Mike Forrester
From Ballotpedia - Reading time: 16 min
Mike Forrester (Republican Party) was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing District 34. Forrester assumed office in 2008. Forrester left office on November 8, 2020.
Forrester (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the South Carolina House of Representatives to represent District 34. Forrester won in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Biography[edit]
Forrester earned his B.S. from the University of the State of New York. He is Vice President of South Carolina Operations Piedmont Natural Gas Company. Forrester served in the United States Army Reserve as Command Sergeant Major. He also served as the Chairman of the State Board of Education.
Committee assignments[edit]
2019-2020
Forrester was assigned to the following committees:
- Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee, 1st vice chairman
- Regulations and Administrative Procedures Committee
2017 legislative session[edit]
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Labor, Commerce, and Industry, Vice chair |
| • Regulations and Administrative Procedures |
2015 legislative session[edit]
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Forrester served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Labor, Commerce and Industry |
| • Regulations and Administrative Procedures |
2013-2014[edit]
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Forrester served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Labor, Commerce and Industry |
2011-2012[edit]
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Forrester served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Labor, Commerce and Industry |
2009-2010[edit]
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Forrester served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Agriculture, Natural Resources & Environmental Affairs |
Sponsored legislation[edit]
The following table lists bills sponsored by this legislator. Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills sponsored by this person, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections[edit]
2020[edit]
Mike Forrester did not file to run for re-election.
2018[edit]
General election for South Carolina House of Representatives District 34
Incumbent Mike Forrester won election in the general election for South Carolina House of Representatives District 34 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Mike Forrester (R) |
97.3
|
9,668 |
| Other/Write-in votes |
2.7
|
270 | ||
|
Total votes: 9,938 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
||||
Republican primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 34
Incumbent Mike Forrester advanced from the Republican primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 34 on June 12, 2018.
Candidate |
||
| ✔ |
|
Mike Forrester |
|
||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
||||
2016[edit]
Elections for the South Carolina House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 14, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The primary runoff election was held on June 28, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 30, 2016.
Incumbent Mike Forrester defeated Luke Quillen in the South Carolina House of Representatives District 34 general election.[1][2]
| South Carolina House of Representatives, District 34 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Mike Forrester Incumbent |
62.77% | 10,713 | |
| Democratic | Luke Quillen | 37.23% | 6,353 | |
| Total Votes | 17,066 | |||
| Source: South Carolina State Election Commission | ||||
Luke Quillen ran unopposed in the South Carolina House of Representatives District 34 Democratic primary.[3][4]
| South Carolina House of Representatives, District 34 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Luke Quillen (unopposed) | |
Incumbent Mike Forrester ran unopposed in the South Carolina House of Representatives District 34 Republican primary.[5][6]
| South Carolina House of Representatives, District 34 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Mike Forrester Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014[edit]
Elections for all 124 seats in the South Carolina House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 10, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 30, 2014. Michael Thompson was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Mike Forrester defeated Gaye Holt in the Republican primary. Thompson was defeated by Forrester in the general election.[7][8][9]
| South Carolina State House, District 34, General Election, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Mike Forrester Incumbent |
65.2% | 6,356 | |
| Democratic | Michael Thompson | 34.8% | 3,385 | |
| Total Votes | 9,741 | |||
| South Carolina House of Representatives, District 34 Republican Primary, 2014 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|
Mike Forrester Incumbent |
57.3% | 1,901 |
| Gaye Holt | 42.7% | 1,416 |
| Total Votes | 3,317 | |
2012[edit]
Forrester ran unopposed in the Republican primary on June 12 and won in the general election on November 6, 2012.[10][11]
| South Carolina House of Representatives, District 34, General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Mike Forrester Incumbent |
63.4% | 8,601 | |
| Republican | Gaye Holt | 36.2% | 4,910 | |
| Other | Write-Ins | 0.4% | 57 | |
| Total Votes | 13,568 | |||
2010[edit]
Forrester ran unopposed in the June 8 Republican primary for District 34 of the South Carolina House of Representatives. Forrester won, after running unopposed, in the general election on November 2[12].
| South Carolina House of Representatives, District 34 (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Mike Forrester (R)
|
7,514 | 99.00% | ||
| Write-In | 76 | 1.00% | ||
2008[edit]
On November 4, 2008, Forrester won, after running unopposed, election to the South Carolina House of Representatives with 10,797 votes, representing District 34.
Forrester raised $68,922 for his campaign.[13]
| South Carolina House of Representatives, District 34 (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Mike Forrester (R)
|
10,797 | |||
Campaign donors[edit]
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
| Mike Forrester campaign contribution history | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Result | Contributions |
| 2018 | South Carolina House of Representatives District 34 | ✔ | $35,057 |
| 2016 | South Carolina House of Representatives, District 34 | ✔ | $49,497 |
| 2014 | South Carolina State House, District 34 | ✔ | $93,524 |
| 2012 | South Carolina State House, District 34 | ✔ | $75,261 |
| 2010 | South Carolina State House, District 34 | ✔ | $40,292 |
| 2008 | South Carolina State House, District 34 | ✔ | $68,922 |
| Grand total raised | $362,553 | ||
|
Source: Follow the Money |
|||
2018
| South Carolina House of Representatives District 34 2018 election - Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Top individual contributors to Mike Forrester's campaign in 2018 | |
| COBB, WILLIAM | $1,000.00 |
| BARNET III, WILLIAM | $500.00 |
| SMOAK JR, COLEMAN F | $250.00 |
| PARKER, STEVE A | $200.00 |
| FLYNN JR, LAWRENCE E | $100.00 |
| Total Raised in 2018 | $35,057.43 |
| Source: Follow the Money | |
2016[edit]
Forrester won re-election to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2016. During that election cycle, Forrester raised a total of $49,497.
| South Carolina House of Representatives 2016 election - campaign contributions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top contributors to Mike Forrester's campaign in 2016 | ||||
| House Republican Caucus Of South Carolina | $5,000 | |||
| Forrester, Paul Michael (Mike) | $2,816 | |||
| American Legislative Exchange Council / Alec | $2,615 | |||
| At&t | $1,528 | |||
| American Chemical Council | $1,000 | |||
| Total raised in 2016 | $49,497 | |||
| Source: Follow the Money | ||||
2014[edit]
Forrester won re-election to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2014. During that election cycle, Forrester raised a total of $93,524.
| South Carolina House of Representatives 2014 election - Campaign Contributions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top contributors to Mike Forrester's campaign in 2014 | ||||
| House Republican Caucus of South Carolina | $5,000 | |||
| Republican Caucus of South Carolina | $4,000 | |||
| Advance America Cash Advance Centers | $2,500 | |||
| Duke Energy | $2,000 | |||
| Piedmont Natural Gas | $2,000 | |||
| Total Raised in 2014 | $93,524 | |||
| Source: Follow the Money | ||||
2012[edit]
Forrester won re-election to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2012. During that election cycle, Forrester raised a total of $75,261.
| South Carolina House of Representatives 2012 election - campaign contributions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top contributors to Mike Forrester's campaign in 2012 | ||||
| Republican Caucus of South Carolina | $5,000 | |||
| Scana Services | $1,500 | |||
| Advance America Cash Advance Centers | $1,000 | |||
| Duke Energy | $1,000 | |||
| General Electric | $1,000 | |||
| Total raised in 2012 | $75,261 | |||
| Source: Follow the Money | ||||
2010[edit]
Forrester won re-election to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2010. During that election cycle, Forrester raised a total of $40,292.
| South Carolina House of Representatives 2010 election - Campaign Contributions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top contributors to Mike Forrester's campaign in 2010 | ||||
| Forrester, Paul M | $1,587 | |||
| Advance America Cash Advance Centers | $1,000 | |||
| Duke Energy | $1,000 | |||
| Piedmont Natural Gas | $1,000 | |||
| Progress Energy | $1,000 | |||
| Total Raised in 2010 | $40,292 | |||
| Source: Follow the Money | ||||
2008[edit]
Forrester won election to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2008. During that election cycle, Forrester raised a total of $68,922.
| South Carolina House of Representatives 2008 election - Campaign Contributions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top contributors to Mike Forrester's campaign in 2008 | ||||
| Balance Forward | $19,336 | |||
| Forrester, Paul M | $1,673 | |||
| Diversco | $1,500 | |||
| Palmetto Leadership Council | $1,000 | |||
| South Carolina Association of Realtors | $1,000 | |||
| Total Raised in 2008 | $68,922 | |||
| Source: Follow the Money | ||||
Scorecards[edit]
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of South Carolina scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2020
In 2020, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 14 to June 25. The state Senate reconvened September to September 3. Both chambers reconvened September 15 to September 24.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental and conservation issues.
- Legislators are scored on business issues.
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2019, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 8 through May 21.
|
2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2018, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 9 through May 10.
|
2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2017, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 10 through May 11.
|
2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2016, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 12 through June 2.
|
2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2015, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 13 through June 4.
|
2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2014, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 14 through June 6.
|
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2013, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 8 to June 20.
|
2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2012, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 11 through June 7.
|
2011
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2011, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 11 through June 2. On June 2, 2011, Governor Nikki Haley (R) attempted to call the legislature into an "emergency" special session to begin on June 7 to create the new South Carolina Department of Administration. A lawsuit was filed by Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell (R), in which he contended that Haley's call for a special session was unconstitutional, and that it violated the state Constitution's requirement of separation of powers among the governor, legislature and courts.[14] On June 6, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled 3-2 against Governor Haley, stating that her order violated the Legislature's ability to set its calendar and agenda. The legislature met in a special redistricting session from June 14 - July 1.[15] The legislature re-convened July 26.[16]
|
The Palmetto Liberty PAC Scorecard[edit]
The Palmetto Liberty Political Action Committee, a conservative, pro-limited government think tank in South Carolina, releases its scorecard for South Carolina representatives and senators once a year. The scorecard gives each legislator a score based on how he or she voted in the two-year legislative term prior to the election on specific issues that the Palametto Liberty PAC thinks are anti-limited government. "Most of the votes shown on the score card are votes that we lost. Now we can identify the Legislators that caused us to lose these votes. These Legislators are the ones who need to be replaced if we are to achieve the vision of having the most free state in the nation."[17]
2012[edit]
Mike Forrester received a score of 27% in the 2012 scorecard, ranking 29th out of all 124 South Carolina House of Representatives members.[18] His score was followed by representatives Michael Gambrell (27%), Nelson Hardwick (27%), and Phyllis Henderson (27%).[19]
Personal[edit]
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Forrester and his wife, Connie, have two children.
Recent news[edit]
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Mike + Forrester + South + Carolina + House"
See also[edit]
- South Carolina State Legislature
- South Carolina House of Representatives
- South Carolina House of Representatives Committees
- South Carolina Joint Committees
- South Carolina state legislative districts
External links[edit]
- Official campaign website
- Profile from Open States
- Mike Forrester on Facebook
- Mike Forrester on Twitter
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions via Follow the Money
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Candidate listing for the 11/8/2016 statewide general election," accessed August 26, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "2016 Statewide General Election," accessed November 28, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina Election Commission, "Candidate Tracking," accessed March 31, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Unofficial primary election results," accessed June 14, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina Election Commission, "Candidate Tracking," accessed March 31, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Unofficial primary election results," accessed June 14, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Election Results," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Official general election results," accessed November 13, 2014
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "2014 Election Information," accessed March 31, 2014
- ↑ AP.org, "South Carolina State Senate and State House Election Results," accessed November 7, 2012
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "2012 Candidates," accessed April 20, 2012
- ↑ www.enr-scvotes.org, "2010 General Election Results," accessed May 1, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "2008 campaign contributions," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑ The State, "High court rules against Haley," June 6, 2011
- ↑ The Sun News, "S.C. House to have special session in June," May 6, 2011
- ↑ The Island Packet, "S.C. Senate OKs new congressional districted anchored in Beaufort County," June 29, 2011
- ↑ The Palmetto Liberty Political Action Committee, "Voting Records," accessed April 11, 2014
- ↑ Palmetto Liberty Political Action Committee, "South Carolina Senate Score Card 2012," accessed April 11, 2014
- ↑ Palmetto Liberty Political Action Committee, "South Carolina Senate Score Card 2012," accessed May 15, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
South Carolina House of Representatives District 34 2008–2020 |
Succeeded by Roger Nutt (R) |
Original source: /Mike Forrester
Status: article is cached
EncycloReader
is supported by the 
KSF