“H” is for Hodges, James Hovis [b. 1956]. Governor. Hodges’ political career began when he was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1986. When the Republicans took over the House in 1994, he became the chamber’s Democratic leader. He entered the governor’s race in 1998 as a relative unknown. The incumbent David Beasley opposed a state lottery—an issue that Hodges skillfully turned into an education issue—appealing to the need to improve the state’s low ranking on national test scores. He won a solid victory, carrying 35 of the state’s 46 counties. Education was the centerpiece of his governorship. He oversaw the implementation of the education lottery, created a preschool initiative, and won passage of a $1.1 billion school construction program. James Hovis Hodges was defeated for re-election in 2002.
“H” is for Hodges, James Hovis
