SC Sen. Marlon Kimpson reflects on serving Dist. 42 after accepting job under Biden Administration

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – A special election that took place 10 years ago earned South Carolina Senator Marlon Kimpson a seat in the state legislature.

Now – Kimpson is set to leave District 42 to work for President Joe Biden in the District of Columbia.

“My first job out of college was being a retail lender for a bank,” the state lawmaker recalled.

State Senator Marlon Kimpson said college and career have prepared him to answer a call from the president. He will now serve on the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations.

“I was a commercial lender in Greenville, South Carolina before I went to law school. I think that that background, at least early on in my career, uniquely prepares me for entering into a world of trade and continuing with commerce,” he said.

Sen. Kimpson will leave the South Carolina General Assembly to join a group of business executives, labor leaders, and policymakers who will observe and make recommendations on global commerce and trade.

He says that raising a family and working as a lawyer and lawmaker in Senate District 42 for the past 10 years make him uniquely qualified.

“Senate District 42 is the epicenter of commerce for the state of South Carolina,” Kimpson said. “If you look at this district, we have a multinational company, Boeing, that sells planes all across the world. If you look at the port, which is right outside my window, District 42 is home to more port terminals.”

Kimpson said years of relationship building with President Biden laid the groundwork for this new work.

“The White House kept in contact. I’ve made several visits to the White House. Opportunities presented themselves to me and I thought – along with the White House thought – that this will be a good fit.”

As for one of his greatest achievements as a South Carolina senator, Kimpson recalled a deadly officer-involved shooting that struck a chord in a community.

“I say that back during the Walter Scott Jr. tragedy, we were at a critical time in District 42.”

Sen. Kimpson said that ensuring that law enforcement officers would wear body cameras set a standard not just for the state but for police officers across the country.

“The nation’s first mandate requirement of body-worn cameras… but there is still a lot of work to be done to make sure that the body camera law has teeth,” he said.

He also noted the removal of the Confederate flag from the South Carolina Statehouse after the atrocity at Mother Emanuel.

“I, of course, was one of the lead proponents of removing the flag and presenting the legal argument to our body and we were able to successfully remove the flag,” he recalled.

Sen. Kimpson says stepping away from the South Carolina Senate does not mean his public service to South Carolina ends. He says it actually becomes more important.

“I am very excited for Charleston, South Carolina, and the state of South Carolina to have a seat in this August body,” he said.

But seeking future office, whether at the state or national level, is part of a discussion for another time.