George Murrell Smith Jr. (born May 15, 1968) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

politician and the 61st

Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives The speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the South Carolina House of Representatives, whose main role is to ensure that general order is maintained in the house by recognizing members to speak, ensurin ...

. Since 2001, he has represented the 67th district of

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

for

Sumter Sumter may refer to: People Given name * Sumter S. Arnim (1904–1990), American dentist * Sumter de Leon Lowry Jr. (1893–1985), United States Army general Surname * Rowendy Sumter (born 1988), Curaçaoan footballer * Shavonda E. Sumt ...

and Sumter County.

Political career

George Smith was elected to 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 ...

from the 67th District in 2001, and has held this seat since. He is a member of the Republican Party. In his time as a representative, he has mostly run in uncontested races, barring

Libertarian Party Libertarian Party may refer to: *Libertarian Party (Argentina) * Liberal Libertarian Party * Libertarian Party of Australia * Libertarian Party of Canada ** British Columbia Libertarian Party **Libertarian Party of Manitoba (now Freedom Party of Ma ...

challenger, Brandon Humphries, whom he overwhelmingly defeated. On December 5, 2018, Smith was appointed as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee by Speaker of the House

Jay Lucas James Howle "Jay" Lucas (born August 11, 1957) is an American politician and attorney. He served as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 65th District from 1999 to 2022. Lucas is a Republican. Lucas was elected Speaker ...

. Smith previously served as chairman of the Health and Human Services Subcommittee and has sat on the House Ways and Means Committee since 2009. In April 2022, Smith was elected unanimously by the House to succeed Jay Lucas as Speaker of the House of Representatives. He assumed office on May 12, 2022. Smith was challenged by

Bill Chumley William M. Chumley (born September 24, 1947) is an American politician. He is a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 35th District, serving since 2011. He is a member of the Republican party. Chumley is a member of the ...

, a member of the South Carolina

Freedom Caucus The Freedom Caucus, also known as the House Freedom Caucus, is a congressional caucus consisting of Republican Party (United States), Republican members of the United States House of Representatives. It is generally considered to be the most Cons ...

, for the position in December 2024, and defeated him in a 102-17 vote. Since ''

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ''Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization'', 597 U.S. 215 (2022), is a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, United States Supreme Court in which the court held ...

'', Smith has been vocal in his support for restricting access to abortion in the state of South Carolina. After the

South Carolina Supreme Court The Supreme Court of South Carolina is the highest court in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The court is composed of a chief justice and four associate justices.

voted 3-2 to nullify a six-week abortion ban, Smith criticized the court as creating “a constitutional right to an abortion where none exists.”

Electoral history

2008 SC House of Representatives

In 2008, Smith ran unopposed in both the primary and general election.

2010 SC House of Representatives

In 2010, Smith ran unopposed in both the primary and general election.

2012 SC House of Representatives

Smith ran unopposed in the Republican primary in 2012.

2014 SC House of Representatives

In 2014, Smith ran unopposed in both the primary and general election.

2016 SC House of Representatives

In 2016, Smith ran unopposed in both the primary and general election.

2018 SC House of Representatives

Smith ran uncontested in the Republican primary in 2018.

2020 SC House of Representatives

The Republican primary was cancelled in 2020.

2022 SC House of Representatives

The Republican primary was cancelled in 2022.

Personal life

Born in

Florence, South Carolina Florence is a city in and the county seat of Florence County, South Carolina, United States. It lies at the intersection of Interstates 20 and 95 and is the eastern terminus of the former. It is the primary city within the Florence metropol ...

, Smith spent the majority of his childhood in Sumter, South Carolina, where he attended Wilson Hall School. He graduated in 1986 and enrolled at

Wofford College Wofford College is a private liberal arts college in Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1854, it is one of the few four-year institutions in the southeastern United States founded before the American Civil War that still ope ...

, where he completed his

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

in Forms of Government in 1990. After earning his J.D. from the

University of South Carolina School of Law The University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law, also known as South Carolina Law School, is a professional school within the University of South Carolina. Founded in 1867, it is the only public and non-profit law school in South Car ...

in 1993, Smith began practicing law in his hometown of Sumter: first as a public defender and later as partner at Lee, Erter, Wilson, Holler & Smith, LLC. He and his wife, Macaulay, have two children: Mary Brown "Bee" Smith and George Murrell Smith III.

References

1968 births 21st-century members of the South Carolina General Assembly Living people Republican Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives Speakers of the South Carolina House of Representatives {{SouthCarolina-politician-stub