Wendell G. Gilliard (born July 1, 1954) is an American politician, steelworker, and union official. A
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
Charleston Air Force Base
Charleston Air Force Base is a United States military facility located in the City of North Charleston, South Carolina. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force's 628th Air Base Wing (628 ABW), a subordinate element ...
. He has five siblings. Gilliard's mother died of an aneurysm when he was five years old.
Gilliard grew up on the East Side of Charleston before moving to West Ashley at the age of seven. He attended Burke High School and Rivers High School, graduating from Rivers in 1973. He then attended Bell and Howell School of Technology (now known as DeVry University). He also attended the United Steelworkers of America program which was held on the campus of Tennessee State University.
Career
Gilliard left Bell and Howell after three years to work in a retail store owned by his brother. The store closed due to declining sales, and in 1981, Gilliard began to work as a plant operator for Mobil Chemical. He later worked for Rhodia.The Post and Courier - Google News Archive Search /ref> In 1982, Gilliard was elected vice president of Local 863 of the
United Steelworkers
The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, commonly known as the United Steelworkers (USW), is a general trade union with members across North America. Headqua ...
. He later became its president.
Political Career
Municipal Elections
Gillard was elected a Charleston City Councilman in 1998. In 1999, he sponsored non-binding legislation that labeled the
Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...
as a terrorist organization. He was unopposed in his bid for a second term in 2002. In 2003, Gilliard walked out of a city council meeting after
Herb Silverman
''Silverman v. Campbell'' was a South Carolina Supreme Court case regarding the constitutionality of a provision in the South Carolina Constitution requiring an oath to God for employment in the public sector.
Details
In 1992, Herb Silverman was ...
, an atheist, gave an invocation. While serving as a city councilman, Gilliard levied a charge of unsafe working conditions against Rhodia, and was fired. He also rallied against a porn shop and for modesty laws in
Marion Square
Marion Square is greenspace in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, spanning six and one half acres.South Carolina House of Representatives in the 111th district. There was no Democratic primary, and he had no opposition in the general election.
In August 2023, Gilliard reacted to the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission's decision to remove "no concealable weapons allowed" signs from Charleston area parks, controversially stating, " ether they circumvented the law or not, it was with good intentions, nothing is wrong with that."
2013 US House of Representatives Special Election
''See
2013 United States House of Representatives elections
These six off-year races featured special elections to the 113th United States Congress to fill vacancies due to resignations in the United States House of Representatives. Two were due to Congressmen taking seats in the United States Senate, o ...
''
''See
2013 South Carolina's 1st congressional district special election
A special election for South Carolina's 1st congressional district was held on May 7, 2013, to fill the seat following the resignation of U.S. Representative Tim Scott, who was appointed to the United States Senate by Governor Nikki Haley to fil ...
2023 United States state legislative elections
The 2023 United States state legislative elections will be held on November 7, 2023, for eight state legislative chambers in four states. These off-year elections will coincide with other state and local elections, including gubernatorial ele ...
''
On March 13, 2023, Gilliard announced his intention to run for the
South Carolina Senate
The South Carolina Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives. It consists of 46 senators elected from single member districts for four-year terms at the sa ...
District 42 seat, vacated by
Marlon Kimpson
Marlon E. Kimpson is an American politician and attorney who serves as a member of the South Carolina Senate, representing the 42nd district.
Kimpson attended Morehouse College, graduating in 1991, and the University of South Carolina School of ...
after his appointment to a role in the Biden administration. The seat will be decided in a special election in 2023. Endorsements that Gilliard received in his race for the Senate seat include
Our Revolution
Our Revolution (sometimes known by its initials OR) is an American progressive political action organization spun out of Senator Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign to continue its work. The organization's mission is to educate vote ...
, a group affiliated with US Senator
Bernie Sanders
Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...
, and Local 1442 of the International Longshoremen's Association.
The Democratic Primary took place on September 5, and the special election will take place on November 7. Other candidates in the race were Democrats SC Rep. JA Moore and SC Rep.
Deon Tedder
Deon T. Tedder is an American attorney and politician. He is a member of the Democratic party.
Political career
Tedder is a member of the South Carolina Senate representing District 42. Tedder serves on the Senate Judiciary, Fish Game and For ...
, and Republican Rosa Kay. In Democratic Primary unofficial results, Moore was bested by Gilliard and Tedder, who went on to a September 19 runoff. Gilliard led the evening with close to 47% of the vote.
On September 19, Tedder led the runoff by 11 votes, triggering a recount. The recount was conducted and results certified by the
Charleston County
Charleston County is located in the U.S. state of South Carolina along the Atlantic coast. As of the 2020 census, its population was 408,235, making it the third most populous county in South Carolina (behind Greenville and Richland counties). ...
Board of Canvassers and the Dorchester County Voter Registration and Elections Office on September 21; later that day Tedder was declared the winner by the South Carolina State Election Commission.
Office of the Mayor of Charleston, South Carolina
On December 15, 2023, Charleston, South Carolina Mayor-Elect William S. Cogswell Jr., announced his appointment of senior staff. Gilliard was named special advisor, quality of life and community outreach.
Personal life
Gilliard has three children, two sons and one daughter. He is divorced.The Post and Courier - Google News Archive Search /ref>
C-SPAN
Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American cable and satellite television network that was created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a nonprofit public service. It televises many proceedings of the United States ...