Thomas Alexander
Thomas Alexander (Republican Party) is a member of the South Carolina State Senate, representing District 1. He assumed office in 1994. His current term ends on November 13, 2028.
Alexander (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the South Carolina State Senate to represent District 1. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Rutherford began serving as the President of the Senate in 2021.
Biography
Alexander received his A.A. from Anderson College in 1976. He went on to receive his B.S. from Clemson University in 1978.
Alexander worked as Radio Account Executive in 1978, 1982, 1983, and 1986. He currently works as president/operator of Cleveland Gospel Supply and Oconee Office Supply. He is also currently the owner of Alexander's Office Supply.
Alexander was a council member for the City of Walhalla, South Carolina from 1981 to 1985. He was then Mayor Pro Tempore for the City of Walhalla from 1982 to 1986. He served in the South Carolina State House from 1987 to 1994.
Committee assignments
2025-2026
Alexander was assigned to the following committees:
- Banking and Insurance Committee
- Senate Ethics Committee
- Finance Committee
- Labor, Commerce, and Industry Committee
- Medical Affairs Committee
2023-2024
Alexander was assigned to the following committees:
- Banking and Insurance Committee
- Senate Ethics Committee
- Finance Committee
- Interstate Cooperation Committee, Chairman
- Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee
- Senate Legislative Oversight Committee, Chairman
- Medical Affairs Committee
2021-2022
Alexander was assigned to the following committees:
- Banking and Insurance Committee
- Senate Ethics Committee
- Finance Committee
- Labor, Commerce, and Industry Committee, Chairman
- Medical Affairs Committee
- Interstate Cooperation Committee
2019-2020
Alexander was assigned to the following committees:
- Interstate Cooperation Committee
- Banking and Insurance Committee
- Finance Committee
- Labor, Commerce, and Industry Committee, Chairman
- Medical Affairs 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 |
| • Finance |
| • Invitations |
| • Labor, Commerce, and Industry, Chair |
| • Medical Affairs |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Alexander served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Banking and Insurance |
| • Finance |
| • Invitations |
| • Labor, Commerce and Industry, Chair |
| • Medical Affairs |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Alexander served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Banking and Insurance |
| • Finance |
| • Invitations |
| • Labor, Commerce and Industry, Chair |
| • Medical Affairs |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Alexander served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Banking and Insurance |
| • Finance |
| • General |
| • Invitations |
| • Labor, Commerce and Industry |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Alexander served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Banking and Insurance |
| • Finance |
| • General |
| • Invitations |
| • Labor, Commerce and Industry |
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 State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for South Carolina State Senate District 1
Incumbent Thomas Alexander won election in the general election for South Carolina State Senate District 1 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Thomas Alexander (R) | 98.9 | 41,348 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.1 | 455 | ||
| Total votes: 41,803 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Thomas Alexander advanced from the Republican primary for South Carolina State Senate District 1.
Campaign finance
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Alexander in this election.
2020
See also: South Carolina State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for South Carolina State Senate District 1
Incumbent Thomas Alexander won election in the general election for South Carolina State Senate District 1 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Thomas Alexander (R) | 98.0 | 39,794 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 2.0 | 804 | ||
| Total votes: 40,598 | |||
| = 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 Thomas Alexander advanced from the Republican primary for South Carolina State Senate District 1.
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 Thomas Alexander ran unopposed in the South Carolina State Senate District 1 general election.[1][2]
| South Carolina State Senate, District 1 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Thomas Alexander Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 33,175 | |
| Total Votes | 33,175 | |||
| Source: South Carolina State Election Commission | ||||
Incumbent Thomas Alexander ran unopposed in the South Carolina State Senate District 1 Republican primary.[3][4]
| South Carolina State Senate, District 1 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Thomas Alexander Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2012
Alexander won election in the 2012 election for South Carolina State Senate District 1. Alexander ran unopposed in the August 7 Republican primary and ran unopposed in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[5][6][7]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Thomas Alexander Incumbent |
99.1% | 29,957 | |
| Other | Write-Ins | 0.9% | 270 | |
| Total Votes | 30,227 | |||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Alexander won re-election for District 1 of the South Carolina State Senate with 27,498 votes, ahead of Constitution Party candidate Polly Nicolay (4,728) and write-ins (60).[8]
Alexander raised $97,176 for his campaign, against $9,950 by Nicolay.[9]
| South Carolina State Senate, District 1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Thomas Alexander (R)
|
27,498 | |||
| Polly Nicolay (C) | 4,728 | |||
| Write-ins | 24 | |||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Thomas Alexander did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Thomas Alexander 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 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.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Carolina State Legislature in 2013.
- 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.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Carolina State Legislature in 2012.
- 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.
- Palmetto Liberty — Legislators are scored by Palmetto Liberty on bills related to "limited government, the free market, and individual liberty and responsibility."
Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Carolina State Legislature in 2011.
- 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.
- Palmetto Liberty — Legislators are scored by Palmetto Liberty on bills related to "limited government, the free market, and individual liberty and responsibility."
- South Carolina Business & Industry Political Education Committee — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business and industry issues.
- South Carolina Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce on their votes on bills "that directly impact the business climate and competitiveness of the state."
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Alexander has a wife, Lynda.
Noteworthy events
Relative salary and expenses
According to an October 2010 report by The Nerve, Alexander recorded a salary and expenses of $109,505 for the 2.5-year period from Jan. 1, 2008, through mid 2010, making him the third-highest-compensated legislator in South Carolina during that period.[10]
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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 State Election Commission, "2012 Candidates," accessed April 25, 2012
- ↑ AP.org, "South Carolina State Senate and State House Election Results," accessed November 7, 2012
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, “2012 General Election – Official Results,” November 19, 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 Nerve, "Lawmakers Cost Taxpayers Millions," October 6, 2010
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
South Carolina State Senate District 1 1994-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
South Carolina House of Representatives 1987-1994 |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Mayor Pro Tempore City of Walhalla, South Carolina 1982-1986 |
Succeeded by - |
