Lee Bright (born March 21, 1970) is an American politician who served as the
South Carolina State Senator from the 12th district from 2009 to 2017. A member of the
Republican Party, his district included
Spartanburg County
Spartanburg County is a county located on the northwestern border of the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 327,997, making it the fifth-most populous county in South Carolina. Its county seat is Spartanbu ...
and
Greenville County
Greenville County ( ; locally ) is located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 525,534, making it the most populous county in the state. Its county seat is Greenville. The county is also home to t ...
. Bright unsuccessfully ran for the
U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
in
2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
and
U.S. House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
in
2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
.
Early life and education
Lee Bright was raised in Pauline, South Carolina. Bright graduated from Dorman High School in 1988.
Career
Spartanburg School District
Bright was elected to the Spartanburg School District Six Board in 1999, and served on the board until his election to the South Carolina legislature. As a school board member, Bright called for teaching creationism in school science classes, explaining, "they're teaching evolution right now in school, and it's only a theory." In 2005, Bright was recognized with a "Friend of the Taxpayer" award from Citizens for Efficient Government.
Private business
After serving as a trucking brokerage salesman for many years, Bright started his own trucking business, On Time, LLC. The company grew to employ over 100 people but was unable to recover after the Great Recession of 2008.
Bright has since been employed in a number of salesmen roles and in 2014 he started The Bright Agency, an independent insurance agency.
South Carolina Senate
Bright contested the District 12 South Carolina Senate seat held by first-term incumbent
John D. Hawkins in 2004, losing in a tight race by less than 50 votes. In 2008, Bright successfully challenged for the District 12 Senate seat. Hawkins chose not to seek reelection, leaving Bright to contest State Representative
Scott Talley
Scott F. Talley (born June 25, 1976) is an American politician. He is a former member of the South Carolina Senate from the 12th District (Spartanburg County, South Carolina, Spartanburg), serving from 2016 to 2024. Previously, he served the 34th ...
for the Republican nomination, which he ultimately won, along with the general election.
The 2012 election marked a replay of 2004 as Hawkins came out of retirement to challenge Bright in a campaign noted for its intensity. Governor
Nikki Haley
Nimarata Nikki Randhawa Haley (''née'' Randhawa; born January 20, 1972) is an American politician and diplomat who served as the 116th governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017 and as the 29th U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from Ja ...
endorsed Bright over Hawkins, a move some claimed was in response to Hawkins's endorsement of Haley's
2010 election rival, Democrat
Vincent Sheheen
Vincent Austin Sheheen (born April 29, 1971) is an American attorney and politician. He was a member of the South Carolina Senate from 2004 to 2020, representing the 27th District, which comprises Chesterfield, Kershaw, and Lancaster counties ...
. Bright was, ultimately, handily reelected winning every precinct in his district and 65% of the primary vote. He went on to win the general election as well.
Bright lost his 2016 re-election bid in a primary runoff to former State Representative Talley. Haley reversed herself and endorsed Bright's opponent that year.
2014 U.S. Senate campaign
Bright announced on August 13, 2013, that he would seek his party's nomination for
United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
against incumbent
Republican Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Olin Graham (; born July 9, 1955) is an American politician and attorney serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A membe ...
.
Bright placed a distant second with 15.43% of the vote.
2018 U.S. House campaign
Bright ran in the 2018 Republican primary to replace retiring Republican incumbent
Trey Gowdy
Harold Watson "Trey" Gowdy III (born August 22, 1964) is an American television news presenter, former politician and former federal prosecutor who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2019. His district included much of the Upsta ...
in
South Carolina's 4th congressional district
South Carolina's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in upstate South Carolina bordering North Carolina. It includes parts of Greenville and Spartanburg counties. The district includes the two major cities of Greenville ...
. He finished first in the June 12, 2018, primary with 25% of the vote, but two weeks later lost the primary runoff election to
William Timmons on June 26, 2018.
2024 State Senate campaign
In 2023, State Senate District 12 incumbent
Scott Talley
Scott F. Talley (born June 25, 1976) is an American politician. He is a former member of the South Carolina Senate from the 12th District (Spartanburg County, South Carolina, Spartanburg), serving from 2016 to 2024. Previously, he served the 34th ...
announced his retirement. Bright, South Carolina House of Representatives member
Roger Nutt
Roger A. Nutt is an American people, American engineer and politician. He is a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, South Carolina Senate from the 12th District, serving since 2024. He is a member of the Republican Party (United ...
, businessman Skip Davenport, and former Spartanburg County Clerk of Court Hope Blackley faced each other in the Republican primary. Bright was bested by Representative Nutt in the Republican primary runoff, the latter will face physician and presumptive Democratic nominee Octavia Amaechi in the general election.
Political positions
Abortion
Bright has been a strong opponent of abortion and has been a sponsor of the "Life Begins at Conception Act" for three years. In April 2013, Bright introduced a bill attempting to "require doctors performing abortions to have board certification in obstetrics and gynecology. Doctors performing abortions in outpatient settings also would be required to have staff privileges at a local hospital." Pro-Choice proponents argued that the legislation would end all abortions in South Carolina and the bill was defeated in subcommittee.
Education
In May 2013, Bright was one of four senators who voted against a bill that would reduce government oversight of
Clemson University
Clemson University () is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...
.
Elections
In 2011 Bright cast the lone "no" vote in the South Carolina senate against a measure that would allow
early voting
Early voting, also called advance polling or pre-poll voting, is a convenience voting process by which voters in a public election can vote before a scheduled Election Day (politics), election day. Early voting can take place remotely, such as v ...
, explaining "I think people ought to vote on Election Day."
Along with Democrat
Vincent Sheheen
Vincent Austin Sheheen (born April 29, 1971) is an American attorney and politician. He was a member of the South Carolina Senate from 2004 to 2020, representing the 27th District, which comprises Chesterfield, Kershaw, and Lancaster counties ...
, Bright helped to write an ethics reform package that would require state legislators to wait eight years after leaving office before they could lobby their peers.
Endorsements
Bright backed
Mark Sanford
Marshall Clement "Mark" Sanford Jr. (born May 28, 1960) is an American politician and author who served as the U.S. representative for South Carolina's 1st congressional district from 1995 to 2001 and from 2013 to 2019, and as the 115th govern ...
in his 2006 race for Governor of South Carolina. Bright described himself as troubled by the 2009 revelation that Sanford had flown to Argentina to meet with his mistress, but stopped short of joining calls for the governor's resignation.
In the
2012 Republican presidential primaries
Voters of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party elected state delegations to the 2012 Republican National Convention in presidential primaries. The national convention then selected its nominee to run for President of the Unit ...
, Bright supported
Michele Bachmann
Michele Marie Bachmann (; née Amble; born April 6, 1956) is an American politician who was the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 2007 until 2015. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican P ...
and was her South Carolina campaign chair. After Bachmann withdrew from the race, Bright switched his endorsement to
Ron Paul
Ronald Ernest Paul (born August 20, 1935) is an American author, activist, and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1976 to 1977, and again from 1979 to 1985, as well as for Texas' ...
.
Fiscal policy
In 2011, Bright introduced S.500 to study the solvency of money and the Federal Reserve. In advocating his proposal, Bright quipped "If at first you don't secede, try again."
Bright has also been an outspoken critic of government spending, and was designated as one of four "taxpayer heroes in the Senate" by the South Carolina chapter of the
Club for Growth
The Club for Growth is a 501(c)(4) political organization active in the United States, with a fiscally conservative agenda focused on tax cuts and other economic policy issues.
Club for Growth's largest funders are billionaires Jeff Yass a ...
for the legislative session of 2011–2012. The
Club for Growth
The Club for Growth is a 501(c)(4) political organization active in the United States, with a fiscally conservative agenda focused on tax cuts and other economic policy issues.
Club for Growth's largest funders are billionaires Jeff Yass a ...
is a PAC that describes themselves as "fiscally conservative" and has been opposed by Republicans
Haley Barbour
Haley Reeves Barbour (born October 22, 1947) is an American attorney, politician, and lobbyist who served as the 63rd governor of Mississippi from 2004 to 2012. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he previously ser ...
and
Karl Rove
Karl Christian Rove (born December 25, 1950) is an American Republican political consultant, policy advisor, and lobbyist. He was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff during the George W. Bush administration until his resignation on August ...
. Bright also received the Friend of Taxpayer Award from the Spartanburg County Taxpayers Association. He had the highest rating of the Palmetto Liberty PAC on its legislative scorecard, and was unanimously endorsed by The
Republican Liberty Caucus
The Republican Liberty Caucus (RLC) is a political action organization dedicated to promoting the ideals of Individual freedom, individual liberty, limited government and free market economics within the Republican Party (United States), Republi ...
of South Carolina
In 2012, after Governor Nikki Haley vetoed funding for a private organizations, teacher pay raises, and funding for the South Carolina Arts Commission, Bright voted to sustain the veto.
Gun control
In 2010 Bright sponsored legislation that would make any firearm produced in the state exempt from federal regulations, but the legislation stalled while being processed by committee. On December 13, 2012, Bright re-filed to reintroduce the legislation.
On January 19, 2013, Bright proposed legislation that would allow public schools to offer a class in firearms marksmanship.
Bright is the author of the Constitutional Carry Act of 2013 which would allow citizens to carry firearms without a permit. Bright was one of six senators to oppose the bi-partisan "Boland Bill", a bill that would make it easier for the state to track people found to be legally incompetent and make it more difficult for them to obtain a firearm.
Health policy
Bright has been an outspoken opponent of the
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other health ...
(ACA), the 2010
health care reform
Health care reform is for the most part governmental policy that affects health care delivery in a given place. Health care reform typically attempts to:
* Broaden the population that receives health care coverage through either public sector ins ...
championed by President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
. In 2012, Bright sponsored a bill that would criminalize implementation of the Act, providing for penalties of up to two years for state officials who attempted to implement it and penalties of up to four years for federal officials who attempted to implement it.
Bright involved the discredited legal theory of
nullification
Nullification may refer to:
* Nullification (U.S. Constitution), a legal theory that a state has the right to nullify any federal law deemed unconstitutional with respect to the United States Constitution
** Nullification crisis, the 1832 confron ...
in support of the legislation.
Because the Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of the ACA, legal experts said the act would be unenforceable even if passed, due to the
Supremacy Clause
The Supremacy Clause of the Constitution of the United States ( Article VI, Clause 2) establishes that the Constitution, federal laws made pursuant to it, and treaties made under its authority, constitute the "supreme Law of the Land", and th ...
.
Transgender issues
In 2016 Lee Bright introduced a bill in the South Carolina Senate that would have prevented any municipality in the state from passing or maintaining transgender equality ordinances.
Refugee resettlement
The South Carolina Senate in 2016 considered a bill sponsored by Senator Bright that would require refugees in South Carolina to register with the
South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. The bill would further hold non-profit resettlement agencies in the state financially liable for any crimes committed by a refugee that they assisted. While the bill's intent was focused on Syrian refugees, relief groups stated that no Syrian refugees have been resettled in South Carolina.
Confederate flag controversy
On June 23, 2015, Bright was one of three Senate members including Tom Corbin (R-Greenville) and
Danny Verdin (R-Laurens) who voted against removing the
Confederate flag
The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs during the American Civil War. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars", used from 1861 to 1863; the "Stainless Banner", used from 1863 to 1865; and ...
from the South Carolina State House grounds in the wake of the
Charleston church shooting
An Anti-Black racism, anti-black mass shooting and hate crime occurred on June 17, 2015, in Charleston, South Carolina. Nine people were killed, and one was injured, during a Bible study (Christianity), Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist ...
. The movement to remove the flag from the grounds had the support of
Governor Nikki Haley, as well as from public figures in- and outside the state. The vote to debate the removal was approved 103 in favor and 10 opposed. Bright publicly compared the call to remove the flag to a "Stalinist purge".
During debate on the flag on July 6, Bright said that the legislature should instead debate
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
after the
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...
ruling in the
Obergefell v. Hodges
''Obergefell v. Hodges'', ( ), is a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court which ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of th ...
.
Bright proposed an amendment to replace the battle flag with the first national flag of the Confederacy; it was tabled by the Senate until August 3.
Bright believes that a majority of citizens in South Carolina would like the flag to remain, saying, "It means a lot of different things to a lot of different people but I believe the majority of South Carolinians would like to see it up, and I believe I speak for the majority of South Carolinians, so I would like to prove that with a vote." He continued his speech saying, "They are concerned that they are being painted with the same stroke as the murderer down in Charleston. They feel that they and their ancestors are being disparaged and that's not very fair."
In his arguments against the flag's removal, he stated that the 20,000 soldiers from South Carolina who fought in the Civil War were being stripped of their honor by the flag's removal.
The bill to remove the flag passed the Senate on July 6, 2015. Early in the morning of July 9, the bill passed the
South Carolina House of Representatives
The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections.
Unlike many legislatures, seatin ...
and was signed into law that afternoon by Governor Haley.
Personal life
Bright is a member of Roebuck Baptist Church (Southern Baptist), Bright is a member of the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary's Board of Visitors. In 2013, he was re-nominated to a second four-year term on the board of trustees of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberties Commission. Bright also served as a member of the Palmetto Family Council's Board of Directors,
and the South Carolina Attorney General's Commission on the Family 2001 advisory board.
References
External links
*
Senator Lee Brightat the South Carolina Legislature
Biographyat
Ballotpedia
Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bright, Lee
1970 births
Living people
People from Greer, South Carolina
Republican Party South Carolina state senators
Candidates in the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections
21st-century members of the South Carolina General Assembly