Longtime State Sen. Nikki Setzler bids farewell to State House

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Sen. Nikki Setzler, D - Lexington, delivered a farewell speech from the Senate floor on Wednesday afternoon.

Sen. Setzler, who has represented District 26 since 1976, announced his retirement in January. The senator is not only the longest-serving senator in state history but is also the longest-serving sitting senator in any state legislature throughout the United States.

The senator made the speech on the Senate floor during a meeting at the State House.

In a statement announcing his retirement, Setzler said he and his fellow South Carolinians were able to “improve education by implementing 4K, raising teacher salaries, building a world-class technical education system, increas[ing] funding for higher education and stabilizing tuition.”

He added that he also helped “rebuil[d] our roads and bridges, widen our interstates, and transform Malfunction Junction into Carolina Crossroads, restructure the Conservation Bank and preserve our natural resources like the Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve for future generations.”

Setzler said he is “so proud and deeply honored to have served as the senator for District 26,” which includes Lexington, Aiken, Calhoun and Saluda counties.

After Setzler announced his retirement, Rep. Russell Ott and Sen. Dick Harpootlian competed in a hotly contested race for the newly open seat, which Ott won by a small margin. Ott will face the winner of the Republican runoff between Chris Smith and Jason Guerry, as well as Worker’s Party Candidate Harold Geddings, in the general election.

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