Paul Reynolds Thurmond (born January 9, 1976) is an American politician from the state of South Carolina. A member of the Republican Party, Thurmond is a former member of the South Carolina Senate. He is the youngest child (and one of three surviving children) of Strom Thurmond, who served in the United States Senate for 48 years.
Paul Thurmond | |
|---|---|
| Member of the South Carolina Senate from the 41st district | |
| In office January 2013 – January 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Walter Hundley |
| Succeeded by | Sandy Senn |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Paul Reynolds Thurmond January 9, 1976 Aiken, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Katie Thurmond |
| Children | 5 |
| Parent(s) | Strom Thurmond Nancy Moore Thurmond |
| Relatives | James Strom Thurmond Jr. (brother) Essie Mae Washington-Williams (half-sister) |
| Alma mater | Vanderbilt University (BA) University of South Carolina (JD) |
| Occupation |
|
Early life edit
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Paul was born to Nancy (née Moore) and Strom Thurmond on January 9, 1976, the couple's fourth child.[1] Paul's father was 73 years old at the time of his birth.[2] In February 1976, Strom enrolled Paul in The Citadel for a 1993 admission.[1][3] He attended Aiken High School in Aiken, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt University, where he received a scholarship to play tennis.[4][5] He received his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.[6][7]
Career edit
Thurmond served as an assistant solicitor in the Ninth Circuit Solicitor's Office, leaving the position in 2005 to open his own law firm, formerly Thurmond Kirchner Timbes & Yelverton, P.A., now Thurmond, Kirchner, and Timbes Law Firm[6] In 2006, he was elected to the Charleston County council. Though he initially announced he would leave politics in 2009, opting not to run for a second term as a councilman,[8] Thurmond chose to run for a seat in the United States House of Representatives, representing South Carolina's 1st congressional district, following Henry E. Brown Jr.'s retirement in 2010.[9] Thurmond finished second in the Republican primary, forcing a runoff election against Tim Scott.[10] Scott defeated Thurmond in the runoff.[11]
Thurmond ran for the South Carolina Senate in 2012 to represent the 41st district. The seat was vacated by Glenn F. McConnell, who became Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina.[12] Thurmond defeated Walter Hundley, who succeeded McConnell in a special election held in July 2012.[13] Thurmond won the general election, defeating Paul Tinkler, a Charleston City Councilman and member of the Democratic Party, on November 6, 2012.[14]
In the aftermath of the shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal church in Charleston, in which nine people —including Thurmond's colleague Clementa Pinckney — were killed, Thurmond called for the Confederate flag to be permanently removed from the grounds of the State House in July 2015.[15]
Thurmond did not seek re-election in 2016. The American Conservative Union gave him an 88% evaluation and the Club for Growth gave him a 90% evaluation.[16]
Personal life edit
Thurmond has a wife, Katie, three sons and two daughters.[7] One of four siblings, he was also the half-brother (through his father) of the late Essie Mae Washington-Williams, who was 50 years his senior.
Electoral history edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tim Scott | 25,457 | 31.49% | |
| Republican | Paul Thurmond | 13,149 | 16.26% | |
| Republican | Carroll Campbell III | 11,665 | 14.43% | |
| Republican | Larry Kobrovsky | 8,521 | 10.54% | |
| Republican | Stovall Witte | 7,192 | 8.90% | |
| Republican | Clark B. Parker | 6,769 | 8.37% | |
| Republican | Katherine Jenerette | 3,849 | 4.76% | |
| Republican | Mark Lutz | 3,237 | 4.00% | |
| Republican | Ken Glasson | 1,006 | 1.24% | |
| Total votes | 80,845 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tim Scott | 46,885 | 68.36% | |
| Republican | Paul Thurmond | 21,706 | 31.64% | |
| Total votes | 68,591 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Paul Thurmond | 1,549 | 42.7% | |
| Republican | Walter Hundley | 1,352 | 37.3% | |
| Republican | Wally Burbage | 725 | 20.0% | |
| Total votes | 3,626 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Paul Thurmond | 1,783 | 71.0% | |
| Republican | Walter Hundley | 727 | 29.0% | |
| Total votes | 2,510 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Paul Thurmond | 27,845 | 55.73% | |
| Democratic | Paul Tinkler | 22,039 | 44.11% | |
| Write-in | 84 | 0.16% | ||
| Total votes | 49,968 | 100.00% | ||
References edit
- ^ a b "Paul Reynolds Thurmond..." Eugene Register-Guard. Wire Service Reports. February 23, 1976. p. 2A.
- ^ "Thurmond Names New Baby". The Times-News. Hendersonville, North Carolina. Associated Press. January 12, 1976. p. 14.
- ^ "Thurmonds Get a Headstart". Times Daily. United Press International. February 23, 1976. p. 8.
- ^ "Thurmond says he'll seek First District Congressional seat". SCNow. January 20, 2010.
- ^ Brewington, Peter (April 22, 1994). "Christ the King points with pride to success in getting scholarships". USA Today. Retrieved December 17, 2012. (subscription required)
- ^ a b "Thurmond leaving solicitor's office to open law firm with 2 friends". The Post and Courier. August 1, 2005. p. 3E.
- ^ a b "Thurmond says he'll seek First District Congressional seat". The Morning News (SCNow.com). January 20, 2010.
- ^ "Paul Thurmond leaving politics, for now". The State. South Carolina. October 7, 2009. p. 15. (subscription required)
- ^ "Paul Thurmond to run for congressional seat – The Post and Courier". Postandcourier.com. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
- ^ Behre, Robert. "Thurmond, Scott head for runoff". Charleston Post and Courier. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
- ^ Kiely, Kathy.Tim Scott wins nomination to become first black Republican congressman since 2003, USA Today, June 22, 2010.
- ^ "Thurmond, Pinckney for S.C. Senate – The Post and Courier". Postandcourier.com. November 1, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
- ^ "Thurmond defeats Hundley handily in Dist. 41 primary runoff – Live5News.com | Charleston, SC | News, Weather, Sports". Live5News.com. October 2, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
- ^ "AP.org "South Carolina State Senate and State House Election Results" Accessed November 7, 2012". Hosted.ap.org. November 8, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
- ^ "Sen. Thurmond calls for banner's removal". June 22, 2015.
- ^ "Charleston Post & Courier "State Sen. Paul Thurmond won't run for re-election next year" Accessed January 25, 2017". Evening Post Industries. August 10, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- ^ "Statewide Results: 2010 Republican and Democratic Primary". Enr-scvotes.org. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
- ^ "Primary Results:South Carolina Runoff". The New York Times. June 22, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
- ^ "State Senate District 41 Special Republican Primary". South Carolina Election Commission. September 18, 2012.
- ^ "State Senate District 41 Special Republican Primary Runoff". South Carolina Election Commission. October 2, 2012.
- ^ "Statewide Results: 2012 General Election". Enr-scvotes.org. Retrieved April 9, 2013.
External links edit
