In a historic vote, the South Carolina Senate elected Senator Harvey Peeler as the state’s first President of the Senate.

Previously, the state’s Lieutenant Governor presided over the Senate when the body was in session but that changed when voters passed a ballot measure allowing the Governor to pick a Lieutenant Governor as a running mate – essentially removing the Lieutenant Governor’s duties in the Senate.

The President Pro Tempore position previously held by Senator Hugh Leatherman is also being dissolved. Senate Bill 2, prefiled in the Senate on December 12, 2018, replaces references to “President Pro Tempore of the Senate” with “President of the Senate,” conforming the state’s legal code to the new structure.

“The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce congratulates Senator Harvey Peeler on this historic election as the first President of the SC Senate,” said Ted Pitts, President and CEO of the SC Chamber of Commerce. “Senator Peeler has been a friend of the state’s business community and we look forward to working with him.  Senator Peeler is a proven leader and the South Carolina Senate is in good hands.”