David L. Thomas

He has degrees from UNC-Charlotte (Bachelor's degree), TCU, Southwestern Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity), and the University of South Carolina (Juris Doctor).

He served as an at-large member of the Greenville City Council from 1979 to 1984 and in his last year on the council was Mayor Pro-Tempore under Mayor Bill Workman.{{cite web|url=http://www.greenvillesc.gov/CityClerk/Archives/CityCouncil.aspx|title=Greenville City Council|publisher=greenvillesc.gov|accessdate=May 19, 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517115511/http://www.greenvillesc.gov/CityClerk/Archives/CityCouncil.aspx|archivedate=May 17, 2014}}

Thomas first won election to the state senate in 1984. He was reelected six times, never facing a Democratic challenger—in 1988 (99%),{{Cite web|url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=560687|title=Our Campaigns - SC State Senate 08 Race - Nov 08, 1988|website=www.ourcampaigns.com}} 1992 (98%),{{Cite web|url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=228520|title=Our Campaigns - SC State Senate 08 Race - Nov 03, 1992|website=www.ourcampaigns.com}} 1996 (100%),{{Cite web|url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=274329|title=Our Campaigns - SC State Senate 08 Race - Nov 05, 1996|website=www.ourcampaigns.com}} 2000 (89%),{{Cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=7427|title = Our Campaigns - SC State Senate 08 Race - Nov 07, 2000}} 2004 (99%),{{Cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=41849|title = Our Campaigns - SC State Senate 08 Race - Nov 02, 2004}} and 2008 (99%).{{Cite web|url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=227118|title=Our Campaigns - SC State Senate 08 Race - Nov 04, 2008|website=www.ourcampaigns.com}} He lost the 2012 Republican primary in a five-way race,{{Cite web|url=http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2012/06/14/251571.htm|title = South Carolina Insurance Chairman Thomas Loses Re-Election Bid|date = 14 June 2012}} finishing in third place after receiving only 20.5% of the vote—well short of qualifying for the runoff.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=762719|title=Our Campaigns - SC State Senate 08 - R Primary Race - Jun 12, 2012|website=www.ourcampaigns.com}}

On May 20, 2009, Thomas voted {{cite web|title=Senator David L. Thomas|url=http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess118_2009-2010/sj09/20090520.htm|work=Senate Journal 05/20/2009 - South Carolina Legislature Online|publisher=South Carolina Legislative Printing, Information, and Technology Systems|accessdate=7 March 2012}} to force Governor Mark Sanford to take the ARRA funds, or the federal stimulus, and use the one time money for reoccurring needs.

Thomas was one of the first conservative Republican state senators to call for the resignation or impeachment of Governor Mark Sanford. In August 2009, he wrote a letter to state legislative leaders saying that in his view, Sanford's use of expensive plane tickets on state business were an impeachable offense.{{cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/11/south.carolina.mark.sanford/index.html | work=CNN | title=GOP senator wants Sanford to be impeached | date=11 August 2009}}

In September 2011 USA Today ran a story {{cite news|last=Frank|first=Thomas|title=How state lawmakers pump up pensions in ways you can't|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-10-11/1A-state-lawmakers-pump-pensions/50522036/1|accessdate=9 November 2011|newspaper=USA Today|date=22 September 2011}} on legislative pensions and how legislators abused their power to "pump up their pensions." Thomas was the poster child for this article. USA Today found that he had taken home over $148,000 more than other South Carolina legislators.

At the time of the USA Today article, Thomas had paid for thirty years of service necessary to draw legislative retirement pay instead of legislative salary which comes from the General Fund of South Carolina's State Budget.{{cite web|title=Senator David L. Thomas|url=http://www.scstatehouse.gov/member.php?code=1818181600|publisher=South Carolina Legislative Printing, Information, and Technology Systems|accessdate=5 January 2012}} Nineteen other South Carolina senators{{Cite web |url=http://www.thestate.com/2011/09/27/1987692/senators-defend-pension-perks.html |title=Senators defend pension perks - Local / Metro - TheState.com |access-date=2012-03-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111231225230/http://www.thestate.com/2011/09/27/1987692/senators-defend-pension-perks.html |archive-date=2011-12-31 |url-status=dead }} have chosen to take the $32,390 retirement pay from the General Assembly Retirement System, which also comes from the General Fund of South Carolina's State Budget,{{cite web|title=South Carolina Legislature Online - Code of Laws Title 9 Chapter 9 Retirement System For Members Of General Assembly|url=http://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t09c009.php|publisher=South Carolina Legislative Printing, Information, and Technology Systems|accessdate=7 March 2012}} rather than the $10,400 salary.{{Cite web | url=http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2012/feb/25/first-cut-legislative-pensions/ | title=First, cut legislative pensions | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120909190414/http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20120225/ARCHIVES/302259953 | archive-date=2012-09-09}} South Carolina has one of the lowest pay scales for legislators among the fifty states.{{cite web|title=Legislative Salaries Per State|url=http://www.empirecenter.org/html/legislative_salaries.cfm|work=Government Reform|publisher=Empire Center|accessdate=5 January 2012|archive-date=27 February 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227141948/http://www.empirecenter.org/html/legislative_salaries.cfm|url-status=dead}}

Thomas was Chairman of the Banking and Insurance Committee and Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee Sub-committee on Constitutional/Administrative Officers.

He is also the founder of Palmetto Pride (Litter Task Force) which is an organization aimed at litter cleanup.

Thomas was the Greenville chairman of the 1980 Ronald W. Reagan for president campaign, while Greenville Mayor Jesse L. Helms was supporting former Governor John B. Connally Jr., of Texas. Thomas was the state co-chair, along with State Representative Terry Haskins of the 1988 Jack Kemp for president campaign. In 2008, he served as State Legislative Co-chair of the Mike Huckabee for president.

He ran for Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina in 2002. He finished first in the Republican primary but failed to reach the 50% threshold needed to avoid a run-off election, getting 37% of the vote.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=40298|title = Our Campaigns - SC Lt. Governor - R Primary Race - Jun 11, 2002}} He lost the run-off election to fellow State Senator Andre Bauer 51%-49%, a difference of 4,491 votes.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=40300|title = Our Campaigns - SC Lt. Governor - R Runoff Race - Jun 25, 2002}}

{{Main|United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 2010#District 4}}

On June 6, 2009, Thomas announced his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives, challenging incumbent Bob Inglis in the Republican primary for the 4th District.[http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20090606/NEWS01/90606014/1004 Unknown]{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Thomas ran well to Inglis' right, and has criticized many of Inglis' recent votes. Inglis had been one of the most conservative members of the House when he represented the district from 1993 to 1999, but his voting record since his return to Congress in 2005 has been considerably more moderate. Thomas finished fourth in the primary, getting only 12 percent of the vote and losing his own state senate district.{{Cite web|url=https://www.enr-scvotes.org/SC/16117/28318/en/md_data.html?cid=110&|title=SC - Election Results|website=www.enr-scvotes.org}}

Thomas did not have to give up his seat to run for Congress. South Carolina state senators serve four-year terms coinciding with presidential elections, and Thomas was not up for re-election until 2012.

Thomas elected to take a yearly lifelong payout of $32,390 in deferred pay from the General Assembly Retirement System rather than his $10,400 salary. He became eligible for the payout at age 55.{{cite news| url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-10-11-1A-state-lawmakers-pump-pensions.htm | work=USA Today | first=Thomas | last=Frank | title=How state lawmakers pump up pensions in ways you can't | date=16 April 2012}}

Thomas has been married to his wife Fran since 1984, and they live in Fountain Inn in Greenville County. His family is originally from Spartanburg’s Glendale community. He attends Calvary Baptist Church in Simpsonville.{{Cite web |url=http://www.thomas2010.com/meet-david/ |title=Meet David Thomas |access-date=2012-01-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309103852/http://www.thomas2010.com/meet-david/ |archive-date=2012-03-09 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |url=http://senatordavidthomas.com/meetthomas.htm |title=Meet David Thomas |access-date=2012-01-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120123163322/http://www.senatordavidthomas.com/meetthomas.htm |archive-date=2012-01-23 |url-status=dead }}

• [http://www.thomas2010.com/ David Thomas for Congress] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090621003417/http://www.thomas2010.com/ |date=2009-06-21 }} official congressional campaign site
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070729030255/http://www.scstatehouse.net/members/bios/1818181600.html South Carolina Legislature - Senator David L. Thomas] official SC Senate website
• [http://www.vote-smart.org/bio.php?can_id=3982 Project Vote Smart - Senator David L. Thomas (SC)] profile
• Follow the Money - David Thomas
• [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=200640&c=427179 2006] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=200440&c=59558 2004] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=200240&c=3325 2002] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=200040&c=378687 2000] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=199640&c=378134 1996] campaign contributions

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Category:Republican Party South Carolina state senators

Category:1949 births

Category:Living people

Category:People from Seneca, South Carolina

Category:People from Fountain Inn, South Carolina

Category:Candidates in the 2010 United States elections

Category:Candidates in the 2002 United States elections

Category:20th-century South Carolina politicians

Category:21st-century members of the South Carolina General Assembly