The Senate sent the resolution to remove Loftis to the House on April 21. House Speaker Murrell Smith said there just isn’t enough time to take it up before the session ends May 8.
The decision leaves Loftis open to run for a fifth four-year term in 2026. One of his arguments to stay in office was it wasn’t fair to overturn the results of an election.
“I am grateful for the House leadership’s decision today to choose the people’s business over political theatre. I feel sure that South Carolinians are thankful that they are the first priority, and political games are not. I am ready to turn my focus back to doing the people’s work,” Loftis wrote in a statement.
The Senate voted 33-8 to remove Loftis after an extraordinary hearing with 23 Republicans voting yes. It was the culmination of over two years of investigation by senators that began when state accountants unintentionally exaggerated money given to colleges and universities by $3.5 billion.
Just because eight Republican senators voted against the resolution doesn’t mean they back Loftis. Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey said he simply thought his fellow senators did not make a strong enough case to remove him from office.
“I’d vote for a monkey over Curtis Loftis. I think he has no business being treasurer and my hope is Republicans will put up a good candidate to run against him,” Massey said.
This is the first year of a two year session, so the resolution to dump Loftis, which is currently in a House committee, will stay alive when lawmakers return to Columbia in 2026.
Filing for office starts next March with the Republican primary for treasurer, governor and other statewide offices happening in June.
