Lawrence Grooms
1997 - Present
2028
28
Lawrence Grooms (Republican Party) (also known as Larry) is a member of the South Carolina State Senate, representing District 37. He assumed office in 1997. His current term ends on November 13, 2028.
Grooms (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the South Carolina State Senate to represent District 37. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Biography
Grooms earned his B.S. from Clemson University in 1987. Grooms worked as the president/CEO of GTI Corporation, starting in 1989.
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at:editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023-2024
Grooms was assigned to the following committees:
- Education Committee
- Senate Ethics Committee
- Finance Committee
- Senate Rules Committee
- Transportation Committee, Chairman
2021-2022
Grooms was assigned to the following committees:
2019-2020
Grooms was assigned to the following committees:
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Education |
| • Finance |
| • Rules |
| • Transportation, Chair |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Grooms served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Agriculture and Natural Resources |
| • Education |
| • Finance |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Grooms served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Agriculture and Natural Resources |
| • Education |
| • Finance |
| • Transportation, Chair |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Grooms served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Agriculture and Natural Resources |
| • Education |
| • Finance |
| • Fish, Game and Forestry |
| • Transportation, Chair |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Grooms served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Agriculture and Natural Resources |
| • Education |
| • Finance |
| • Fish, Game and Forestry |
| • Transportation |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 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 37
Incumbent Lawrence Grooms won election in the general election for South Carolina State Senate District 37 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Lawrence Grooms (R) | 98.2 | 40,361 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.8 | 731 | ||
| Total votes: 41,092 | ||||
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Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Lawrence Grooms advanced from the Republican primary for South Carolina State Senate District 37.
Campaign finance
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Grooms in this election.
2020
See also: South Carolina State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for South Carolina State Senate District 37
Incumbent Lawrence Grooms defeated Kathryn Whitaker and Steve French in the general election for South Carolina State Senate District 37 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Lawrence Grooms (R) | 58.7 | 42,915 | |
| Kathryn Whitaker (D) | 38.6 | 28,266 | ||
| Steve French (L) | 2.6 | 1,909 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 58 | ||
| Total votes: 73,148 | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Kathryn Whitaker advanced from the Democratic primary for South Carolina State Senate District 37.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Lawrence Grooms advanced from the Republican primary for South Carolina State Senate District 37.
2016
Elections for the South 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.
Incumbent Lawrence Grooms ran unopposed in the South Carolina State Senate District 37 general election.[1][2]
| South Carolina State Senate, District 37 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Lawrence Grooms Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 39,314 | |
| Total Votes | 39,314 | |||
| Source: South Carolina State Election Commission | ||||
Incumbent Lawrence Grooms defeated Mark Robin Heath in the South Carolina State Senate District 37 Republican primary.[3][4]
| South Carolina State Senate, District 37 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Lawrence Grooms Incumbent |
79.47% | 3,550 | |
| Republican | Mark Robin Heath | 20.53% | 917 | |
| Total Votes | 4,467 | |||
| Source: South Carolina State Election Commission | ||||
2013
Grooms ran for the U.S. House representing the 1st Congressional District of South Carolina. The election was held to replace Tim Scott (R), who was appointed to fill Jim DeMint's vacant seat in the U.S. Senate.[5] Grooms ran in the Republican primary against Keith Blandford, Curtis Bostic, Ric Bryant, Jonathan Hoffman, Jeff King, John Kuhn, Tim Larkin, Chip Limehouse, Peter McCoy, Elizabeth Moffly, Ray Nash, Andy Patrick, Shawn Pinkston, Mark Sanford and Teddy Turner on March 19, 2013.[6] The general election takes place on May 7, 2013.[7]
Grooms was the third runner up in the March 19 Republican primary.[8] Mark Sanford (R) defeated challenger Curtis Bostic, who was the runner-up, in the April 2 runoff primary.
Observers considered former Governor Mark Sanford the front runner due to name recognition. Sanford had previously served as Governor of South Carolina, and he held this seat in the U.S. House of Representatives for three terms. He also had a financial advantage due to his fundraising network and $120,000 he held in an account from a previous campaign.[9]
The district leans Republican.[10] The last Democratic candidate elected in this district was Mendel Jackson Davis in 1978.[11]
| U.S. House, South Carolina District 1 Special Republican Primary, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|
Mark Sanford |
36.9% | 19,854 | ||
| Curtis Bostic |
13.3% | 7,168 | ||
| Ric Bryant | 0.2% | 87 | ||
| Larry Grooms | 12.4% | 6,673 | ||
| Jonathan Hoffman | 0.7% | 360 | ||
| Jeff King | 0.4% | 211 | ||
| John Kuhn | 6.5% | 3,479 | ||
| Tim Larkin | 0.7% | 393 | ||
| Harry "Chip" Limehouse | 6.1% | 3,279 | ||
| Peter McCoy | 1.6% | 867 | ||
| Elizabeth Moffly | 1% | 530 | ||
| Ray Nash | 4.7% | 2,508 | ||
| Andy Patrick | 7% | 3,783 | ||
| Shawn Pinkston | 0.3% | 154 | ||
| Keith Blandford | 0.4% | 195 | ||
| Teddy Turner | 7.9% | 4,252 | ||
| Total Votes | 53,793 | |||
| Source: Official results via South Carolina State Election Commission[8] | ||||
2012
Grooms ran unopposed in the Republican primary on June 12 and in the general election on November 6, 2012.[12][13][14]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lawrence Grooms Incumbent |
98.9% | 32,003 | |
| Other | Write-Ins | 1.1% | 365 | |
| Total Votes | 32,368 | |||
2008
Grooms won re-election for District 37 of the South Carolina State Senate with 33,385 votes, ahead of write-ins (199).[15]
He raised $63,824 for his campaign.[16]
| South Carolina State Senate, District 37 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Lawrence Grooms (R)
|
33,385 | |||
| Write-ins | 199 | |||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Lawrence Grooms did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Lawrence Grooms did not complete Ballotpedia'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 the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Endorsements
Presidential preference
2012
Lawrence Grooms endorsed Rick Santorum in the 2012 presidential election.[17]
He previously endorsed Rick Perry.[18]
Scorecards
A scorecard 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 to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2024
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show]. |
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In 2024, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 9 to May 9.
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2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the South 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, the South 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, the South 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, the South 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, the South 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, the South 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, the South 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, the South 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, the South 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, the South 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, the South 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, the South 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, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 11 through June 2. On June 2, 2011, Governor Nikki 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 Tem Glenn 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.[19] 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.[20] The legislature re-convened July 26.[21]
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The Palmetto Liberty PAC Scorecard
The Palmetto Liberty Political Action Committee, a conservative, pro-limited government think tank in South Carolina, releases its scorecard 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."[22]
2012
Lawrence Grooms received a score of 41% in the 2012 score card, ranking 9th out of all 46 South Carolina Senate members.[23] His score was followed by Senators A. Shane Massey (41%), Phillip Shoopman (41%), and George Campsen (35%).[24]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Grooms and his wife, Carol, have three children. Grooms has served as Executive Committee Member for the Berkeley County Republican Party since 1996.
Noteworthy events
Panama trip conflict of interest
Grooms was one of several South Carolina lawmakers who traveled to Panama in September 2010 for a three-day trip paid for by the South Carolina State Ports Authority, even though he was a member of a commission that oversaw the authority. At least $29,000 was spent on the Ports Authority-sponsored trip, which sought to promote South Carolina ports to Panama Canal officials. Information gathered by the investigative journalism website The Nerve showed that the authority covered most of the costs for the seven-member legislative group, which included five legislators: Grooms, Rep. J. David Weeks, Rep. Bill Sandifer III, Sen. Phillip Shoopman and then-Rep. Harry Cato. Grooms was the only one of the five legislators to reimburse the Ports Authority for his trip expenses, nearly $1,500.[25]
See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate South Carolina State Senate District 37 |
Officeholder South Carolina State Senate District 37 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Washington Post, "Scott's departure for Senate will trigger third special House election in 2013," December 17, 2012
- ↑ South Carolina Radio Network, "List of 19 candidates running for District 1 seat," January 28, 2013 (dead link)
- ↑ South Carolina Republican Party Website, "1st Congressional Special Election details set," accessed January 3, 2013
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 SC Votes, "March 19 Special Primary Election" accessed March 19, 2013 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "primary" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Roll Call, "Sanford Likely Front-Runner in S.C. Special Election," January 3, 2013
- ↑ Salon.com, "Ted Turner’s son vying in SC congressional primary," January 23, 2013
- ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "Davis, Medel Jackson, (1942-2007)," accessed January 28, 2013
- ↑ 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
- ↑ CNN, "Defecting S.C. senator backs Santorum," January 17, 2012
- ↑ Race 4 2012, "Perry Unveils Endorsements From 21 SC State Legislators," September 21, 2011
- ↑ 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
- ↑ The Nerve, "Ports Authority Spends 29K on Panama Trip," January 26, 2011
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
South Carolina State Senate District 37 1997-Present |
Succeeded by - |
