Russell L. Ott (born March 26, 1978) is an American lobbyist and politician from the state 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 ...

. A member of the Democratic Party, he is a member of the

South Carolina State Senate The South Carolina State Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives. It consists of 46 senators elected from single member districts for four-year terms at t ...

from District 26 in Columbia's southern suburbs.

Early life

Ott is a native of St. Matthews, South Carolina. He graduated from

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 ...

with a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in English. He received his

Master of Public Administration A Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a specialized professional graduate degree in public administration that prepares students for leadership roles, similar or equivalent to a Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the ...

from the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

. He has served as a member and state convention delegate for the Calhoun County Democratic Party. Ott worked as a lobbyist for the South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation for eight years.

Political career

South Carolina Senate

On February 13, 2024, Ott announced his candidacy for State Senate District 26 seat, held by incumbent Senator Nikki G. Setzler, who opted not to run for re-election. State Senator Dick Harpootlian, whose home was put in the same District as Setzler after re-districting, also announced for the seat. The primary race between Ott and Harpootlian generated headlines. Ott was endorsed by St. Matthews Mayor Helen Carson-Peterson. Harpootlian was endorsed by Congressman

Jim Clyburn James Enos Clyburn (born July 21, 1940) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for . First elected in 1992, Clyburn is in his 17th term, representing a congressional district that includes most of the majority-black precinc ...

and former State Representative

Bakari Sellers Bakari T. Sellers (born September 18, 1984) is an American attorney, political commentator, and politician. Sellers served in the South Carolina House of Representatives for the 90th District from 2006 to 2014, and was the 2014 Democratic no ...

. Ultimately, Ott beat Harpootlian in the primary election by 51%. Ott face Republican Jason Guerry and defeated him in the general election. Upon taking office, Ott became the only elected Democrat representing a significant portion of heavily Republican

Lexington County Lexington County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 293,991. Its county seat and largest community is Lexington. The county was chartered in 1785 and was named in commemoration o ...

above the county level. His predecessor, Setzler, had been the only elected Democrat above the county level for much of his tenure. Ott serves on the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources, Family and Veterans' Services; Fish, Game and Forestry, Judiciary and Rules committees.

South Carolina House of Representatives

Harry L. Ott, Jr., Russell's father, represented the 93rd district in 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 ...

, but resigned on June 30, 2013, to take a job with the

Farm Service Agency The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is the United States Department of Agriculture agency that was formed by merging the farm loan portfolio and staff of the Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) and the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service ...

. Russell declared his candidacy in the October 29

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

to fill the remainder of his father's term. He won the election, defeating Republican Charles Stoudemire. In the 2022 general election, Russell won re-election against Republican challenger Jim Ulmer. Ott served on the House Legislative Oversight and the Labor, Commerce and Industry Committees. He is a former Assistant Minority Leader of the House.

Personal

Ott has two sons.

References

External links

Senator Russell L. Ott
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Ott for Senate 2024 Campaign website
1976 births 21st-century members of the South Carolina General Assembly American lobbyists Clemson University alumni Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives Living people People from St. Matthews, South Carolina University of South Carolina alumni {{SouthCarolina-politician-stub