Brad Hutto
Brad Hutto (Democratic Party) is a member of theSouth Carolina State Senate, representingDistrict 40. He assumed office in 1996. His current term ends on November 13, 2028.
Hutto (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to theSouth Carolina State Senate to representDistrict 40. He won in the general election onNovember 5, 2024.
Hutto began serving asState Senate Minority Leader in 2021.
Biography
Hutto earned his B.A. from the University of South Carolina in 1978. He went on to receive his J.D. from the University of Georgetown, Law Center, in 1981. Hutto has worked as an attorney for Williams and Williams since 1982.
Committee assignments
2025-2026
Hutto was assigned to the following committees:
- Banking and Insurance Committee
- Education Committee
- Senate Ethics Committee
- Finance Committee
- Medical Affairs Committee
2023-2024
Hutto was assigned to the following committees:
- Banking and Insurance Committee
- Education Committee
- Senate Ethics Committee
- Fish, Game, and Forestry Committee
- Interstate Cooperation Committee
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- Senate Legislative Oversight Committee
- Medical Affairs Committee
2021-2022
Hutto was assigned to the following committees:
- Banking and Insurance Committee
- Education Committee
- Senate Ethics Committee
- Fish, Game, and Forestry Committee
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- Senate Legislative Oversight Committee
- Medical Affairs Committee
2019-2020
Hutto was assigned to the following committees:
- Banking and Insurance Committee
- Education Committee
- Senate Ethics Committee
- Fish, Game, and Forestry Committee
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- Medical Affairs Committee
- Senate Legislative Oversight Committee
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| •Banking and Insurance |
| •Corrections and Penology |
| •Education |
| •Ethics |
| •Fish, Game, and Forestry |
| •Judiciary |
| •Medical Affairs |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Hutto served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| •Agriculture and Natural Resources |
| •Education |
| •Ethics |
| •Fish, Game and Forestry |
| •Judiciary |
| •Medical Affairs |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Hutto served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| •Education |
| •Ethics |
| •Fish, Game and Forestry |
| •Judiciary |
| •Medical Affairs |
| •Rules |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Hutto served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| •Agriculture and Natural Resources |
| •Ethics |
| •Fish, Game and Forestry |
| •Judiciary |
| •Medical Affairs |
| •Rules |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Hutto served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| •Agriculture and Natural Resources |
| •Education |
| •Fish, Game and Forestry |
| •Judiciary |
| •Medical Affairs |
| •Rules |
Noteworthy events
Teacher pay
State SenatorWes Hayes led a Senate study panel that included Hutto on ways to recruit and retain South Carolina teachers in public schools. Among the suggestions made by the study panel was paying teacher mentors an additional stipend on top of their normal pay, boosting salaries for some teachers and forgiving student loans.[1] Hayes said such initiatives were especially important in rural districts, where communities have found it particularly hard to find high-quality teachers for classrooms, in part because rural districts often pay less than urban and suburban districts and are less attractive places to live. Student loan forgiveness programs were emphasized by the study panel, as current programs require education majors to apply for specific loans as the start of their education that would be forgiven over time during their careers. Hutto said the existing programs punish those who choose to be teachers later. Hayes also noted that those graduating with student debt may be de-incentivized to become teachers, as the minimum first-year pay for a teacher in South Carolina is $29,500, though some districts do pay higher. The panel did not provide dollar figures for their suggestions in the report given to the Senate Finance Committee.[2]
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according toBillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2024
See also: South Carolina State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for South Carolina State Senate District 40
IncumbentBrad Hutto defeatedSharon Carter in the general election for South Carolina State Senate District 40 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Brad Hutto (D) | 52.5 | 24,667 |
 | Sharon Carter (R) | 47.4 | 22,243 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 40 | ||
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 46,950 | ||
 = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for South Carolina State Senate District 40
IncumbentBrad Hutto defeatedKendrick Brown in the Democratic primary for South Carolina State Senate District 40 on June 11, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brad Hutto | 71.5 | 5,153 |
| Kendrick Brown | 28.5 | 2,055 | ||
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 7,208 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled.Sharon Carter advanced from the Republican primary for South Carolina State Senate District 40.
Campaign finance
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Hutto in this election.
2020
See also: South Carolina State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for South Carolina State Senate District 40
IncumbentBrad Hutto won election in the general election for South Carolina State Senate District 40 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brad Hutto (D) | 97.6 | 28,958 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 2.4 | 726 | ||
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 29,684 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for South Carolina State Senate District 40
IncumbentBrad Hutto defeatedMichael Addison in the Democratic primary for South Carolina State Senate District 40 on June 9, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brad Hutto | 71.0 | 10,756 |
 | Michael Addison | 29.0 | 4,402 | |
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 15,158 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Elections for theSouth Carolina State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 14, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The primary runoff election was held on June 28, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 30, 2016.
IncumbentBrad Hutto ran unopposed in the South Carolina State Senate District 40 general election.[3][4]
| South Carolina State Senate, District 40 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Brad HuttoIncumbent (unopposed) | 100.00% | 34,069 | |
| Total Votes | 34,069 | |||
| Source:South Carolina State Election Commission | ||||
IncumbentBrad Hutto ran unopposed in the South Carolina State Senate District 40 Democratic primary.[5][6]
| South Carolina State Senate, District 40 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Brad HuttoIncumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
Hutto ran for election in2014 for the U.S. Senate, representingSouth Carolina. Hutto defeatedJay Stamper in theDemocratic primary.[7] Brad Hutto lost the general election on November 4, 2014.[8]
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lindsey GrahamIncumbent | 55.3% | 672,941 | |
| Democratic | Brad Hutto | 37.6% | 456,726 | |
| Libertarian | Victor Kocher | 2.8% | 33,839 | |
| Independent | Thomas Ravenel | 3.9% | 47,588 | |
| N/A | Write-in | 0.4% | 4,774 | |
| Total Votes | 1,215,868 | |||
| Source:South Carolina State Election Commission | ||||
Primary election
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brad Hutto | 76.6% | 87,154 | ||
| Jay Stamper | 23.4% | 26,579 | ||
| Total Votes | 113,733 | |||
| Source:Results via Associated Press | ||||
Media
Endorsements
On May 28, 2014, the South Carolina Democratic Party's executive committee voted unanimously to endorse Hutto in the primary race against challengerJay Stamper.[9][10]
Polls
| General Election | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Lindsey Graham | Brad Hutto | Thomas Ravenel | Undecided/Other | Margin of Error | Sample Size | |||||||||||||
| YouGov September 20 - October 1, 2014 | 44% | 27% | 8% | 21% | +/-2 | 2,663 | |||||||||||||
| Winthrop Poll September 21-28, 2014 | 46.3% | 28% | 8% | 12.2% | +/-3 | 1,082 | |||||||||||||
| YouGov August 18 - September 2, 2014 | 37% | 28% | 8% | 27% | +/-5 | 833 | |||||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email toeditor@ballotpedia.org | |||||||||||||||||||
| General election | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Lindsey Graham | Brad Hutto | Thomas Ravenel | Victor Kocher | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | ||||||||||||
| Voter Survey Service July 16-20, 2014 | 45% | 33% | 10% | 4% | 8% | +/-3.1 | 650 | ||||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email toeditor@ballotpedia.org | |||||||||||||||||||
| Election 2014: South Carolina Senate | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Lindsey Graham | Brad Hutto | Other | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | |||||||||||||
| Rasmussen Reports July 9-10, 2014 | 49% | 30% | 10% | 11% | +/-4 | 750 | |||||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email toeditor@ballotpedia.org | |||||||||||||||||||
2012
Hutto ran unopposed in theDemocratic primary on June 12 and in the general election on November 6, 2012.[11][12][13]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Brad HuttoIncumbent | 99.2% | 35,803 | |
| Other | Write-Ins | 0.8% | 283 | |
| Total Votes | 36,086 | |||
2008
Hutto won re-election for District 40 of theSouth Carolina State Senate with 26,124 votes, ahead ofRepublican John Strickland (9,861) and write-ins (23).[14]
He raised $113,607 for his campaign.[15]
| South Carolina State Senate, District 40 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Brad Hutto (D) | 26,124 | |||
| John Strickland | 9,861 | |||
| Write-ins | 23 | |||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also:Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Brad Hutto did not completeBallotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Brad Hutto did not completeBallotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf.Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at theFEC website. Clickhere for more on federal campaign finance law andhere for more on state campaign finance law.
| Year | Office | Status | Contributions | Expenditures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | South Carolina State Senate District 40 | Won general | $133,971 | $119,541 |
| 2020 | South Carolina State Senate District 40 | Won general | $139,778 | N/A** |
| 2012 | South Carolina State Senate, District 40 | Won | $44,335 | N/A** |
| 2008 | South Carolina State Senate, District 40 | Won | $113,607 | N/A** |
| 2004 | South Carolina State Senate, District 40 | Won | $88,429 | N/A** |
| 2000 | South Carolina State Senate, District 40 | Won | $54,925 | N/A** |
| 1996 | South Carolina State Senate, District 40 | Won | $87,015 | N/A** |
| ** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle | ||||
| Note: Totals above reflect only available data. | ||||
Scorecards
Ascorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of South Carolina scorecards, email suggestions toeditor@ballotpedia.org.
2024
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show]. |
|---|
In 2024, theSouth Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 9 to May 9.
|
2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, theSouth Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 10 to May 11.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, theSouth Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 11 to May 12.
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2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, theSouth Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 12 to May 13.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, theSouth Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 14 to June 25. The state Senate reconvened September to September 3. Both chambers reconvened September 15 to September 24.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, theSouth Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 8 through May 21.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, theSouth Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 9 through May 10.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, theSouth Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 10 through May 11.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, theSouth Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 12 through June 2.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, theSouth Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 13 through June 4.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, theSouth Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 14 through June 6.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, theSouth Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 8 to June 20.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, theSouth Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 11 through June 7.
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2011
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
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In 2011, theSouth Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 11 through June 2. On June 2, 2011, GovernorNikki Haley (R) attempted to call the legislature into an "emergency" special session to begin on June 7 to create the new South Carolina Department of Administration. A lawsuit was filed by Senate President Pro TemGlenn McConnell (R), in which he contended that Haley's call for a special session was unconstitutional, and that it violated the state Constitution's requirement of separation of powers among the governor, legislature and courts.[16] On June 6, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled 3-2 against Governor Haley, stating that her order violated the Legislature's ability to set its calendar and agenda. The legislature met in a special redistricting session from June 14 - July 1.[17] The legislature re-convened July 26.[18]
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The Palmetto Liberty PAC Scorecard
The Palmetto Liberty Political Action Committee, a conservative, pro-limited government think tank inSouth Carolina, releases itsscorecard for South Carolina representatives and senators once a year. The scorecard gives each legislator a score based on how he or she voted in the two-year legislative term prior to the election on specific issues that the Palametto Liberty PAC thinks are anti-limited government. "Most of the votes shown on the score card are votes that we lost. Now we can identify the Legislators that caused us to lose these votes. These Legislators are the ones who need to be replaced if we are to achieve the vision of having the most free state in the nation."[19]
2012
Brad Hutto received a score of 6% in the 2012 score card, ranking 29th out of all 46South Carolina Senate members.[20] His score was followed by SenatorsDarrell Jackson (6%),John Land (6%), andHugh Leatherman (6%).[21]
Personal
Note: Pleasecontact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Hutto and his wife, Tracy Macpherson, have one child. Hutto was Chairman of the Orangeburg County Democratic Party from 1988 to 1994.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Candidate South Carolina State Senate District 40 | Officeholder South Carolina State Senate District 40 | Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑WACH Fox57, "Senators: Erasing debt could recruit more SC teachers," December 18, 2014
- ↑Seanna AdcoxDaily Reporter, "Legislators could explore debt forgiveness and increased pay as ways to keep good SC teachers," December 18, 2014
- ↑South Carolina State Election Commission, "Candidate listing for the 11/8/2016 statewide general election," accessed August 26, 2016
- ↑South Carolina State Election Commission, "2016 Statewide General Election," accessed November 28, 2016
- ↑South Carolina Election Commission, "Candidate Tracking," accessed March 31, 2016
- ↑South Carolina State Election Commission, "Unofficial primary election results," accessed June 14, 2016
- ↑Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedap - ↑SC Votes, "General Election Candidate List," accessed April 1, 2014
- ↑South Carolina Democratic Party, “SCDP Executive Committee Unanimously Endorses Brad Hutto for US Senate,” accessed June 2, 2014
- ↑The State, "SC Democrats pick sides in US Senate primary," accessed June 2, 2014
- ↑AP.org, "South Carolina State Senate and State House Election Results," accessed November 7, 2012
- ↑South Carolina State Election Commission, "Official election results for 2012," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑South Carolina State Election Commission, "2012 Candidates," accessed April 26, 2012
- ↑South Carolina State Election Commission, "Official election results for 2008," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑Follow the Money, "2008 campaign contributions," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑The State, "High court rules against Haley," June 6, 2011
- ↑The Sun News, "S.C. House to have special session in June," May 6, 2011
- ↑The Island Packet, "S.C. Senate OKs new congressional districted anchored in Beaufort County," June 29, 2011
- ↑The Palmetto Liberty Political Action Committee, "Voting Records," accessed April 11, 2014
- ↑Palmetto Liberty Political Action Committee, "South Carolina Senate Score Card 2012," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑Palmetto Liberty Political Action Committee, "South Carolina Senate Score Card 2012," accessed May 15, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - | South Carolina State Senate District 40 1996-Present | Succeeded by - |
- 2014 challenger
- 2014 general election (defeated)
- 2014 primary (winner)
- 2016 general election (winner)
- 2016 incumbent
- 2020 general election (winner)
- 2020 incumbent
- 2020 primary (winner)
- 2024 general election (winner)
- 2024 incumbent
- 2024 primary (winner)
- Current member, South Carolina State Senate
- Current state legislative member
- Current state senator
- Democratic Party
- South Carolina
- South Carolina State Senate candidate, 2016
- South Carolina State Senate candidate, 2020
- South Carolina State Senate candidate, 2024
- State Senate candidate, 2016
- State Senate candidate, 2020
- State Senate candidate, 2024
- State senate candidates
- U.S. Senate candidate, 2014
- U.S. Senate candidates
- State senators first elected in 1996
- 2012 incumbent
- State Senate candidate, 2012
- 2012 primary (winner)
- 2012 general election (winner)
- 2012 unopposed
- 2014 Congress challenger
- 2016 primary (winner)
