Josh Kimbrell

Josh Kimbrell
Member of the South Carolina Senate
from the 11th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
November 9, 2020
Preceded byGlenn G. Reese
Personal details
Born (1984-12-18) December 18, 1984 (age 40)
Spartanburg, South Carolina, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Liliya Kimbrell
​
(m. 2017)​
Children2
Alma materNorth Greenville University (B.A.)
Gardner–Webb University
ProfessionRadio personality

Joshua Brett Kimbrell (born December 18, 1984) is an American aviation leasing operator and politician. He is also a former Christian talk radio host.

Kimbrell has served as a member of the South Carolina Senate from the 11th District (Spartanburg) since his 2020 election.[1] He is a member of the Republican Party.[2]

S.C. Senate

In 2020, Kimbrell defeated incumbent Democrat Glenn G. Reese, who had held the seat in the South Carolina Senate's 11th District since 1991.

In June 2021, Kimbrell sponsored a bill in the state senate that would "allow mental health professionals to refuse to provide care that violates their religious beliefs."[3] During the 2022 session, Kimbrell also introduced a budget proviso to ban "prurient" books in children's library sections at public libraries, though some librarians and other lawmakers said the language was too vague to enforce without banning a wide variety of books.[4][5]

Endorsements

Kimbrell supported Florida Governor Ron Desantis in the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries, traveling with him to Iowa as a surrogate for the campaign.[6][7] When Desantis withdrew from the race and endorsed former President Donald Trump, Kimbrell switched his endorsement to Trump.[8]

Personal life

In October 2014, Kimbrell was arrested and charged with sex crimes against his 3-year-old son.[9] After being held in jail without bail, the charges were dropped due to insufficient evidence in February 2015.[10]

Electoral history

Year Office Type Party Main opponent Party Votes for Kimbrell Result Swing Ref.
Total % P. ±%
2018 U.S. House of Representatives Rep. primary Republican William Timmons Republican 7,465 11.13% 4th N/A Lost N/A [11]
2020 S.C. Senate General Republican Glenn G. Reese[a] Democratic 26,117 55.34% 1st N/A Won Gain [12]

Notes

  1. ^ Incumbent seeking re-election.

References

  1. ^ "South Carolina Legislature Online - Member Biography". www.scstatehouse.gov. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  2. ^ "South Carolina State Sen. Josh Kimbrell - Biography | LegiStorm". www.legistorm.com. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  3. ^ "SC considers extending religious objections to therapists". AP. 21 June 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  4. ^ "Library leaders fight proposal on banned books". Post and Courier. 5 May 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  5. ^ "SC Senate lawmakers consider cutting off aid to libraries that allow kids access to 'prurient material". News 19. 29 April 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  6. ^ Barton, Tom (December 28, 2023). "Ron DeSantis enlists South Carolina senator to undercut Nikki Haley in Iowa". The Gazette. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  7. ^ Contorno, Steve (December 28, 2023). "DeSantis enlists help to make closing case to Iowans – and to undercut Haley in the Hawkeye State". CNN. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  8. ^ Shutt, Jennifer (January 21, 2024). "Florida's DeSantis withdraws from Republican presidential race, endorses Trump". South Carolina Daily Gazette. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  9. ^ "Christian Talk radio host accused of sex crime against 3-year-old". WYFF. 16 October 2014. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  10. ^ Dykes, David. "Solicitor dismisses criminal sexual conduct charge against Upstate radio host". The Greenville News. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  11. ^ "2018 Statewide Primaries: U.S. House of Representatives, District 4 - REP". South Carolina Election Commission. 2018-06-21. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  12. ^ "2020 Statewide General Election: State Senate, District 11". South Carolina Election Commission. 2021-06-30. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
South Carolina Senate
Preceded by Member of the South Carolina Senate
from the 11th district
2020–present 		Incumbent


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