{"id":77,"date":"2025-06-13T17:06:15","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T17:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/supportsthelena.com\/?p=77"},"modified":"2025-06-13T17:18:49","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T17:18:49","slug":"sc-sen-margie-bright-mathews-speaks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/supportsthelena.com\/?p=77","title":{"rendered":"SC Sen. Margie Bright Mathews Speaks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"South Carolina Sen. Margie Bright Matthews\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_rz0Hd3Cl40?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"South Carolina Sen. Margie Bright Matthews - 2023 Profile in Courage Award\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/q4Mm6PA0rjE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who is Sen. Margie Bright Mathews?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udfdb\ufe0f Personal Background<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Full Name:<\/strong> Margie Bright Matthews<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Born:<\/strong> February 10, 1963, in Walterboro, South Carolina <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Margie_Bright_Matthews?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">justfacts.votesmart.org+12en.wikipedia.org+12margiebrightmatthewsforsenate.com+12<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Education:<\/strong> Earned a B.S. (1985) and J.D. (1989) from the University of South Carolina <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Margie_Bright_Matthews?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">scstatehouse.gov+2en.wikipedia.org+2kids.kiddle.co+2<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Family:<\/strong> Married Patrick F. Matthews on October 24, 1992. They have four daughters: Jessica, Patrice, Meredith, and Mattison <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scstatehouse.gov\/member.php?code=194318159&amp;utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">legistorm.com+4scstatehouse.gov+4justfacts.votesmart.org+4<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2696\ufe0f Professional Life<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Began practicing law in Walterboro, founding her own firm where she remains a senior partner <a href=\"https:\/\/www.margiebrightmatthewsforsenate.com\/margie?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">justfacts.votesmart.org+2margiebrightmatthewsforsenate.com+2margiebrightmatthewsforsenate.com+2<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Served as a Senate page and law clerk early in her legal career, contributing to drafting legislation <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Margie_Bright_Matthews?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">margiebrightmatthewsforsenate.com+3en.wikipedia.org+3kids.kiddle.co+3<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>President of the Colleton County Bar Association and a certified Circuit Court mediator <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scstatehouse.gov\/member.php?code=194318159&amp;utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">margiebrightmatthewsforsenate.com+4scstatehouse.gov+4en.wikipedia.org+4<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\uddf3\ufe0f Political Career<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>South Carolina State Senate:<\/strong> Elected in a special election on October 20, 2015, to succeed the late Sen. Clementa Pinckney <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Margie_Bright_Matthews?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">margiebrightmatthewsforsenate.com+5ballotpedia.org+5scstatehouse.gov+5<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Represents District 45 (Allendale, Beaufort, Charleston, Colleton, Hampton &amp; Jasper counties) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.margiebrightmatthewsforsenate.com\/margie?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">margiebrightmatthewsforsenate.com+3margiebrightmatthewsforsenate.com+3margiebrightmatthewsforsenate.com+3<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Won re-election unopposed in 2016, defeated a challenger in 2020, and ran unopposed in 2024 .<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udee0\ufe0f Legislative Focus &amp; Leadership<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Committee Memberships:<\/strong> Corrections &amp; Penology; Judiciary; Medical Affairs; Transportation; Family &amp; Veterans\u2019 Services (historically); Ethics; Finance; Labor, Commerce &amp; Industry; Legislative Oversight <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scstatehouse.gov\/member.php?code=194318159&amp;utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">scdp.org+3scstatehouse.gov+3margiebrightmatthewsforsenate.com+3<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Key Priorities:<\/strong> Advocates strongly for criminal justice reform, women\u2019s rights, public education, Medicaid expansion, economic development, and FOIA transparency <a href=\"https:\/\/www.margiebrightmatthewsforsenate.com\/margie?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">margiebrightmatthewsforsenate.com+2margiebrightmatthewsforsenate.com+2scdp.org+2<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Formed the bipartisan \u201cSister Senators\u201d coalition in 2023 to protect reproductive rights, earning national attention and a JFK Profiles in Courage Award <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Margie_Bright_Matthews?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">en.wikipedia.org<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In January 2025, delivered the Democratic rebuttal to the State of the State address, highlighting issues like education, healthcare, and equity <a href=\"https:\/\/scdp.org\/scdp-news\/state-senator-margie-bright-matthews-to-deliver-democratic-rebuttal-to-governor-henry-mcmasters-state-of-the-state-address\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">scdp.org+1en.wikipedia.org+1<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Championed FOIA reform, advocating for rural judicial access during FOIA disputes <a href=\"https:\/\/kids.kiddle.co\/Margie_Bright_Matthews?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">kids.kiddle.co<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Advocated for the Jasper Ocean Terminal project to boost regional economic opportunities <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Margie_Bright_Matthews?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">en.wikipedia.org+1kids.kiddle.co+1<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udfaf District Engagement &amp; Personal Interests<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Describes District\u202f45 as \u201chistorical, beautiful, and recreational\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/spectrumlocalnews.com\/sc\/south-carolina\/know-your-electeds\/2025\/04\/22\/know-your-electeds-south-carolina-state-senator-margie-bright-matthews?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">margiebrightmatthewsforsenate.com+2spectrumlocalnews.com+2legistorm.com+2<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Inspired to run following a local tragedy, committed to community change <a href=\"https:\/\/spectrumlocalnews.com\/sc\/south-carolina\/know-your-electeds\/2025\/04\/22\/know-your-electeds-south-carolina-state-senator-margie-bright-matthews?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">spectrumlocalnews.com<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enjoys Southern cooking and is a fan of the film <em>You\u2019ve Got Mail<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/spectrumlocalnews.com\/sc\/south-carolina\/know-your-electeds\/2025\/04\/22\/know-your-electeds-south-carolina-state-senator-margie-bright-matthews?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">spectrumlocalnews.com<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udccc Summary<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Margie Bright Matthews is a dedicated public servant, attorney, and advocate rooted in her community. As the longtime State Senator for South Carolina\u2019s 45th District, she has focused her legislative work on justice, education, economic development, women\u2019s health, and transparency. Her leadership\u2014both at the Capitol and in her district\u2014reflects a commitment to equity, community empowerment, and bipartisan collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let me know if you&#8217;d like details on specific bills she\u2019s sponsored, her voting record, or endorsements!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Who is Sen. Margie Bright Mathews? \ud83c\udfdb\ufe0f Personal Background \u2696\ufe0f Professional Life \ud83d\uddf3\ufe0f Political Career \ud83d\udee0\ufe0f Legislative Focus &amp; Leadership \ud83c\udfaf District Engagement &amp; Personal Interests \ud83d\udccc Summary Margie Bright [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":79,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-local"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/supportsthelena.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/supportsthelena.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/supportsthelena.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/supportsthelena.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/supportsthelena.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=77"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/supportsthelena.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81,"href":"https:\/\/supportsthelena.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77\/revisions\/81"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/supportsthelena.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/79"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/supportsthelena.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=77"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/supportsthelena.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=77"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/supportsthelena.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=77"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}