Mark Hammond | |
|---|---|
 Hammond in 2015 | |
| 41stSecretary of State of South Carolina | |
| Assumed office January 15, 2003 | |
| Governor | |
| Preceded by | Jim Miles |
| Clerk of Courts ofSpartanburg County | |
| In office 1997–2003 | |
| Preceded by | Ken Huckaby |
| Succeeded by | Marc Kitchens |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Mark Hammond[1] (1963-11-29)November 29, 1963 (age 62) Lancaster,South Carolina, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Education | Newberry College (BA) Clemson University (MA) |
John Mark Hammond (born November 29, 1963) is an AmericanRepublican politician fromSouth Carolina. He has served asSouth Carolina Secretary of State since January 15, 2003.[2]
Mark Hammond was born inLancaster, South Carolina, and grew up inSpartanburg, South Carolina. Following graduation from Dorman High School in Spartanburg, he attendedNewberry College, graduating with a B.A. in political science in 1986.[2] Two years later, he earned an M.A. in education fromClemson University.[2] He began his professional career as a juvenile probation officer for the South Carolina Department of Youth Services. From 1990 to 1996, he served as a criminal investigator for theSpartanburg County, South Carolina-based 7th Judicial Circuit Solicitor's Office. In 1996, he was elected as Clerk of Courts for Spartanburg County, and was the first Republican to serve in that post sinceReconstruction. Hammond succeeded Democrat Ken Huckaby, who had served four terms since 1977.[3] He was elected to a second term as Clerk of Courts in 2000 serving until his election as South Carolina Secretary of State.
In 2002, Hammond was elected as South Carolina's 41st Secretary of State, after defeating two other candidates in the Republican primary, and winning over 600,000 votes in the general election.[2] He was sworn in on January 15, 2003.[4] GovernorMark Sanford appointed Marc Kitchens to succeed Hammond in the office of Spartanburg County Clerk of Courts.[5]
In addition to his duties as Secretary of State, he also serves as Co-Chairman of International Relations Committee on Business Services.[6]
He was re-elected in2006, winning 61% of the vote, which at the time was the largest margin of victory in a contested statewide election in South Carolina history.[2]
In2010, Hammond was re-elected defeating his opponent, Democrat Marjorie Johnson with 60.9% of the vote.[7]
In2014, Hammond ran for reelection against Democrat Ginny Deerin whose campaign received a Republican endorsement from former South Carolina First LadyJenny Sanford.[8] Deerin was also endorsed by the South CarolinaClub for Growth, a conservative political organization that usually supports Republicans. She was the first ever Democrat running for statewide office to have been endorsed by the Club for Growth.[9] Both Jenny Sanford and former South Carolina Club for Growth President Chad Walldorf served on the Board of Directors of WINGS for Kids, the nonprofit organization founded by Deerin.[10] Deerin had made deregulating nonprofits a central theme of her campaign,[11] which contrasted with Hammond's tough record of charities enforcement.[12][13] Hammond won reelection with 59.5% of the vote.[14]
in2018, Hammond was re-elected to a fifth term as Secretary of State and for a sixth term in2022.
| South Carolina Secretary of State Republican Primary Election, 2002 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Mark Hammond | 110,761 | 38.87 |
| Republican | Ed McMullen | 96,451 | 33.84 |
| Republican | Lois Eargle | 77,769 | 27.29 |
| South Carolina Secretary of State Republican Primary Runoff Election, 2002 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Mark Hammond | 151,942 | 54.75 |
| Republican | Ed McMullen | 125,567 | 45.25 |
| South Carolina Secretary of State Election, 2002 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Mark Hammond | 610,799 | 56.84 |
| Democratic | Rick Wade | 463,501 | 43.13 |
| Write-ins | Write-ins | 291 | 0.03 |
| South Carolina Secretary of State Republican Primary Election, 2006 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Mark Hammond (inc.) | 125,016 | 58.76 |
| Republican | Bill McKown | 87,744 | 41.24 |
| South Carolina Secretary of State Election, 2006 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Mark Hammond (inc.) | 656,661 | 61.24 |
| Democratic | Cheryl Footman | 415,211 | 38.72 |
| Write-ins | Write-ins | 473 | 0.04 |
| South Carolina Secretary of State Election, 2010 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Mark Hammond (inc.) | 805,783 | 60.91 |
| Democratic | Marjorie Johnson | 516,414 | 39.04 |
| Write-ins | Write-ins | 638 | 0.05 |
| South Carolina Secretary of State Election, 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Mark Hammond (inc.) | 730,739 | 59.51 |
| Democratic | Ginny Deerin | 496,344 | 40.42 |
| Write-ins | Write-ins | 788 | 0.06 |
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forSecretary of State of South Carolina 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018,2022 | Most recent |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Secretary of State of South Carolina 2003–present | Incumbent |
Statewide political officials ofSouth Carolina | ||
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| U.S. senators |  | |
| State government | ||
| Senate |
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| Supreme Court |
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