John Matthews (South Carolina)

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John Matthews
Democratic Party
Prior offices:
South Carolina State Senate District 39
Years in office: 1984 - 2020
Successor: Vernon Stephens (D)
South Carolina House of Representatives
Years in office: 1975 - 1984
Elections and appointments
Last election
November 8, 2016
Personal
Religion
United Methodist
Profession
Business

John Matthews (Democratic Party) was a member of the South Carolina State Senate, representing District 39. Matthews assumed office in 1984. Matthews left office on November 8, 2020.

Matthews (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the South Carolina State Senate to represent District 39. Matthews won in the general election on November 8, 2016.

Matthews served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1975 to 1984.

Biography

Matthews attended South Carolina State College. He went on to attend Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical from 1970 to 1971. In 1972, he attended Lincoln Electrical Institute.

Matthews used to be a farmer. Matthews is a retired Elementary School Principal. He worked as a businessman.

Committee assignments

2019-2020

Matthews 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
• Agriculture and Natural Resources
• Banking and Insurance
• Education
• Ethics
• Finance
• Fish, Game, and Forestry
• Interstate Cooperation

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Matthews served on the following committees:

2013-2014

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

2011-2012

In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Matthews served on the following committees:

2009-2010

In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Matthews served on the following committees:

Issues

I-95 Corridor Authority

Matthews sponsored a bill, S. 211, which aimed to create the "I-95 Corridor Authority." The authority would have been an effort to bring new businesses to poor counties along Interstate 95 and improve coordination between counties in the corridor, which often compete for resources.

The bill overwhelmingly passed the House in May, 2011, and was returned to the Senate.[1] The Senate also passed the House version, but Governor Nikki Haley (R) vetoed the bill, saying that it would only grow bureaucracy and duplicate efforts already undertaken by existing organizations. Matthews expressed his disappointment at the governor's veto, saying that it was "a serious mistake" and that "comes as a surprise to me because she indicated she favored it. ...There was no indication from her staff that she was going to do this. I would have appreciated if she had a problem, she would have told me." The Senate overrode the governor's veto, but the House did not override the governor's veto.[2][3] Discussions over the authority continued throughout the year, and conservative groups generally opposed the legislation.[4]

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

2020

See also: South Carolina State Senate elections, 2020

John Matthews did not file to run for re-election.

2016

See also: South Carolina State Senate elections, 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 John Matthews ran unopposed in the South Carolina State Senate District 39 general election.[5][6]

South Carolina State Senate, District 39 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png John Matthews Incumbent (unopposed) 100.00% 30,716
Total Votes 30,716
Source: South Carolina State Election Commission


Incumbent John Matthews ran unopposed in the South Carolina State Senate District 39 Democratic primary.[7][8]

South Carolina State Senate, District 39 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Democratic Green check mark transparent.png John Matthews Incumbent (unopposed)


2012

See also: South Carolina State Senate elections, 2012

Matthews ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on June 12 and in the general election on November 6, 2012.[9][10][11]

South Carolina State Senate, District 39, General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Matthews Incumbent 99.1% 35,945
     Other Write-Ins 0.9% 315
Total Votes 36,260

2008

See also: South Carolina State Senate elections, 2008

Matthews won re-election for District 39 of the South Carolina State Senate with 30,511 votes, ahead of write-ins (142).[12]

He raised $46,229 for his campaign.[13]

South Carolina State Senate, District 39
Candidates Votes
Green check mark transparent.png John Matthews (D) 30,511
Write-ins 142

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.

John Matthews campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2016South Carolina State Senate, District 39Won $72,199 N/A**
2012South Carolina State Senate, District 39Won $31,299 N/A**
2008South Carolina State Senate, District 39Won $52,492 N/A**
2004South Carolina State Senate, District 39Won $49,885 N/A**
2000South Carolina State Senate, District 39Won $34,322 N/A**
1996South Carolina State Senate, District 39Won $4,450 N/A**
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards, State legislative scorecards in South Carolina

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 2020.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Carolina State Legislature in 2019.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Carolina State Legislature in 2018.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Carolina State Legislature in 2017.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Carolina State Legislature in 2016.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Carolina State Legislature in 2015.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Carolina State Legislature in 2014.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the South Carolina State Legislature in 2013.

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.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.

Matthews and his wife, Geraldine, have five children.

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term "John + Matthews + South + Carolina + Senate"

John Matthews News Feed

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The Nerve, "Lawmakers Mulling Rural Development Proposals," by Rick Brundrett, May 25, 2011
  2. ↑ The Times and Democrat, "Governor vetoes I-95 Corridor Authority Act," June 8, 2011
  3. ↑ South Carolina General Assembly, "R57, S211," January 10, 2012
  4. ↑ Summerville Patch, "I-95 Corridor Authority Stirs Controversy," December 14, 2011
  5. ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Candidate listing for the 11/8/2016 statewide general election," accessed August 26, 2016
  6. ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "2016 Statewide General Election," accessed November 28, 2016
  7. ↑ South Carolina Election Commission, "Candidate Tracking," accessed March 31, 2016
  8. ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Unofficial primary election results," accessed June 14, 2016
  9. ↑ AP.org, "South Carolina State Senate and State House Election Results," accessed November 7, 2012
  10. ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Official election results for 2012," accessed May 15, 2014
  11. ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "2012 Candidates," accessed April 26, 2012
  12. ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Official election results for 2008," accessed May 15, 2014
  13. ↑ Follow the Money, "2008 campaign contributions," accessed May 15, 2014
Political offices
Preceded by
' 		South Carolina State Senate - District 39
1984–2020 		Succeeded by
Vernon Stephens (D)


Current members of the South Carolina State Senate
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Majority Leader:Shane Massey
Minority Leader:Brad Hutto
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Ed Sutton (D)
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Tom Davis (R)
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