Dwight Loftis

American politician
Dwight Loftis
Member of the South Carolina Senate
from the 6th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
March 27, 2019
Preceded byWilliam Timmons[1]
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives
from the 19th district
In office
January 24, 1996 – March 27, 2019
Preceded byMike Fair[2]
Succeeded byPatrick Haddon[3]
Personal details
Born (1943-02-04) February 4, 1943 (age 81)
Greenville County, South Carolina, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseSandra Elaine Jones (m: December 8, 1963)
Children3
Parent(s)Stella M. Loftis, Stephen A. Loftis
EducationNorth Greenville University (AA, 1966)
ProfessionInsurance agent, politician

Dwight A. Loftis (born February 4, 1943) is an American politician from South Carolina.[4] A member of the South Carolina Senate since 2019, he previously represented district 19 in the South Carolina House of Representatives for 23 years from 1996 to 2019. He is a member of the Republican party.[5]

Political Career

S.C. House of Representatives

S.C. Senate

Elections

2019 Special election

After William Timmons succeeded Trey Gowdy in representing South Carolina's 4th Congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives, the seat for the 6th District became open. Loftis became the Republican nominee for South Carolina Senate District 6 on January 22, 2019, by beating opponents Amy Ryberg Doyle and Jeffery Stringer.[6] He won his state senate district 6 election with 56 percent of the votes against Democrat Tina Belge who received 44 percent of the votes in her first run for elected office.[1][7]

2020 General election

Now an incumbent, Loftis ran unopposed in the Republican primary for his seat. He went on to defeat Democratic challenger Hao Wu.[8]

2024 General election

In 2023, Loftis announced he would retire and not seek reelection.[9][10]

Tenure

As Senator of South Carolina's 6th District, Loftis represented a large portion of Greenville County. Following redistricting after the 2020 US Census, S.C. Senate District 6 covers a cross section of it:

2020 Census Redistricting
South Carolina is divided into state Senate Districts, following the US 2020 Census.
All S.C. State Senate Districts, following the redistricting after the 2020 Census.
South Carolina State Senate District 6 covers a part of Greenville County
South Carolina State Senate District 6 consists of a cross-section of Greenville County.

Political Views

Loftis opposes to gay marriage and strongly supports marriage as defined between a man and woman.[11] He voted to keep the Confederate Flag flying above the South Carolina Statehouse.[12] He is a strong supporter of "law and order," the second amendment, and South Carolina's "heartbeat bill," restricting abortion after six-weeks.[8]

Personal Life

Loftis resides in Greenville, South Carolina with his wife Sandra. They have three children. Loftis first obtained an Associate degree from North Greenville University (then, North Greenville College) in 1966. He was an insurance agent, but has since retired.[4]

Loftis has been an active member of the Greenville community, particularly on issues of crime and education. He is a board member and past president of the Crime Stoppers of Greenville, and has held positions such as:

  • Past chairman of the North West Business Education Partnership School District of Greenville
  • Past member of the Leadership Council School District in Greenville County
  • Former Greenville County School Trustee

References

  1. ^ a b "SC State Senate 06 – Special Election". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  2. ^ "SC State House 019 – Special Election". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  3. ^ "SC State House 019". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "South Carolina Legislature Online - Member Biography". www.scstatehouse.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  5. ^ "Dwight Loftis". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  6. ^ Brown, Kirk (January 22, 2019). "Loftis wins SC Senate District 6 Republican primary, according to unofficial vote total". Greenville News. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  7. ^ "Loftis wins South Carolina state Senate primary". AP News. 2019-01-25. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  8. ^ a b Davis, Angelia L. "2020 general election: Here's who is running for South Carolina Senate District 6". The Greenville News. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  9. ^ Kenmore, Abraham; Adcox, Seanna (2024-04-02). "SC's GOP 'sister senators' among legislators facing primary opposition • SC Daily Gazette". SC Daily Gazette. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  10. ^ Staff, FOX Carolina News (2023-12-30). "Greenville County councilman announces bid for Senate seat". FOX Carolina. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  11. ^ "Issues". Dwight Loftis for Senate. Archived from the original on February 19, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  12. ^ Bowers, Paul (July 9, 2015). "Here are the 20 lawmakers who voted against removing the Confederate flag". Charleston City Paper. Retrieved April 4, 2020.

External links

South Carolina House of Representatives
Preceded by
Mike Fair
 Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives
from the 19th district
1996–2019 		Succeeded by
South Carolina Senate
Preceded by
William Timmons
 Member of the South Carolina Senate
from the 6th district
2019–present 		Incumbent
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Members of the South Carolina Senate
President of the Senate
Thomas C. Alexander (R)
Majority Leader
A. Shane Massey (R)
Minority Leader
Brad Hutto (D)
  1. ▌Thomas C. Alexander (R)
  2. ▌Rex Rice (R)
  3. ▌Richard Cash (R)
  4. ▌Michael Gambrell (R)
  5. ▌Tom Corbin (R)
  6. ▌Dwight Loftis (R)
  7. ▌Karl B. Allen (D)
  8. ▌Ross Turner (R)
  9. ▌Danny Verdin (R)
  10. ▌Billy Garrett (R)
  11. ▌Josh Kimbrell (R)
  12. ▌Scott Talley (R)
  13. ▌Shane Martin (R)
  14. ▌Harvey S. Peeler Jr. (R)
  15. ▌Wes Climer (R)
  16. ▌Michael Johnson (R)
  17. ▌Mike Fanning (D)
  18. ▌Ronnie Cromer (R)
  19. ▌Tameika Isaac Devine (D)
  20. ▌Dick Harpootlian (D)
  21. ▌Darrell Jackson (D)
  22. ▌Mia McLeod (I)
  23. ▌Katrina Shealy (R)
  24. ▌Tom Young Jr. (R)
  25. ▌A. Shane Massey (R)
  26. ▌Nikki G. Setzler (D)
  27. ▌Penry Gustafson (R)
  28. ▌Greg Hembree (R)
  29. ▌Gerald Malloy (D)
  30. ▌Kent M. Williams (D)
  31. ▌Mike Reichenbach (R)
  32. ▌Ronnie A. Sabb (D)
  33. ▌Luke A. Rankin (R)
  34. ▌Stephen Goldfinch (R)
  35. ▌Thomas McElveen (D)
  36. ▌Kevin L. Johnson (D)
  37. ▌Larry Grooms (R)
  38. ▌Sean Bennett (R)
  39. ▌Vernon Stephens (D)
  40. ▌Brad Hutto (D)
  41. ▌Sandy Senn (R)
  42. ▌Deon Tedder (D)
  43. ▌Chip Campsen (R)
  44. ▌Brian Adams (R)
  45. ▌Margie Bright Matthews (D)
  46. ▌Tom Davis (R)
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