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The chief of staff and top legal counselor to arguably the most powerful member of the South Carolina General Assembly is stepping down this week to take a post in the private sector.
Patrick Dennis, the top staffer to S.C. House speaker Murrell Smith, is stepping down on Friday (September 27, 2024) to take a position with Prisma Health, per legislative sources.
Smith will reportedly promote energy attorney Steve Davidson to the chief of staff position and make former Nikki Haley staffer Haley Symmes his general counsel and senior policy advisor.
Dennis’ departure comes at a difficult moment for Smith, who earlier this year launched a no-holds-barred effort to eliminate the conservative wing of his own party – a group of 17 lawmakers known as the Freedom Caucus. More than $2 million was spent on this effort, which featured candidates loyal to the GOP establishment challenging nearly a dozen Freedom Caucus incumbents – while also running for several open seats.
Smith’s effort failed miserably. Not only did the Freedom Caucus beat back his challengers during the June primary season, the group actually gained additional seats – and Smith’s decisions in the weeks leading up to the June elections have landed him in hot water with several of his own members.
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While it is unclear what precise role Dennis played in the war with the Freedom Caucus, many of its members made no secret of the fact they believed he was responsible for the speaker’s belligerent posture toward the organization.
Several establishment Republicans also blamed Dennis after they were allegedly shortchanged in the 2024-2025 appropriations bill – even as Smith loaded the spending plan to the gills with pork barrel items for his home city of Sumter, S.C.
So… is Dennis a convenient scapegoat for Smith? And, if so, will a pound of flesh do the trick?
Some State House observers were predicting a period of détente in the aftermath of the contentious elections, but recent events have proven cooler heads are not prevailing.
Keep it tuned to this media outlet as the drama under the State House dome continues ahead of the upcoming 2025-2026 session of the chronically results-challenged S.C. General Assembly.
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This election season, be sure you Prep for the Polls by checking your voter registration information, polling location and sample ballot at scVOTES.gov. The State Election Commission does not have editorial review or approval of any political coverage; any content posted by FITSNews does not reflect the opinion of the State Election Commission.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the owner and founding editor of FITSNews. Prior to founding his own news outlet, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina, bass guitarist in an alternative rock band and bouncer at a Columbia, S.C. dive bar. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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2 comments
Just another day in the most corrupt place in SC…..the SC statehouse
Nah- on real, substantive, felonious corruption, Hampton and Beaufort County has them beat by miles, followed by Horry. The federal indictments are coming soon. The Statehouse is a solid 4th.
Now if we were not talking about corruption but just venal, banal, do- nothing, glad-handing, grifting mediocrity coupled with corporate welfare, then the Statehouse would the imperial grand poo-bah of the state for sure.