in the general election for South Carolina House of Representatives District 16 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mark Willis (R) | 97.1 | 9,259 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 2.9 | 276 | ||
| Total votes: 9,535 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 16
Incumbent Mark Willis advanced from the Republican primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 16 on June 12, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Mark Willis |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
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 Mark Willis defeated Brandon Greene in the South Carolina House of Representatives District 16 general election.[1][2]
| South Carolina House of Representatives, District 16 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Mark Willis Incumbent |
65.45% | 10,209 | |
| Democratic | Brandon Greene | 34.55% | 5,388 | |
| Total Votes | 15,597 | |||
| Source: South Carolina State Election Commission | ||||
Brandon Greene ran unopposed in the South Carolina House of Representatives District 16 Democratic primary.[3][4]
| South Carolina House of Representatives, District 16 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Brandon Greene (unopposed) | |
Incumbent Mark Willis ran unopposed in the South Carolina House of Representatives District 16 Republican primary.[5][6]
| South Carolina House of Representatives, District 16 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Mark Willis 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. Incumbent Mark Willis ran unopposed in the Republican primary and was unchallenged in the general election.[7][8][9]
2012
Willis ran unopposed in the Republican primary on June 12 and in the general election on November 6, 2012.[10][11]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mark Willis Incumbent |
98.9% | 10,080 | |
| Other | Write-Ins | 1.1% | 109 | |
| Total Votes | 10,189 | |||
2010
Willis ran unopposed in the June 8 Republican primary for District 16 of the South Carolina House of Representatives. Willis won unopposed in the general election on November 2.[12]
| South Carolina House of Representatives, District 16 (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Mark Willis (R)
|
6,208 | 99.14% | ||
| Write-In | 54 | 0.86% | ||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Willis won election to the 16th District seat in the South Carolina House of Representatives, defeating Michael Turner Jr (D).
Willis raised $29,128 for his campaign, while Turner raised $10,500.[13]
| South Carolina House of Representatives, District 16 (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Mark Willis (R)
|
7,085 | |||
| Michael Turner Jr (D) | 6,239 | |||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Mark Willis did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2022
Mark Willis did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Mark Willis did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
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.
Endorsements
Presidential preference
2012
Mark Willis endorsed Newt Gingrich in the 2012 presidential election.[14]
He previously endorsed Rick Perry.[15]
2016 Republican National Convention
- See also: Republican National Convention, 2016
Willis was a district-level delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from South Carolina. He was one of 50 delegates from South Carolina bound to support Donald Trump on the first ballot.[16][17] As of July 13, 2016, Trump had approximately 1,542 delegates. The winner of the Republican nomination needed the support of 1,237 delegates. Trump formally won the nomination on July 19, 2016.
Delegate rules
In South Carolina, national delegates were selected at congressional district conventions and the South Carolina Republican State Convention. State party rules allocated each congressional district's three delegates to the presidential candidate who received the most votes in that district. At-large delegates were allocated to the winner of the statewide primary. All delegates were bound for the first ballot at the Republican National Convention.
South Carolina primary results
| South Carolina Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
|
Donald Trump |
32.5% | 240,882 | 50 | |
| Marco Rubio | 22.5% | 166,565 | 0 | |
| Ted Cruz | 22.3% | 165,417 | 0 | |
| Jeb Bush | 7.8% | 58,056 | 0 | |
| John Kasich | 7.6% | 56,410 | 0 | |
| Ben Carson | 7.2% | 53,551 | 0 | |
| Totals | 740,881 | 50 | ||
| Source: South Carolina State Election Commission | ||||
Delegate allocation
South Carolina had 50 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 21 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's seven congressional districts). South Carolina's district-level delegates were allocated on a winner-take-all basis; the candidate who won the plurality of the vote in a given congressional district was allocated all three of that district's delegates.[18][19]
Of the remaining 29 delegates, 26 served at large. South Carolina's at-large delegates were allocated on a winner-take-all basis; the candidate who won the greatest number of votes statewide received all 26 of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention. The RNC delegates were pledged to support the candidate who won the South Carolina primary.[18][19]
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 South Carolina scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2024
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show]. |
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In 2024, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 9 to May 9.
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2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 10 to May 11.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 11 to May 12.
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2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 12 to May 13.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 14 to June 25. The state Senate reconvened September to September 3. Both chambers reconvened September 15 to September 24.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 8 through May 21.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 9 through May 10.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 10 through May 11.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 12 through June 2.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 13 through June 4.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 14 through June 6.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 8 to June 20.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 11 through June 7.
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2011
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
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In 2011, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 11 through June 2. On June 2, 2011, Governor Nikki Haley (R) attempted to call the legislature into an "emergency" special session to begin on June 7 to create the new South Carolina Department of Administration. A lawsuit was filed by Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell (R), in which he contended that Haley's call for a special session was unconstitutional, and that it violated the state Constitution's requirement of separation of powers among the governor, legislature and courts.[20] On June 6, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled 3-2 against Governor Haley, stating that her order violated the Legislature's ability to set its calendar and agenda. The legislature met in a special redistricting session from June 14 - July 1.[21] The legislature re-convened July 26.[22]
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The Palmetto Liberty PAC Scorecard
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 legislator a score based on how he or she voted in the two-year legislative term prior to the election on specific issues that the Palametto Liberty PAC thinks are 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."[23]
2012
Mark Willis received a score of 20% in the 2012 scorecard, ranking 76th out of all 124 South Carolina House of Representatives members.[24] His score was followed by representatives Paul Agnew (13%), Karl Allen (13%), and Michael Anthony (13%).[25]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Willis and his wife, Tracy, have three children.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate South Carolina House of Representatives District 16 |
Officeholder South Carolina House of Representatives District 16 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 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 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
- ↑ AP.org, "South Carolina State Senate and State House Election Results," accessed November 7, 2012
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "2012 Candidates," accessed April 20, 2012
- ↑ www.enr-scvotes.org, "2010 General Election Results," accessed May 1, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "2008 campaign contributions," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑ Newt Gingrich 2012, "South Carolina Legislative Endorsements For Newt Gingrich," January 20, 2012
- ↑ Race 4 2012, "Perry Unveils Endorsements From 21 SC State Legislators," September 21, 2011
- ↑ South Carolina Republican Party, "2016 National Convention Delegate/Alternate Election Results," May 7, 2016
- ↑ The Post and Courier, "No single candidate may end up with all of South Carolina’s delegates," February 19, 2016
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016
- ↑ The State, "High court rules against Haley," June 6, 2011
- ↑ The Sun News, "S.C. House to have special session in June," May 6, 2011
- ↑ The Island Packet, "S.C. Senate OKs new congressional districted anchored in Beaufort County," June 29, 2011
- ↑ The Palmetto Liberty Political Action Committee, "Voting Records," accessed April 11, 2014
- ↑ Palmetto Liberty Political Action Committee, "South Carolina Senate Score Card 2012," accessed April 11, 2014
- ↑ Palmetto Liberty Political Action Committee, "South Carolina Senate Score Card 2012," accessed May 15, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
South Carolina House of Representatives District 16 2008-Present |
Succeeded by - |
