Sheheen has been in the General Assembly since 2001, first in the House of Representatives and, for the last five years, in the Senate.

In that time, he said, he has seen the gridlock that has been caused by bickering and partisanship. He said it’s time to move past that, and he believes he can make it happen.

“My background is, I come from a small county that is close to a big county, and historically we’ve been a swing county. It’s not a real partisan area, and I don’t have a real partisan approach,” he said.

But at the same time, he said, “It’s a good time for a Democrat to be in the governor’s office. There could be some good friction that creates change.”
With the state facing some of its toughest challenges - record high unemployment, severe cuts to education, skyrocketing health care costs and government without accountability - he said new approaches are needed.

“I’m a pragmatist and a solution finder. We haven’t had that in a while, especially in the governor’s office. We need a little bit of that practical approach at the state level again,” he said.
One thing he does not plan to ignore is the development of rural areas like Marlboro County. He said the state’s overall success depends on the success of these areas, not just more metropolitan areas like Greenville and Charleston.

“Rural development has been neglected. We’ve got to convince the state as a whole that it’s in the state’s best interest for our small towns and rural areas to be successful. We’re all in this together,” he said.

Sheheen is a graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law and practices law in his hometown of Camden, where he lives with his wife, Amy, and three sons, Austin, Joseph and Anthony.