Mark Hammond (American politician)
| Mark Hammond | |
|---|---|
| 41st Secretary of State of South Carolina | |
|
Assumed office January 15, 2003 |
|
| Governor |
Mark Sanford Nikki Haley Henry McMaster |
| Preceded by | Jim Miles |
| Clerk of Courts of Spartanburg County | |
|
In office 1997–2003 |
|
| Preceded by | Ken Huckaby |
| Succeeded by | Marc Kitchens |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 29, 1963 Lancaster, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education |
Newberry College (BA) Clemson University (MA) |
Mark Hammond (born November 29, 1963) is an American Republican politician from South Carolina. He has served as South Carolina Secretary of State since January 15, 2003.
Mark Hammond was born in Lancaster, South Carolina, and grew up in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Following graduation from Dorman High School in Spartanburg, he attended Newberry College, graduating with a B.A. in political science in 1986. Two years later, he earned an M.A. in education from Clemson University. He began his professional career as a juvenile probation officer for the South Carolina Department of Youth Services. From 1990 to 1996, he served as a criminal investigator for the Spartanburg County, South Carolina-based 7th Judicial Circuit Solicitor's Office. In 1996, he was elected as Clerk of Courts for Spartanburg County, and was the first Republican to serve in that post since Reconstruction. Hammond succeeded Democrat Ken Huckaby, who had served four terms since 1977. He was elected to a second term in 2000.
In 2002, he was elected as South Carolina's 41st Secretary of State, after defeating two other candidates in the Republican primary, and winning over 600,000 votes in the general election. He was sworn in on January 15, 2003. Governor Mark Sanford appointed Marc Kitchens to succeed Hammond in the Spartanburg County clerk of courts office.
In addition to his duties as Secretary of State, he also serves as Co-Chairman of International Relations Committee on Business Services.
He was re-elected in 2006, winning 61% of the vote, which at the time was the largest margin of victory in a contested statewide election in South Carolina history.
In 2010, Hammond defeated his opponent, Democrat Majorie Johnson with 60.9% of the vote.
In 2014, Hammond ran for reelection against Democrat Ginny Deerin whose campaign received a Republican endorsement from former South Carolina First Lady Jenny Sanford. She was also endorsed by the South Carolina Club for Growth, a conservative political organization that usually supports Republicans. She was the first ever Democrat running for statewide office to have been endorsed by them. Both Jenny Sanford and former South Carolina Club for Growth President Chad Walldorf served on the Board of Directors of WINGS for Kids, the nonprofit organization founded by Deerin. Deerin had made deregulating nonprofits a central theme of her campaign, which contrasted with Hammond's tough record of charities enforcement. Hammond won reelection with 59.5% of the vote.
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