South Carolina mayor leaving office, but perhaps not forever

COLUMBIA, SC – Steve Benjamin, mayor of the capital of South Carolina and one of the state’s highest profile Democrats, will not seek a fourth term, telling the Associated Press that he wants to focus now on his law firm and family.

But he is leaving the door open for a possible return to politics.

“I believe in the seasons, and this is a new season for me,” Benjamin, 51, told the AP on Wednesday, ahead of a formal announcement scheduled for Thursday. “I feel that we have significantly improved our city; now, it’s time to pass the baton. “

Benjamin was elected in 2010 as Columbia’s first black mayor. Under his supervision, he guided the city through the historic flood of 2015 that killed 19 people, caused more than $ 1 billion in damage and placed many areas underwater. Recently, he has openly defended security measures during the coronavirus pandemic, serving as national president of an initiative by the mayor who donated several million non-medical masks to cities across the country.

Ads

Benjamin’s national star in the Democratic Party has grown in recent years, with his service as president of the United States Conference of Mayors and the African American Association of Mayors. In 2016, Benjamin spoke on the first night of the Democratic National Convention and was considered a running mate for Hillary Clinton, according to hacked emails from campaign president John Podesta released by WikiLeaks later that year.

In 2018, he and mayors across the country met in a prison for immigrant children in El Paso, Texas, arguing that then President Donald Trump failed to resolve what they call a humanitarian crisis of his own making. In 2017, after a mass shooting in Las Vegas, he led the movement for Columbia to become the first city in the country to ban the sale of “bump stock” devices that allow semi-automatic firearms to mimic fully automatic firearms.

As for the highest office, Benjamin – a candidate for Democratic attorney general in South Carolina in 2002, defeated in this race by the now-governor. Henry McMaster – was mentioned as a possible candidate for the party’s nomination for governor in 2022. His name also appeared in conversations about choosing the party to challenge Republican senator Tim Scott.

Ads

As witnessed in Jaime Harrison’s unsuccessful challenge in 2020 against Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a Democratic challenger winning a state seat in South Carolina – where all of those positions are in the hands of the Republican Party – continues to escalate.

When asked if it affected his decision making, Benjamin said the outcome did not affect his final decision.

“I just have no desire to go to DC,” said Benjamin. “I like to work with local issues. I’m a guy from the city, so that’s not something under consideration. ”

For now, Benjamin said that he wants to take advantage of the past few years before his daughters go to college, build their private law practice and “get involved at a high level in citizen engagement” through various organizations.

Even outside of an elected post, Benjamin will likely continue to play a disproportionate role in South Carolina’s Democratic politics, particularly in the state’s first presidential primaries in the South. Benjamin was a constant presence in the 2020 contest, meeting with almost all dozens of aspirants roaming the state and finally giving their highly coveted endorsement to former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

Ads

Whatever Benjamin’s future may be, however, he made it clear that some role in politics is still being considered.

“I’m certainly not ruling it out,” Benjamin told the AP. “If I see that there is an opportunity – or perhaps even more importantly, a need – for my leadership brand in the future, then surely running for a position again will always be at stake.”

___

Meg Kinnard can be contacted at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.