Senator David L. Thomas (R) is a devoted family man. He has been married to his wife Fran since 1984. He is a South Carolina native and is currently a resident of Fountain Inn, South Carolina.

His political career began in 1979 when he successfully ran for Greenville City Council. Four years later, Thomas was voted Mayor Pro Tempore. During this time Thomas established himself as a strong leader willing to take tough stands.

In 1984, Thomas successfully ran for the South Carolina State Senate, winning both the primary and general election. He has served continuously in the Senate for over 24 years. He is Chairman of the Senate Banking & Insurance Committee, and is also a member of the Senate Finance, Corrections & Penology, and Medical Affairs Committees.

Thomas is a proven conservative with a bi-partisan approach to getting things done. His dedication to the 8th District in Greenville County shines through his outstanding record in the Senate. An outspoken reformer, Thomas led the fight for landmark welfare reform. In 2003, he sponsored the Predatory Lending Act that will protect South Carolina citizens from unscrupulous lenders. Senator Thomas has also been a leader in spearheading legislation that has given residential property tax relief to our citizens. Thomas also sponsored a Financial Identity Fraud and Identity Theft Protection Act (ID Theft), which protects written data as well as computer data, restricts the credit reporting agencies from charging for a security freeze, and provides a mechanism for correcting erroneous information on a credit file, making it one of the strongest ID theft laws in the nation.

As Chairman of Banking & Insurance, he has been instrumental in the passage of insurance legislation that includes getting uninsured drivers off the street and the formation of insurance captives. He is also working on health insurance issues to ensure that all South Carolina citizens are covered.

In 1999, Thomas organized and founded The Litter Task Force that is currently known as PalmettoPride, the Governor’s Council on Beautification and Litter. This has been a very successful program that is helping to keep South Carolina beautiful.

Senator Thomas received a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, a Masters of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, a Master of Arts from Texas Christian University, and a Law degree from the University of South Carolina. He is currently a partner in the law firm of Moore, Taylor & Thomas where he practices law in Greenville, SC.