Daniel B. Verdin III | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the South Carolina Senate from the 9th district | |
| Assumed office 2001 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 9, 1964 England Air Force Base in Alexandria, Louisiana |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Kimberlee Diane Owens
(m. 1987) |
| Children | 4 (Annemarie, Daniel, Whitson, and Caroline) |
| Parent(s) | Daniel B. Verdin, Jr., Eloise Watts Verdin |
| Residence | Laurens County, South Carolina |
| Education | Bob Jones University (BA, 1986) |
| Profession | Business owner, politician |
Daniel Byron "Danny" Verdin III (born May 9, 1964) is a member of the South Carolina Senate, representing District 9 (Greenville, Laurens, & Union Counties). In November 2008, he was chosen as majority whip.[1]
Verdin is the son of Dr. Daniel B. and Eloise Watts Verdin. He was born in Louisiana but raised in Greenville County, where his father was a veterinarian. In 1986, Verdin graduated with a bachelor's in history from Bob Jones University. In 1987, Verdin married Kimberlee Owens; they have four children.
Verdin served as Agriculture and Natural Resources Advisor to Governor Carroll Campbell, 1987–89. He is the owner of Verdin's Farm & Garden Center in Laurens, South Carolina. Verdin is a member of Faith Free Presbyterian Church in Greenville, and he has served as South Carolina Division Commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, 1998–2000.[2]
In 2000, Verdin ran for the District 9 South Carolina Senate seat as a conservative Republican and defeated a 16-year Democratic incumbent, Jim Bryan, in an upset election, winning 54% of the vote. Verdin's election shifted the balance of power in the South Carolina Senate by creating a 23–23 tie between Republicans and Democrats.
Anticipating that the Senate rules would be re-written to favor Republicans and that Republican Senate President (and Lieutenant Governor) Bob Peeler would break the tie in the Republicans' favor, long-time Democratic Senator Jefferson Verne Smith (Greenville) switched his party affiliation to Republican in order to retain his powerful committee chairmanship.[3] This switch resulted in the end of more than a century of Democratic control of the South Carolina Senate.
In 2004, Verdin was challenged by former Senator Jim Bryan winning 60% of the vote.[1] He was unopposed for reelection in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020. In 2024, he will face his first challenger in over a decade, Democrat Randy Driggers.
For details on individual elections, see:
Verdin serves as the Chairman of the Senate Medical Affairs Committee.
In 2006, the South Carolina Farm Bureau named Verdin Legislator of the Year; and in 2007, Verdin was named Legislator of the Year by the South Carolina Veterinarians Association. Verdin has been consistently rated A+ by the NRA Political Victory Fund.[4][5] In announcing Verdin's selection as majority whip in 2008, Majority Leader Harvey Peeler said that in the current political environment, the Republican caucus needed "to return to core conservative values".[1]
Following the Charleston church shooting of 2015, Verdin said he would not vote to remove the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the state house.[6]
Following redistricting after the 2020 US Census, S.C. Senate District 9 covers a portion of Greenville & Laurens Counties.
