Steve Benjamin | |
|---|---|
 Benjamin in August 2023 | |
| Senior Advisor to the President forPublic Engagement | |
| In office April 1, 2023 – January 20, 2025 | |
| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Keisha Lance Bottoms |
| Succeeded by | Jim Goyer (as Director of theOffice of Public Liaison) |
| Director of theOffice of Public Engagement | |
| In office April 1, 2023 – January 20, 2025 | |
| President | Joe Biden |
| Principal Deputy | Jamie Citron |
| Preceded by | Keisha Lance Bottoms |
| Succeeded by | Jim Goyer |
| 70thMayor of Columbia | |
| In office July 1, 2010 – January 4, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Bob Coble |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Rickenmann |
| 76th President of theUnited States Conference of Mayors | |
| In office May 7, 2018 – July 1, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Mitch Landrieu |
| Succeeded by | Bryan Barnett |
| Director of theSouth Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services | |
| In office January 13, 1999 – January 15, 2003 | |
| Governor | Jim Hodges |
| Preceded by | Stephen Bernie |
| Succeeded by | Joan Meacham |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Stephen Keith Benjamin (1969-12-01)December 1, 1969 (age 55) New York City, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | DeAndrea Gist |
| Education | University of South Carolina (BA,JD) |
Stephen Keith Benjamin (born December 1, 1969) is an American politician and businessman who served as thedirector of theWhite House Office of Public Engagement for theBiden administration, and also as one of thesenior advisors to President Biden from April 1, 2023, to January 20, 2025. He previously served as the 70th mayor ofColumbia, South Carolina, from July 2010 to January 2022. He was the first African American mayor in the city's history. Before serving as mayor, he worked in theColumbia metropolitan area as an attorney and served on various charitable organizations.
On November 8, 2017, Benjamin won re-election for a third term as mayor with no votes as no other candidate filed. Benjamin was declared re-elected.[1] Benjamin served as the 76th president of theUnited States Conference of Mayors from 2018 to 2019.[2]
Benjamin's parents are fromOrangeburg, South Carolina, but relocated toQueens during theGreat Migration in the 1960s. Benjamin moved to Columbia to attend college. He earned a bachelor's degree inpolitical science from theUniversity of South Carolina in 1991 and aJuris Doctor from theUniversity of South Carolina School of Law in 1994.[3]
As a student at the University of South Carolina, Benjamin was actively involved in the student chapter ofNAACP, eventually becoming president. He was elected asstudent body president during his undergraduate career and served as president of the student bar association during his third year of law school. He is a member ofKappa Alpha Psi andSigma Pi Phi fraternities.[4]
Benjamin is the principal of theBenjamin Law Firm, LLC, in Columbia, where his practice emphasized governmental strategic planning, administrative and regulatory work, municipal finance and general business matters.[5]
In 1999, Benjamin was appointed by Democratic GovernorJim Hodges to lead theSouth Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services, a position which he held until 2003.[6] In 2002, Benjamin led an unsuccessful campaign forattorney general of South Carolina as a Democratic candidate, losing toRepublicanHenry McMaster by a margin of 11%.[7]
During the2000 presidential election, Benjamin was a South Carolina state co-chair of GoreNet.[8] GoreNet was a group that supported theAl Gore campaign with a focus ongrassroots andonline organizing as well as hosting small dollar donor events.[9]
In 2010, Benjamin won a special election to become the mayor of Columbia, bestingKirkman Finlay III in a runoff to succeedBob Coble. In November 2017, Benjamin was the only candidate to file for mayoral election. Benjamin, therefore, did not appear on the ballot and was automatically declared to be re-elected without any votes.[1] On February 4, 2021, Benjamin announced that he would not seek re-election in 2021.[10]
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Benjamin served as the Board Chair of theFirst Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority),[11] an appointment by theBiden Administration.[12] He taught a leadership class at theHarvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health as a senior leadership fellow.[13] He is co-chair of the Center for US Global Leadership with theU.S. Global Leadership Coalition.[14] He was a member of the Advisory Board of theBGR Group.[15] He serves as chairman of the Board of the Flex Association, a group representinggig worker companies likeLyft,DoorDash andInstacart.[16]
In February 2023, Benjamin was appointed to serve as a senior advisor to PresidentJoe Biden and director of theOffice of Public Engagement, succeeding former Atlanta MayorKeisha Lance Bottoms.[17][18]
Benjamin is married toDeAndrea G. Benjamin, a judge on theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. They have two daughters.[19]
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| Mayor of Columbia, 2017 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Steve Benjamin | 0 | ||
| Mayor of Columbia, 2013[20] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Steve Benjamin | 10,401 | 64.1 | |
| Moe Baddourah | 5,594 | 34.4 | |
| Other | 224 | 1.5 | |
| Mayor of Columbia, 2010(Special Runoff)[21] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Steve Benjamin | 10,894 | 55.2 | |
| Kirkman Finlay III | 8,845 | 44.8 | |
| Mayor of Columbia, 2010(Special)[22] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Steve Benjamin | 6,067 | 35.5 | |
| Kirkman Finlay III | 5,485 | 32.1 | |
| Steve Morrison | 5,053 | 29.5 | |
| Other | 472 | 2.9 | |
| South Carolina Attorney General Election, 2002 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Henry McMaster | 601,931 | 55.48 |
| Democratic | Steve Benjamin | 482,560 | 44.48 |
| Write-ins | Write-ins | 498 | 0.05 |
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forAttorney General of South Carolina 2002 | Vacant Title next held by Matthew Richardson |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Mayor of Columbia 2010–2022 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Director of theOffice of Public Engagement 2023–2025 | Succeeded by |
