Nikki Setzler, SC Senate’s longest serving member, will not seek reelection in 2024

Inside of state Sen. Nikki Setzler’s West Columbia law office are two license plates. One that says “43” which he received after he was elected to the state Senate in 1976. The other is more recent that says “1” showing his top seniority in the state’s upper chamber.

Now the longest serving state senator in the country won’t seek a 13th term.

The Lexington County state senator, first elected to the state Senate as a 31-year-old in 1976 after defeating Republican Joe Wilson, announced Wednesday he would not seek reelection this year when the entire state Senate is on the ballot.

The 78-year-old attorney has been able to stay in his seat despite coming from a county that has trended Republican. Setzler’s campaign signs characterize him as a “caring conservative.”

Setzler, who is in his 48th year as a state senator, is the longest serving state senator in the country.

“This journey has not been about accolades or awards. It’s been about making a difference,” Setzler wrote in an op-ed first shared with The State. “It is about the countless times we have helped a citizen with a problem in their life. It is about making sure our citizens have good job opportunities, our education system is supported, our communities are safe, our infrastructure is modernized, health care is available and affordable, and our natural resources preserved.”

Setzler remained in the state Senate and opted not to run for a higher office even as power in the legislature shifted from the Democratic Party to Republicans. While some of his colleagues changed parties to the GOP, Setzler remained a Democrat.

He eventually served as Senate minority leader for eight years.

Setzler got involved in Democratic Party politics because his relationship with Harry Lightsey Jr., dean of the University of South Carolina Law School, who had served as chairman of the state Democratic Party.

“I’m a person (who) doesn’t believe in labels. We represent people,” Setzler said in an exclusive interview. “That’s who we’re supposed to represent and that’s what’s important to me and working in a bipartisan way. I think that’s the one thing I have known for in the Senate is working in a bipartisan way in bringing people together and accomplishing something.”

Staying committed to that bipartisanship has been key as the district he represents has increasingly voted Republican in recent elections and his victories have narrowed.

In 2008, he won by 26 points.

In 2012, he won by 21 points.

In 2016, he won by 17 points.

In the 2020 election, he won by 9 percentage points when he beat Republican nominee Chris Smith by 3,840 votes.

Setzler said the electoral trend line and that he was redistricted into a district with state Sen. Dick Harpootlian, D-Richland, didn’t influence his decision to not seek reelection.

“This is purely what is best,” Setzler said. “You’ve got to look at your service, and I’ve been so I’ve never dreamed that when I went there, I would be there for 48 years.”

But staying in the state Legislature for so long means he’s seen changes in the state of politics.

The political environment that has defined partisan political bickering across the country has been seeping into South Carolina’s state house.

“Regretfully it’s gotten more partisan. I think the state of politics everywhere is of a different tone than it has been,” Setzler said. “And I would like to see the tone go back to what is more normal … I’m a firm believer that serving in public service and serving in public office is an honorable calling.”

“I think it’s less here than it is across the country, but I think it continues to grow here,” Setzler added.

Even in his last year Setzler says he wants to see more bipartisanship and cooperation.

“If you take the middle of the Senate, if you take the moderates on the right and the moderates on the left, you get better government,” Setzler said.

Over the years Setzler has advocated for education, transportation and economic development, including having the South Carolina Department of Transportation move forward with the Carolina Crossroads project, commonly referred to as malfunction junction.

Setzler helped bring an Amazon distribution center nearly 10 years ago, followed by Michelin and Nephron Pharmaceuticals to Lexington County.

In his last year, Setzler, who sits on seven committees including the powerful Senate Finance Committee, will focus on improving public education, higher education, conserving land, ensuring affordable health care, transportation and economic development.

He’s previously worked on legislation to push for four-year-old kindergarten, lottery scholarships, restructuring conservation bank and investigating the V.C. Summer nuclear plant construction debacle.

“Those are huge undertakings and things that you don’t do for the awards, you don’t do it for the recognition, you can do it because you love improving the lives of people,” Setzler said. “It’s about making this state better for future generations and opportunities that they have.”