Keishan Scott | |
|---|---|
| Member of theSouth Carolina House of Representatives from the 50th district | |
| Assumed office August 22, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Will Wheeler |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (2000-12-02)December 2, 2000 (age 24) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Central Carolina Technical College (A) University of South Carolina (BSW) |
| Website | Legislative page |
Keishan M. Scott (born December 2, 2000) is an American paralegal and politician who is a member of theSouth Carolina House of Representatives from the 50th District, having been elected in aJune 2025 special election.[1] She is a member of theDemocratic party.
Scott was born and raised inLee County, South Carolina.[2] At 7 years old, he became anordained minister and at the age of 12 published theChristian bookKeys to the Kingdom.[3]
In 2019, he simultaneously graduated from Lee Central High School and fromCentral Carolina Technical College with anassociate’s degree.[4] In 2023, He graduatedmagna cum laude from theUniversity of South Carolina studyingsocial work.[5]
Scott works as aparalegal. He is a board member for the Lee County Council on Aging, the third vice president for the Lee County branch of theNAACP, secretary of the Lee County Democratic Party and a member of theAlpha Phi Alpha fraternity.[2]
In 2023, Scott was elected to theBishopville city council and became its youngest member at 22 years old.[6][5]
After incumbent representativeWill Wheeler resigned to run for theSouth Carolina Circuit Court, Scott announced his campaign for theJune 2025 special election to fill the vacancy left in theSouth Carolina House of Representatives.[2] He defeated former Bishopville city councilmember Carl Whetsel in the Democratic primary by 11 votes, requiring a recount to certify him as the winner.[6] He facedSumter County Republican Party Chair and formerU.S. Air Force colonel Bill Oden in the general election.[7]
Decision Desk HQ called the election for Scott approximately an hour after polls closed.[8] At 24 years old, he is currently the youngest member serving in theSouth Carolina General Assembly and the youngest person to be elected to it sinceBrandon Newton, who was elected at age 22 in 2016.[9][10]
Against the backdrop of efforts by Democrats to regain their footing after national losses in 2024, Scott's win received national attention.[11][12][13]
Scott serves on the South Carolina House Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs committee.[14]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Keishan Scott | 1,436 | 50.19% | |
| Democratic | Carl Whetsel | 1,425 | 49.81% | |
| Total votes | 2,861 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Keishan Scott | 2,593 | 70.56% | ||
| Republican | William Oden | 1,078 | 29.33% | ||
| Write-in | 4 | 0.11% | |||
| Total votes | 3,675 | 100.0 | |||
| Democratichold | |||||