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See the Young Elected Leaders in the 116th United States Senate

The South Carolina State Legislature

The Legislature consists of two chambers: a 46-member Senate and a 124-member House of Representatives.  The most recent election for the State Legislature was in 2018. The following data was calculated before the special election of the 46th state senator, so only 45 state senators are counted. The South Carolina State Legislature maintains age requirements for candidacy; Senate: 25 years of age, House: 21 years of age.

 

South Carolina Demographic Background

The largest generation in South Carolina is the Baby Boomer Generation, consisting of 25.50% of the population. The smallest generation is the Silent Generation, consisting of about 11% of the population. 1, 2 About 64% of people in South Carolina are White, 5.50% are Hispanic or Latino, and 27% are Black or African American.3

Generational Breakdown of the South Carolina State Legislature

About 12% of members of the South Carolina House of Representatives are Millennials, and about 4% of members of the South Carolina State Senate are Millennials. The largest generations represented in the South Carolina State Legislature are the Baby Boomer Generation and Generation X. The Millennial Generation is underrepresented in the South Carolina State Legislature. All 11 Young Elected Leaders are members of the House.

 

Generations of the South Carolina State Legislature

 

Generational Breakdown of the South Carolina House of Representatives
Generation Number of Members % of Total Members
Millenial Generation 15 12.10%
Generation X 40 32.26%
Baby Boomer Generation 58 46.77%
Silent Generation 8 6.45%
NA* 3 2.42%

Note: *Indicates state legislators for whom there is no birth date on record.

  • The average age of the South Carolina House of Representatives is 55
  • The youngest member is 25 years old (Brandon Michael Newton)
  • The oldest member is 83 years old (Jimmy Charles Bales)
  • Eleven individuals are Young Elected Leaders:
    • Jonathon Hill (34)
    • Westley Cox (32)
    • Adam Morgan (29)
    • Steven Long (25)
    • R. Josiah Magnuson (27)
    • Brandon Newton (25)
    • Kambrell Garvin (27)
    • Justin Bamberg (32)
    • Russell Fry (34)
    • Marvin Pendarvis (29)
    • Mandy Kimmons (34)
Generational Breakdown of the South Carolina State Senate
Generation Number of Members % of Total Members
Millenial Generation 2 4.44%
Generation X 10 2.22%
Baby Boomer Generation 28 62.22%
Silent Generation 4 8.89%
NA* 1 2.22%

Note: *Indicates state legislators for whom there is no birth date on record.

  • The average age of the South Carolina Senate is 59
  • The youngest member is 36 years old (Stephen L. Goldfinch)
  • The oldest member is 88 years old (Hugh Kenneth Leatherman Sr.)
  • There are no Young Elected Leaders in the South Carolina State Senate

Gender Breakdown of the South Carolina State Legislature

Only 18% of the South Carolina House of Representatives and 9% of the South Carolina State Senate are comprised of by women. About 90% of Young Elected Leaders in the South Carolina House of Representatives are male. There is less than a year difference between the average age of male and female legislators.

 

Gender by Generation in the South Carolina House of Representatives

 

Gender of Young Elected Leaders in the South Carolina House of Representatives

There is one female Young Elected Leader out of eleven Young Elected Leaders in the South Carolina House of Representatives.

 

Gender by Generation in the South Carolina State Senate

 

Ethnic Breakdown of the South Carolina State Legislature

About 75% of the South Carolina House of Representatives is comprised of White/Caucasian members. About 25% of South Carolina House Representatives are Black/African-American. Similarly, about 75% of the South Carolina State Senate is comprised of White/Caucasian members, and the other 25% is made up of Black/African-American members. Blacks/African-Americans are well represented in the South Carolina State Legislature.

 

Ethnicity by Generation in the South Carolina House of Representatives

 

Ethnicity of Young Elected Leaders in the South Carolina House of Representatives

There are 2 Black/African American Young Elected Leaders and 5 White/Caucasian Young Elected Leaders in the South Carolina House of Representatives. We do not have information on the race/ethnicity of 4 YELs.

 

Ethnicity by Generation in the South Carolina State Senate

Partisan Breakdown of the South Carolina State Legislature

A majority of the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives and South Carolina State Senate are Republican. About 75% of Young Elected Leaders in the South Carolina House of Representatives are Republican.

 

Partisanship by Generation of the South Carolina House of Representatives

 

Partisanship by Generation of the South Carolina State Senate

Notes

  1. The Young Elected Leaders Project collects and analyzes data on young elected officials across the country.  We define Young Elected Leaders as officials 35 years and younger. We define the generations following the Pew Research Center:
  • Generation Z: 1997-2012
  • Millennial Generation: 1981-1996
  • Generation X: 1965-1980
  • Baby Boom Generation: 1946-1964
  • Silent Generation: 1928-1945

2. Single Years of Age and Sex, 2010, US Census.

3. Geographic and Housing Estimates (Age, Sex, Race, Households and Housing, …) 2017, US Census.

This analysis is based on data from March 2019 and was conducted on August 10, 2019.

See the Young Elected Leaders in the 116th United States Senate