Senator wants more time with his family and to continue career at Bryan Law Firm in Sumter
Three-term South Carolina Democratic Sen. J. Thomas McElveen III will not seek re-election to his District 35 seat.
The decision comes after prayer and discussion with the people that are close to him, he told The Sumter Item.
“The decision to run back in 2012 was a hard decision to make, and this one is equally hard, if not harder,” he said.
McElveen, now 46, was the youngest S.C. senator at the time he was elected, and at that time, he did not have any children.
Now a father to three, the Sumter native and local attorney of 20 years says it’s time to lessen his commitments so he’ll have more time for his family and be able to continue practicing law at Bryan Law Firm at full capacity.
District 35 touches Sumter, Kershaw, Richland and Lee counties. McElveen said that whoever takes his seat this November had better be wearing comfortable shoes because there are many people to connect with and serve.
He does not have anyone in mind for who he hopes will run for his seat.
“I will miss the service and the people. I've enjoyed it so much,” he said. “The only thing I won't miss is with the busy law practice [and] children, you run back and forth to Columbia, and in this district, so you’re in a rush all the time.”
In 2012, his hope was to be in the state Senate for 16 years or four terms, and it was about halfway through his current term that McElveen started considering capping it at 12 years or three terms.
“Time is love,” he said. “If I could stretch a day into 30 hours, I'd probably try to stay another term. … 24 hours isn't enough time in the day, and something had to come off my plate.”
The change he has seen Sumter undergo, not just during his terms as senator but throughout his life, is something McElveen said he’s proud of, noting that Sumter has experienced a lot of economic growth, has an abundance of natural resources and exhibits unwavering support for veterans and those serving.
"So many people have supported me throughout this whole process," he said. "My family and my partners here at Bryan Law Firm. [Voters] took a chance on a pretty young, unknown candidate ... the faith and trust they put in me in that first election, it's never going to be lost on me."
Filing for the S.C. Senate opens at noon on Saturday, March 16, and closes at noon on April 1. No one has announced candidacy for the District 35 seat yet.
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