Kambrell Houston Garvin is an American injury attorney and politician from South Carolina. He serves as a Democratic member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing House District 77, Richland County, Columbia, SC. He was first elected in 2018.
Kambrell Garvin | |
|---|---|
| Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 77th district | |
| Assumed office November 12, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Joe McEachern |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 2, 1991 Columbia, SC, United States |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Monique Patton |
| Alma mater | Winthrop University Johns Hopkins University University of South Carolina |
| Profession | Attorney |
Early life and education
editKambrell Garvin was born in Columbia, SC. He was raised by his single mother, Dr. Sonji Garvin Baxter. At a young age, Garvin developed a speech impediment, and his mother changed her career path and became a speech pathologist to help her son.[1]
Garvin studied Political Science with a minor in African American Studies and Sociology at Winthrop University, receiving a BA in 2013. He then went on to complete a Masters of Science in Education from Johns Hopkins University School of Education in 2016. He spent three years as a public school teacher in Walterboro, South Carolina.[1]
In May 2019, Garvin received a J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law. He since became an attorney at McGowan, Hood & Felder, LLC.[2] In 2022, he launched his own law firm.[3]
Political career
editGarvin first got involved in politics at the age of 10, when he organized his first voter registration campaign. He participated in various political campaigns, rallies and political conventions throughout his teen and college years, mostly around education and social justice issues. He was a member of Teach for America, a non-profit organization aiming to end educational inequity.[2]
South Carolina House of Representatives
editGarvin first ran for office in 2018, when he challenged Democratic incumbent Joe McEachern in the Democratic Primaries for House District 77 when he was 26 years old.[2] After a close first round, Garvin went on to defeat McEachern in the runoff by a 70 to 30 percent margin. Garvin then won in the General election and began his term as state representative in January 2019.[4]
As state legislator, Garvin proposed a bill that would prohibit job application from including questions related to convictions of a crime. He introduced a bill to the SC House which would make it illegal to discriminate based on hair, akin to the CROWN Act in California.[5] Garvin has served as Vice Chairman of the Richland County Legislative Delegation.[6] He is Treasurer of the House Minority Caucus.[7]
In December 2024 Garvin unsuccessfully challenged Todd Rutherford for House Minority Leader.[8][9]
2020 Presidential election
editGarvin endorsed Elizabeth Warren in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries. He became a surrogate for her campaign in the South Carolina Primary.[10] He said he supported her for her many progressive proposals, and her student debt cancellation plan in particular.[11][12]
2023 State Senate District 19 Special Election
editOn August 22, following the death of District 19 Senator John L. Scott Jr.,[13] the Office of the President of the South Carolina Senate announced that the date of the special election to fill the seat would be January 2, 2024. Filing would take place between September 1 and 9, 2023, with primaries held on October 24 and a run-off set for November 7.[14]
On August 29, 2023, Garvin announced his intention to run for State Senate District 19 seat.[15][16] He officially filed on September 1, 2023.[17] Garvin came in second place in the Democratic Primary on October 24.[18]
Personal life
editGarvin is married to Monique Patton Garvin. The couple resides in Northeast Columbia, SC.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c "About – Rep. Kambrell Garvin". Retrieved 2020-03-25.
- ^ a b c "Attorney Kambrell Garvin | McGowan, Hood & Felder". McGowan, Hood & Felder, LLC. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
- ^ Dykes, David (September 13, 2022). "Best and Brightest Columbia". Greenville Business Magazine. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ "Kambrell Garvin Upsets Joe McEachern in SC House Race". WLTX. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
- ^ Masters, Collin (2020-01-29). "New SC bill could end race-based hair discrimination". WCIV. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
- ^ "Richland County Legislative Delegation meeting minutes, May 6, 2021" (PDF). Richland County South Carolina. May 6, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
- ^ "Our Leadership". South Carolina House Democratic Caucus. 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ "South Carolina House Republicans and Democrats stick with same leadership for upcoming legislative session". WCBD News 2. 2024-12-04. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
- ^ "SC lawmakers meet this week, briefly. Here's what they're doing". South Carolina Public Radio. 2024-12-03. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
- ^ Zhou, Li (2020-02-24). "The South Carolina primary, explained". Vox. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
- ^ Bohatch, Emily. "These Richland lawmakers are throwing support behind Elizabeth Warren. Here's why". The State.
- ^ Trainor, Chris. "After losing big here in 2016, Sanders looks to be more competitive in SC Primary". Post and Courier. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
- ^ Kinard, Meg (August 13, 2023). "South Carolina state Sen. John Scott, longtime Democratic lawmaker, dies at 69". Associated Press. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ Bustos, Joseph (August 22, 2023). "SC special election scheduled to fill the late Sen. John Scott's seat. Here's when". The State Newspaper. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ Johnson, Dejon (August 29, 2023). "Rep. Kambrell Garvin to run for late Sen. John Scott's seat". WACH-TV. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ Parrilla-Guerrero, Mayra (August 28, 2023). "Rep. Kambrell Garvin announces run for senate seat previously held by late Senator John Scott". WIS-TV. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ 10/24/2023 Senate District 19 Primary". South Carolina State Election Commission. 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ Mayra Parrilla-Guerrero, Ashley Jones and, Maggie Brown (October 24, 2023). "Tameika Isaac Devine projected winner of SC Senate District 19 primary". WISTV. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
External links
edit- Kambrell Garvin interview on Quintin's Close-ups
- Kambrell Garvin for SC House 77