Katon Dawson
| Katon Dawson | |
|---|---|
| Chairperson of the South Carolina Republican Party | |
|
In office May 2002 – May 2009 |
|
| Preceded by | Henry McMaster |
| Succeeded by | Karen Floyd |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
February 29, 1956 Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | University of South Carolina, Columbia |
Katon Edwards Dawson (born February 29, 1956) is an American politician from the state of South Carolina, former chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party and was a 2009 candidate for chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Dawson was born in Columbia, South Carolina in then-heavily Democratic South Carolina, his parents helped organize the state's first GOP precincts. Dawson says his political interest came from attending a Barry Goldwater speech in 1964, and first volunteered for Richard Nixon's 1968 presidential campaign.
Dawson graduated from the University of South Carolina.
Dawson was elected Richland County GOP vice chairman in 1994 and state party chair 2002.
In 2006, despite nationwide losses by the Republican party, the South Carolina GOP carried eight of nine statewide constitutional offices.
In August 2007 Dawson drew national attention for his decision to move the 2008 South Carolina Republican presidential primary from Feb. 2 to January 29, preserving the state's "first in the South" primary. In every election since 1980, the winner of the South Carolina primary has won the Republican presidential nomination, except in 2012 when Newt Gingrich won the primary and did not secure the nomination.
During Dawson's chairmanship, the South Carolina GOP has made progress with outreach to African-Americans and in promoting minorities to leadership positions, electing its first African-American member of the Republican National Committee from the South, and in 2008 the first black Republican State Representative since Reconstruction was elected.
...
Wikipedia