Nikki Setzler
Nikki Setzler (Democratic Party) was a member of the South Carolina State Senate, representing District 26. He assumed office in 1984. He left office on November 11, 2024.
Setzler (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the South Carolina State Senate to represent District 26. He won in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Setzler served as state Senate minority leader.
Biography
Setzler earned his B.A. from the University of South Carolina in 1968. He then received his J.D. in 1971. Setzler began working as an attorney in 1973.
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
Setzler was assigned to the following committees:
- Banking and Insurance Committee
- Education Committee
- Senate Ethics Committee
- Finance Committee, Chairman
- Finance Committee
- Interstate Cooperation Committee
- Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee
- Senate Legislative Oversight Committee
- Medical Affairs Committee
- Transportation Committee
2021-2022
Setzler was assigned to the following committees:
- Banking and Insurance Committee
- Education Committee
- Senate Ethics Committee
- Finance Committee
- Labor, Commerce, and Industry Committee
- Senate Legislative Oversight Committee
- Interstate Cooperation Committee
2019-2020
Setzler was assigned to the following committees:
- Interstate Cooperation Committee
- Banking and Insurance Committee
- Education Committee
- Finance Committee
- Senate Ethics Committee
- Labor, Commerce, and Industry Committee
- Senate Legislative Oversight Committee
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Banking and Insurance |
| • Education |
| • Ethics |
| • Finance |
| • Interstate Cooperation |
| • Labor, Commerce, and Industry |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Setzler served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Banking and Insurance |
| • Education |
| • Ethics |
| • Finance |
| • Interstate Cooperation |
| • Labor, Commerce and Industry |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Setzler served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Banking and Insurance |
| • Education |
| • Finance |
| • Interstate Cooperation |
| • Labor, Commerce and Industry |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Setzler served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Banking and Insurance |
| • Education |
| • Finance |
| • Interstate Cooperation |
| • Labor, Commerce and Industry |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Setzler served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Banking and Insurance |
| • Education |
| • Finance |
| • Interstate Cooperation |
| • Labor, Commerce and Industry |
Issues
Amazon.com construction
Amazon began building a 1-million-square-foot retail distribution center near Cayce, South Carolina in 2011.
Setzler sponsored a bill (S. 808) that would exempt Amazon from being designated as a "nexus," or having a physical presence in the state, until Jan. 1, 2016, for the purposes of collecting sales taxes. Under the bill, the sales tax break could end sooner if a federal law was passed overriding state law, or if Amazon didn't live up to its end of the deal as specified in the bill.
Businesses opposed to the bill could contend in a lawsuit that granting the nation’s largest Internet retailer the exemption would violate their equal protection rights under the state and federal constitutions, said Mt. Pleasant attorney George “Gem” McDowell.[1]
The debate over the Amazon tax break became a full-fledged political campaign, with lobbyists from Amazon pitted against those from Wal-Mart and other brick-and-mortar stores, which saw Amazon as a threat. The legislature originally rejected the tax break, but reconsidered and passed it when Amazon increased the number of likely jobs associated with the plant from 1,249 to 2,000. Governor Nikki Haley (R), who criticized the deal, let it become law without her signature.[2][3][4]
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
Nikki Setzler did not file to run for re-election.
2020
See also: South Carolina State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for South Carolina State Senate District 26
Incumbent Nikki Setzler defeated Chris Smith in the general election for South Carolina State Senate District 26 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Nikki Setzler (D) | 54.4 | 23,378 |
 | Chris Smith (R) | 45.5 | 19,538 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 38 | ||
| Total votes: 42,954 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Nikki Setzler advanced from the Democratic primary for South Carolina State Senate District 26.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for South Carolina State Senate District 26
Chris Smith defeated Perry Finch in the Republican primary for South Carolina State Senate District 26 on June 9, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Chris Smith | 68.8 | 6,655 |
 | Perry Finch | 31.2 | 3,020 | |
| Total votes: 9,675 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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2016
Elections for the South Carolina State Senate 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 Nikki Setzler defeated Brad Lindsey in the South Carolina State Senate District 26 general election.[5][6]
| South Carolina State Senate, District 26 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Nikki Setzler Incumbent |
58.51% | 21,702 | |
| Republican | Brad Lindsey | 41.49% | 15,392 | |
| Total Votes | 37,094 | |||
| Source: South Carolina State Election Commission | ||||
Incumbent Nikki Setzler ran unopposed in the South Carolina State Senate District 26 Democratic primary.[7][8]
| South Carolina State Senate, District 26 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Nikki Setzler Incumbent (unopposed) | |
Brad Lindsey ran unopposed in the South Carolina State Senate District 26 Republican primary.[9][10]
| South Carolina State Senate, District 26 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Brad Lindsey (unopposed) | |
2012
Setzler won election in the 2012 election for South Carolina State Senate District 26. Setzler ran unopposed in the June 12 Democratic primary and defeated Deedee Vaughters (R) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[11][12][13]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Nikki Setzler Incumbent |
60.4% | 21,856 | |
| Republican | Deedee Vaughters | 39.4% | 14,246 | |
| Other | Write-Ins | 0.2% | 75 | |
| Total Votes | 36,177 | |||
2008
Setzler won re-election for District 26 of the South Carolina State Senate with 20,795 votes, ahead of Republican Margaret Gamble (12,123) and write-ins (16).[14]
Setzler raised $277,900 for his campaign, against $14,911 by Gamble.[15]
| South Carolina State Senate, District 26 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Nikki Setzler (D)
|
20,795 | |||
| Margaret Gamble (R) | 3,318 | |||
| Write-ins | 16 | |||
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Nikki Setzler 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.
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
In 2024, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 9 to May 9.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental and conservation issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
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.[16] 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.[17] The legislature re-convened July 26.[18]
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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."[19]
2012
Nikki G. Setzler received a score of 18% in the 2012 score card, ranking 23rd out of all 46 South Carolina Senate members.[20] His score was followed by Senators Jake Knotts (12%), J. Yancey McGill (12%), and Luke A. Rankin (12%).[21]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Setzler and his wife, Ada Jane, have four children.
See also
2020 Elections
External links
|
Candidate South Carolina State Senate District 26 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ The Nerve, "The Amazon.com Saga: Heading to Court?" April 19, 2011 (dead link)
- ↑ Stateline, "Amazon Gains Upper Hand in South Carolina Tax Break Battle," June 2, 2011
- ↑ McClatchy Newspapers, "Swiftly formed coalition doomed Amazon's S.C. tax break," May 4, 2011
- ↑ The State, "Amazon ramps up hiring as plant is finished," July 12, 2012
- ↑ 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, “2012 General Election – Official Results,” November 19, 2012
- ↑ AP.org, "South Carolina State Senate and State House Election Results," accessed November 7, 2012
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "2012 Candidates," accessed April 26, 2012
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Official election results for 2008," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "2008 campaign contributions," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑ 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 May 15, 2014
- ↑ Palmetto Liberty Political Action Committee, "South Carolina Senate Score Card 2012," accessed May 15, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
South Carolina State Senate District 26 1984-2024 |
Succeeded by Russell L. Ott (D) |
| Preceded by - |
South Carolina State Senate District 8 1976-1984 |
Succeeded by - |
