Josh Kimbrell
Member of the South Carolina Senate
from the 11th district
Assumed office
November 9, 2020
Preceded byGlenn G. Reese
Personal details
Born (1984-12-18) December 18, 1984 (age 39)
Spartanburg, South Carolina, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Alma materNorth Greenville University (B.A.)
Gardner–Webb University
ProfessionRadio personality

Joshua Brett Kimbrell (born December 18, 1984) is an American aviation leasing operator and politician. He is also a former Christian talk radio host.

Kimbrell has served as a member of the South Carolina Senate from the 11th District since his 2020 election.[1] He is a member of the Republican Party.[2]

Legislative career

2018 US House race

See also: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections, 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina

Kimbrell unsuccessfully ran for the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina's 4th congressional district in 2018, finishing fourth in a 13-candidate Republican primary.

2020 Senate race

In 2020, Kimbrell unseated incumbent Democrat Glenn G. Reese, who had held the seat in the South Carolina Senate's 11th District since 1991.

South Carolina Senate District 11
Year Candidate Votes Pct Candidate Votes Pct
2020 General Election[3] Josh Kimbrell 26,117 55.3% Glenn G. Reese (inc.) 21,005 44.5%

In June 2021, Kimbrell sponsored a bill in the state senate that would "allow mental health professionals to refuse to provide care that violates their religious beliefs."[4] During the 2022 session, Kimbrell also introduced a budget proviso to ban "prurient" books in children's library sections at public libraries, though some librarians and other lawmakers said the language was too vague to enforce without banning a wide variety of books.[5][6]

2024 Senate race

See also: 2024 South Carolina Senate election

In March 2024, Kimbrell filed for re-election. He is opposed by local Democratic activist Sevi Alvarez.[7]

Personal life

In October 2014, Kimbrell was arrested and charged with sex crimes against his 3-year-old son.[8] After being held in jail without bail, the charges were dropped due to insufficient evidence in February 2015.[9]

References

  1. ^ "South Carolina Legislature Online - Member Biography". www.scstatehouse.gov. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  2. ^ "South Carolina State Sen. Josh Kimbrell - Biography | LegiStorm". www.legistorm.com. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  3. ^ "Election Night Reporting". www.enr-scvotes.org. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  4. ^ "SC considers extending religious objections to therapists". AP. 21 June 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  5. ^ "Library leaders fight proposal on banned books". Post and Courier. 5 May 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  6. ^ "SC Senate lawmakers consider cutting off aid to libraries that allow kids access to 'prurient material". News 19. 29 April 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  7. ^ Swann, Samantha (March 15, 2024). "Spartanburg activist to run for SC State Senate District 11. 'They've run off the rails.'". The Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  8. ^ "Christian Talk radio host accused of sex crime against 3-year-old". WYFF. 16 October 2014. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  9. ^ Dykes, David. "Solicitor dismisses criminal sexual conduct charge against Upstate radio host". The Greenville News. Retrieved May 12, 2021.


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