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Republican · South Carolina Senate, district 38

Serving since Nov 12, 2012SC 2025–26 session

Portrait of Sean Bennett, rendered as a two-tone print
Official portrait
83%
of itemized money from South Carolina donors, in the bottom quarter of State Senate Republicans

83% of the itemized money from individuals in the 2026 cycle came from donors with an address in South Carolina. Ranks 673rd of 860, where 1st is the highest share. 24 itemized donors.

Only donors who give more than $200 are reported with an address, so this is the share of that itemized money from donors living in South Carolina, ranked among State Senate Republicans. Small gifts are not counted either way. Candidates running statewide or for federal office often draw more money from out of state.

At a glance

6 measures against State Senate Republicans. Bennett reported $14.5K in the 2026 cycle, in the bottom half of State Senate Republicans (median $46.2K). Bennett voted against the majority of South Carolina Senate Republicans 23 times; party unity 81%, in the bottom half of the South Carolina Senate (average 84%).

The measures on which Bennett sits furthest from the middle of State Senate Republicans, each against the same group, with the CSIP score when there is one. Every number is explained in its own section below.

Attendance

98.7%

South Carolina Senate average 92.7% · ranks 10th of 46 · 704 roll calls

From South Carolina, 2026

83%

Of itemized individual dollars · ranks 673rd of 860 State Senate Republicans

Itemized, 2026

$14.5K

State Senate Republicans’ median $46.2K · ranks 692nd of 936

Party unity

81%

South Carolina Senate average 84% · ranks 33rd of 46 · 23 votes against the majority of South Carolina Senate Republicans

CSIP ideology

+0.24

More liberal than 69% of State Senate Republicans · ± 0.04

Talk-to-bills agreement

0.47

State Senate Republicans average 0.52 · ranks 157th of 226

Peer group: State Senate Republicans. Rank 1 is the highest value in the group; the thick bar is Bennett, the thin grey bar the peer average. The headline is the measure on which Bennett is most unusual among peers (Methods, §08).

Back to topNext: What politicians say

What Bennett says

Bennett claims credit less than 79% of State Senate Republicans. Credit claiming in 4.2% of 143 statements, against 15% for the average State Senate Republican; 283rd of 354.

An AI model reads each of Bennett’s 143 statements in the SC 2025–26 session (143 posts on X) and marks the kinds of statement it contains: a personal attack, criticism of a policy, discussion of policy, bipartisanship, credit claiming, and extreme labels. A statement can carry several. Every rate is compared with the average for State Senate Republicans and ranked among them.

Kinds of statement

Share of statements carrying each label, the SC 2025–26 session

0%80%
Bennett
Peers
Rank
Policy discussion22 statements
15%
37%
309th of 354
Credit claiming6 statements
4%
15%
283rd of 354
Policy criticism4 statements
3%
9%
247th of 354
Bipartisanship3 statements
2%
2%
141st of 354
Personal attacks1 statements
1%
2%
153rd of 354
Show the data
Bennett's share of statements in each category against the State Senate Republicans average.
RowBennettPeers
Policy discussion15%37%
Credit claiming4%15%
Policy criticism3%9%
Bipartisanship2%2%
Personal attacks1%2%
143

statements classified

143 posts on X.

posts on X: 143 (100.0%)posts on X 143
Show the data
Bennett's statements by source
PartValue
posts on X143
How to read the bars

The thick bar is Bennett; the thin grey bar is the average State Senate Republicans. A longer thick bar means Bennett does this more than peers. Rank 1 is the highest rate in the group.

Extreme labels

Bennett used no extreme labels in 143 statements. The peer average is 1.3%.

No extreme labels in this window.

Who gets the labels

Targets named alongside an extreme label, by number of statements

No targets recorded.

What an extreme label is

Calls a politician, a party or a policy “far left”, “far right”, “MAGA”, “extreme”, “radical”, “woke”, “fascist” or “communist”. The target is who or what the label was aimed at. The lists show the five most used labels and targets; the toggle shows the rest.

Month by month

Share of statements per month, the SC 2025–26 session

Statements2025-01: 92025-02: 62025-03: 132025-04: 52025-05: 82025-06: 152025-07: 122025-08: 92025-09: 112025-10: 52025-11: 82025-12: 72026-01: 62026-02: 12026-03: 32026-04: 42026-05: 42026-06: 82026-07: 52026-08: 32026-09: 12026-10: 0peak 15 · Jun ’25Personal attackspeak 6.7% · Jun ’25 · latest 0.0%Personal attacks, 2025-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2025-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2025-03: 0.0% of 13Personal attacks, 2025-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2025-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2025-06: 6.7% of 15Personal attacks, 2025-07: 0.0% of 12Personal attacks, 2025-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2025-09: 0.0% of 11Personal attacks, 2025-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2025-12: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticismpeak 7.7% · Mar ’25 · latest 0.0%Policy criticism, 2025-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2025-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2025-03: 7.7% of 13Policy criticism, 2025-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2025-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2025-06: 0.0% of 15Policy criticism, 2025-07: 0.0% of 12Policy criticism, 2025-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2025-09: 0.0% of 11Policy criticism, 2025-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2025-12: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussionpeak 18.2% · Sep ’25 · latest 18.2%Policy discussion, 2025-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2025-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2025-03: 15.4% of 13Policy discussion, 2025-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2025-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2025-06: 13.3% of 15Policy discussion, 2025-07: 0.0% of 12Policy discussion, 2025-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2025-09: 18.2% of 11Policy discussion, 2025-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2025-12: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanshippeak 9.1% · Sep ’25 · latest 9.1%Bipartisanship, 2025-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2025-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2025-03: 7.7% of 13Bipartisanship, 2025-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2025-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2025-06: 6.7% of 15Bipartisanship, 2025-07: 0.0% of 12Bipartisanship, 2025-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2025-09: 9.1% of 11Bipartisanship, 2025-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2025-12: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claimingpeak 0.0% · Mar ’25 · latest 0.0%Credit claiming, 2025-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2025-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2025-03: 0.0% of 13Credit claiming, 2025-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2025-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2025-06: 0.0% of 15Credit claiming, 2025-07: 0.0% of 12Credit claiming, 2025-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2025-09: 0.0% of 11Credit claiming, 2025-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2025-12: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labelspeak 0.0% · Mar ’25 · latest 0.0%Extreme labels, 2025-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2025-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2025-03: 0.0% of 13Extreme labels, 2025-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2025-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2025-06: 0.0% of 15Extreme labels, 2025-07: 0.0% of 12Extreme labels, 2025-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2025-09: 0.0% of 11Extreme labels, 2025-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2025-12: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Jan ’25Jul ’25Jan ’26Jul ’26Oct ’26
Show the data
Monthly rates for Bennett, each row shaded against its own peak, with statement volume. Months with fewer than 10 statements are left blank.
ColumnStatementsPersonal attacksPolicy criticismPolicy discussionBipartisanshipCredit claimingExtreme labels
Jan ’259— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Feb ’256— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Mar ’25130.0%7.7%15.4%7.7%0.0%0.0%
Apr ’255— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
May ’258— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Jun ’25156.7%0.0%13.3%6.7%0.0%0.0%
Jul ’25120.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%
Aug ’259— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Sep ’25110.0%0.0%18.2%9.1%0.0%0.0%
Oct ’255— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Nov ’258— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Dec ’257— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Jan ’266— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Feb ’261— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Mar ’263— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Apr ’264— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
May ’264— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Jun ’268— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Jul ’265— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Aug ’263— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Sep ’261— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Oct ’260— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
How to read the strips

Each row is one kind of statement; each cell is a month, shaded against that row’s own peak (darker = closer to the peak), with the peak and the latest value written at the right. The top row counts statements. The strip covers every month of the SC 2025–26 session, the same span as the rates above, including months with no statements. A month with fewer than 10 statements is hatched, not shaded: one or two posts would swing its rate to 0% or 100%. 18 months are hatched here; 1 of them have no statements.

In Bennett’s words

Real statements from the classifier’s example set, with the labels it assigned

Personal attacks

The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

Jun 30, 2025 · Posts on X (state legislators) · personal attacks; target: people · Source

Policy criticism

The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

Jun 9, 2026 · Posts on X (state legislators) · policy criticism; policy discussion; Education · Source

Credit claiming

The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

Apr 26, 2026 · Posts on X (state legislators) · policy discussion; credit claiming; Economics and Public Finance · Source

Examples by category

Up to five recent statements in each category

Category

Overtly questions a named person’s character, integrity or loyalty, or calls them names. Criticising a record or a policy does not count.

  1. Posts on X (state legislators)

    The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

    personal attacks · target: peopleSource

All 143 statements

Newest first, the SC 2025–26 session

The full feed

Five statements at a time, newest first; filters apply to the statements loaded so far. Export saves the statements that match. Sources: 143 posts on X.

Back to topNext: Policy

Policy

Education is what Bennett talks about most: 27% of policy statements, 2.0 times the peer share. Talk and legislation agree at 0.47 on a 0–1 scale (State Senate Republicans average 0.52; 157th of 226).

Each policy statement is tagged by the AI model with one or more of 25 policy areas from the Congressional Research Service list, so the shares say what Bennett talks about. The bills Bennett sponsors and cosponsors carry the same areas, so the two can be compared.

What Bennett talks about

Share of policy statements by area, the SC 2025–26 session

0%35%
Bennett
Peers
Education6 statements
27%
14%
Transportation and Public Works4 statements
18%
6%
Economics and Public Finance3 statements
14%
12%
Government Operations and Politics3 statements
14%
17%
Armed Forces and National Security2 statements
9%
6%
Show the data
Policy areas Bennett talks about, as a share of policy statements, against the State Senate Republicans average.
RowBennettPeers
Education27%14%
Transportation and Public Works18%6%
Economics and Public Finance14%12%
Government Operations and Politics14%17%
Armed Forces and National Security9%6%
How to read the bars

The thick bar is the share of Bennett’s policy statements in an area; the thin grey bar is the average share for State Senate Republicans. A statement counts once in each of its areas, so shares can add to more than 100%. The five largest areas are shown; the toggle shows the rest.

Talks about · legislates on

Left: share of statements by policy area. Right: share of bills. Areas in order of their share of statements; both sides run from 0 to 35%. Grey ticks are the State Senate Republicans averages.

Talks aboutLegislates onEducationEducation, talks about: 27% (State Senate Republicans 14%)27%Education, legislates on: 9% (State Senate Republicans 10%)9%Transportation and PublicWorksTransportation and Public Works, talks about: 18% (State Senate Republicans 6%)18%Transportation and Public Works, legislates on: 6% (State Senate Republicans 6%)6%Economics and Public FinanceEconomics and Public Finance, talks about: 14% (State Senate Republicans 12%)14%Economics and Public Finance, legislates on: 9% (State Senate Republicans 3%)9%Government Operations andPoliticsGovernment Operations and Politics, talks about: 14% (State Senate Republicans 17%)14%Government Operations and Politics, legislates on: 17% (State Senate Republicans 12%)17%Armed Forces and NationalSecurityArmed Forces and National Security, talks about: 9% (State Senate Republicans 6%)9%Armed Forces and National Security, legislates on: 0% (State Senate Republicans 2%)0%
Show the data
Bennett's share of statements against share of bills in each policy area.
AreaTalks aboutState Senate Republicans, talks aboutLegislates onState Senate Republicans, legislates on
Education27%14%9%10%
Transportation and Public Works18%6%6%6%
Economics and Public Finance14%12%9%3%
Government Operations and Politics14%17%17%12%
Armed Forces and National Security9%6%0%2%
0.47

talk-to-bills agreement, 0 to 1

State Senate Republicans average 0.52. Ranks 157th of 226.

What agreement means, and what it doesn’t

Agreement is 1 minus the distance between the two distributions (Jensen–Shannon): 1 means Bennett legislates on exactly the areas Bennett talks about, in the same proportions; 0 means no overlap. It does not say whether the bills match the positions in the statements, only the subjects. Bills Bennett sponsored count fully, cosponsored bills a quarter. Shown with at least 20 policy statements and 5 bills.

Back to topNext: Ideology

Ideology

Bennett sits at +0.24 on the CSIP scale, right of 0, more liberal than 69% of State Senate Republicans. Approximate range +0.20 to +0.27, which understates the uncertainty; from 186 donors and 978 roll calls.

CSIP, the lab’s Common-Space Ideal Point, places every official, federal and state, on one left–right scale, estimated from roll-call votes, who gives money to whom, and the text of statements. Negative is left of 0, positive right of it; 0 is the centre of the scale, not a definition of “moderate”.

+0.24

CSIP ideal point

Approximate range +0.20 to +0.27. From 186 donors and 978 roll calls. Run 2026-10-25T215945. Blue is left of 0, red right of 0.

← More liberalMore conservative →0Bennett +0.2State Senate Republicans +0.4South Carolina Senate +0.3All State Senate +0.1

The outlined dot is Bennett, coloured by its side of 0 (blue left, red right, deeper further out); the bar through it is the approximate range (±1.96 standard errors), which understates the uncertainty; the grey ticks below are the medians of Bennett’s groups. 0 is the centre of the scale, not “moderate” by definition.

What this means, and what it doesn’t

The score summarises how an official votes, who funds them and how they talk, relative to everyone else. It does not grade positions as good or bad, and two officials with the same score can differ on any single issue. The ± range is 1.96 standard errors, which understates the uncertainty: scores whose ranges overlap may not differ at all, and even scores whose ranges do not overlap may not differ.

Where Bennett sits

Every official in each group, on the CSIP scale

−2.0−1.00.0+1.0+2.0← More liberalMore conservative →State Senate Republicansmedian +0.4Bennett +0.2South Carolina Senatemedian +0.3All State Senatemedian +0.1
Show the data
Bennett's CSIP score of +0.24 placed against State Senate Republicans, South Carolina Senate, All State Senate.
GroupOfficialsMedianShare left of Bennett
State Senate Republicans1083+0.431%
South Carolina Senate46+0.346%
All State Senate1909+0.161%
How to read the strips

Every small dot is one official on the same scale, coloured by its own score (blue left of 0, red right of 0, grey at 0, deeper further out) and spread up and down only to keep dots apart; where a group is crowded the dots overlap, and darker patches mean more officials. The large outlined dot is Bennett in every row; the rule is each group’s median. The table under the figure gives the share of each group to the left of Bennett.

Back to topNext: Money

Money

Bennett reported $14.5K in the 2026 cycle, 31% of the State Senate Republicans’ median of $46.2K. State filings report no small-donation total. 83% of itemized individual money came from South Carolina.

Campaign money from state campaign-finance filings, as aggregates only; the lab never shows an individual donor. Campaigns must report by name every person who gives them more than $200 in a cycle (“itemized”); smaller gifts are reported only as one total (“unitemized”), so donor counts, donor states, employers and occupations describe itemized donors only. State filings report no small-gift total, so these figures add up itemized contributions only.

Election cycle
$14.5K

itemized in the 2026 cycle

From 24 itemized donors. State Senate Republicans’ median $46.2K.

Where the money came from

Each square is one percent of itemized contributions in the 2026 cycle.

Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)Individuals (itemized): $7,290 (50.1%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)PACs and other committees: $7,250 (49.9%)
  • Individuals (itemized)50 squares$7,290
  • PACs and other committees50 squares$7,250
Show the data
Sources of Bennett's money, 2026 cycle, one square per percent
SourceAmountShare
Individuals (itemized)$7,29050.1%
PACs and other committees$7,25049.9%
What this means, and what it doesn’t

Totals say how much a campaign took in, not how it was spent, and they rise sharply when a seat is up for election; compare cycles with that in mind.

Receipts by cycle

Itemized contributions, 2020 to 2026. The grey line is the State Senate Republicans’ median for 2026.

2020 cycle: $39.5K$39.5K20202022 cycle: $16.3K$16.3K20222024 cycle: $50.5K$50.5K20242026 cycle: $14.5K$14.5K2026State Senate Republicans median $46.2K
Show the data
Bennett's receipts by cycle against the 2026 State Senate Republicans median.
ItemValue
2020 cycle$39.5K
2022 cycle$16.3K
2024 cycle$50.5K
2026 cycle$14.5K

Top donor states, 2026

Itemized contributions by donor state. 83% came from South Carolina.

  1. South Carolina$6,040
  2. North Carolina$1,250

Small donations

State filings report no total for small gifts.

Not reported in state filings.

Where itemized donors live

Individuals who gave more than $200, by donor state

Alaska: no dataAKMaine: no dataMEVermont: no dataVTNew Hampshire: no dataNHWashington: no dataWAIdaho: no dataIDMontana: no dataMTNorth Dakota: no dataNDMinnesota: no dataMNIllinois: no dataILWisconsin: no dataWIMichigan: no dataMINew York: no dataNYRhode Island: no dataRIMassachusetts: no dataMAOregon: no dataORNevada: no dataNVWyoming: no dataWYSouth Dakota: no dataSDIowa: no dataIAIndiana: no dataINOhio: no dataOHPennsylvania: no dataPANew Jersey: no dataNJConnecticut: no dataCTCalifornia: no dataCAUtah: no dataUTColorado: no dataCONebraska: no dataNEMissouri: no dataMOKentucky: no dataKYWest Virginia: no dataWVVirginia: no dataVAMaryland: no dataMDDelaware: no dataDEArizona: no dataAZNew Mexico: no dataNMKansas: no dataKSArkansas: no dataARTennessee: no dataTNNorth Carolina: $1,250NCSouth Carolina: $6,040SCDistrict of Columbia: no dataDCOklahoma: no dataOKLouisiana: no dataLAMississippi: no dataMSAlabama: no dataALGeorgia: no dataGAHawaii: no dataHITexas: no dataTXFlorida: no dataFL
Show the data
Bennett's itemized individual contributions by donor state, 2026 cycle
StateValue
South Carolina$6,040
North Carolina$1,250
AlaskaNo data
MaineNo data
VermontNo data
New HampshireNo data
WashingtonNo data
IdahoNo data
MontanaNo data
North DakotaNo data
MinnesotaNo data
IllinoisNo data
WisconsinNo data
MichiganNo data
New YorkNo data
Rhode IslandNo data
MassachusettsNo data
OregonNo data
NevadaNo data
WyomingNo data
South DakotaNo data
IowaNo data
IndianaNo data
OhioNo data
PennsylvaniaNo data
New JerseyNo data
ConnecticutNo data
CaliforniaNo data
UtahNo data
ColoradoNo data
NebraskaNo data
MissouriNo data
KentuckyNo data
West VirginiaNo data
VirginiaNo data
MarylandNo data
DelawareNo data
ArizonaNo data
New MexicoNo data
KansasNo data
ArkansasNo data
TennesseeNo data
District of ColumbiaNo data
OklahomaNo data
LouisianaNo data
MississippiNo data
AlabamaNo data
GeorgiaNo data
HawaiiNo data
TexasNo data
FloridaNo data
24

itemized donors

People who gave more than $200

83%

from South Carolina

Of itemized individual dollars

How to read the map

Every state the same size. Darker states gave more itemized money; hatched states had no itemized donors; the outlined state is South Carolina. Gifts of $200 or less carry no address and are left out.

Top donor occupations

Itemized, 2026 cycle.

  1. BANKING$3,100 6 donors
  2. RETIRED$665 9 donors

Top committees

PAC and committee contributions, 2026 cycle.

  1. AMERICAN COUNCIL OF ENGINEERING COMPANIES OF SC PAC$1,000
  2. COMMITTEE TO EXPAND THE MIDDLE CLASS$1,000
  3. IIASC PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE$1,000
  4. MCGUIREWOODS FEDERAL PAC$1,000
  5. SC RETAIL ASSOCIATION PAC$1,000

Top employers

Itemized, 2026 cycle.

No employers reported.

Aggregates only. Individual donors are never named.

Back to topNext: Votes

Votes

Bennett voted with the majority of South Carolina Senate Republicans on 81% of party-line votes and missed 1.3% of 704 roll calls. South Carolina Senate on average: 84% party unity, 92.7% attendance. Across all roll calls, Bennett voted against the majority of South Carolina Senate Republicans 23 times.

704 roll calls Bennett could vote on in the SC 2025–26 session, compared with South Carolina Senate. Attendance is the share with a vote recorded. Party unity counts only party-line roll calls, where most Democrats and most Republicans voted on opposite sides, and is the share of those where Bennett voted with the majority of South Carolina Senate Republicans. The count of votes against that majority covers every roll call where the majority took a side.

23

votes against the majority of South Carolina Senate Republicans

Party unity 81%, South Carolina Senate average 84%, ranks 33rd of 46. 704 roll calls in the SC 2025–26 session.

Attendance and party unity

The thick bar is Bennett, the thin grey bar the South Carolina Senate average. The scale runs from 80% to 100% to show the gap.

80%100%
Bennett
Peers
Rank
Attendance
98.7%
92.7%
10th of 46
Party unity
81%
84%
33rd of 46
Show the data
Bennett's attendance and party unity against South Carolina Senate.
RowBennettPeers
Attendance98.7%92.7%
Party unity81%84%
What this means, and what it doesn’t

A missed roll call has many causes, from illness to campaigning, so attendance says how often, not why. A vote against the majority can be on procedure as well as substance, and many fall on roll calls where both parties split; the key votes below show the ones that decided something.

Key votes

25 roll calls the lab flagged as key in the SC 2025–26 session

Key votes
Party split (yea–nay)Why it’s key
Jun 25, 2026
H 4709
US produced iron and steel
to adopt the conference report
YeaWith majoritypassD 9–1 · R 27–1Democrats 9 yea, 1 nay; Republicans 27 yea, 1 naybecame law · party crossover
Jun 25, 2026
H 4635
Physical Fitness Services
to adopt the conference report
YeaWith majoritypassD 11–0 · R 27–0Democrats 11 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 27 yea, 0 naybecame law
Jun 25, 2026
H 3387
Unlawful occupants of property
to adopt the conference report
YeaWith majoritypassD 12–0 · R 28–0Democrats 12 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 28 yea, 0 naybecame law
Jun 25, 2026
S 52
Driving under the influence
to grant free conference powers
YeaWith majorityfailD 2–9 · R 21–4Democrats 2 yea, 9 nay; Republicans 21 yea, 4 nayparty crossover
Jun 25, 2026
H 4069
Patient-Friendly Billing
to adopt the conference report
YeaWith majoritypassD 11–0 · R 27–0Democrats 11 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 27 yea, 0 naybecame law
How key votes are chosen

Automatically: a final-passage or override vote where the measure became law, the margin was under 10%, at least 10% of either party voted against its majority, or the bill was among the 25 most mentioned in officials’ own statements. Up to 25 per window, most recent first; five are shown. Bars show yea on the left, nay on the right, per party.

Votes most often with

The colleagues who voted the same way as Bennett most often

  1. Roger NuttR295 shared votes98%
  2. Greg HembreeR650 shared votes97%
  3. Tom DavisR634 shared votes97%
  4. Ross TurnerR691 shared votes97%
  5. Michael JohnsonR567 shared votes97%

Votes least often with

The colleagues who voted the same way as Bennett least often

  1. Lee BrightR383 shared votes55%
  2. Margie Bright MatthewsD561 shared votes68%
  3. Tom FernandezR533 shared votes80%
  4. Ed SuttonD576 shared votes86%
  5. Deon TedderD625 shared votes87%
How to read the agreement lists

The share of roll calls both members voted on where they voted the same way, among colleagues sharing at least 50 such votes. High agreement with members of the other party is common on routine votes.

Full voting record

SC 2025–26 session, loads in batches

Back to topNext: Legislation

Legislation

Bennett sponsored 84 bills in the SC 2025–26 session; 7 became law. Cosponsored 0 others. 77% of sponsored bills got out of committee (South Carolina Senate average 73%; 17th of 46).

The bills Bennett sponsored and cosponsored in the SC 2025–26 session, from the official bill records, and how far each got: introduced, referred to or acted on in committee, passed one chamber, passed both, became law. A bill counts at every stage it has reached, so the blocks only shrink to the right.

Bills by stage

Counts for the SC 2025–26 session

Sponsored84 billsSponsored, Introduced: 8484Sponsored, In committee: 8484Sponsored, Passed one chamber: 6565Sponsored, Passed both chambers: 2222Sponsored, Became law: 77Cosponsored0 billsCosponsored, Introduced: 00Cosponsored, In committee: 00Cosponsored, Passed one chamber: 00Cosponsored, Passed both chambers: 00Cosponsored, Became law: 00IntroducedIncommitteePassed onechamberPassed bothchambersBecamelaw
Show the data
Bills Bennett sponsored and cosponsored, by furthest stage reached
RoleIntroducedIn committeePassed one chamberPassed both chambersBecame law
Sponsored848465227
Cosponsored00000
How to read the blocks

Ink blocks are bills Bennett sponsored, ochre blocks bills Bennett cosponsored; the figure above each block is the count. Most bills in any legislature never leave committee, so a short staircase is the norm.

77%

of sponsored bills got out of committee

South Carolina Senate average 73%. Ranks 17th of 46.

Cosponsorship partners

Colleagues who most often cosponsor with Bennett, by number of shared bills in the SC 2025–26 session; the square shows their party.

  1. Ross Turner17
  2. Wes Climer13
  3. Tom Alexander12
  4. Larry Grooms12
  5. Michael Johnson11
What this means, and what it doesn’t

The score is the share of sponsored bills that a committee reported out or a chamber passed, with at least 5 sponsored bills, ranked within the peer group. Members of the majority party and committee chairs move more bills, so the rank reflects position in the chamber as well as effort. Cosponsorship partners are the five colleagues who share the most of Bennett’s bills; the toggle shows more.

Bill list

Sponsored and cosponsored, with status and policy area; five are shown, the toggle shows the rest

Bills sponsored and cosponsored
S 1227Ned ShowsSponsorAug 11, 2026Passed one chamberUnassignedIntroduced and adopted Aug 11, 2026
S 1226St. Philip's Episcopal ChurchSponsorAug 11, 2026Passed one chamberUnassignedIntroduced and adopted Aug 11, 2026
S 1190Lung Cancer Awareness MonthSponsorMay 12, 2026Passed both chambersUnassignedIntroduced, adopted, returned with concurrence May 13, 2026
S 1187EMS Week in SCSponsorMay 7, 2026Passed both chambersUnassignedIntroduced, adopted, returned with concurrence May 13, 2026
S 1137Dorchester Academy Girls BasketballSponsorApr 22, 2026Passed one chamberUnassignedIntroduced and adopted Apr 22, 2026

Back to topNext: Online

Online

A site that changed 1 time in 90 days. Bennett’s official site had 1 page when last crawled on Oct 1, 2026.

The lab crawls Bennett’s official and campaign websites (weekly for Congress, monthly for the states) and keeps every page’s text, so changes can be read later; it also records social accounts and describes the images Bennett posts with a vision model.

Websites

How to read the counts

“Pages crawled” is the size of the site at the last crawl; “changes in 90 days” counts pages whose text differed from the previous crawl. Sites change for many routine reasons, such as new press releases, so a high count is not by itself notable.

Images Bennett posted

No images from Bennett’s posts have been described.

About the descriptions

Written by a vision model and may be wrong. Open the post to see the original. Five are shown; the toggle shows the rest.

State floor speeches

No transcribed state floor speeches are matched to this legislator yet.

Floor speeches

Transcribed from chamber video or captions by the lab. They are not classified for kinds of statement.

Back to topNext: Methods and sources

Methods and sources

How this page was made. Profile built Oct 28, 2026; site last built Oct 28, 2026. Every number on the page is computed from the sources listed here, by the same rules for every official; nothing is written by hand.

The headline

The headline is the measure on which Bennett is most unusual among State Senate Republicans, chosen by one rule for every official of every party. The candidates are the rate of each kind of statement and of extreme labels, party unity, attendance, the small-donor share, the in-state share and total receipts of the latest cycle, the share of sponsored bills that got out of committee, talk-to-bills agreement, and the CSIP score’s place within the party group.

The builder ranks every measure within the same peer group the page compares it with, and writes each official’s percentile: the share of the group below the value, ties counting half, so 0.5 is the median and a value shared by many never ranks first. A measure’s score is how far that percentile sits from the median (0 in the middle, 0.5 at either end), and the highest score leads if it is above 0.25, outside the middle half of the group. Scores within 0.03 of each other are a tie, broken in this order: votes against the party majority, kinds of statement, ideology, roll calls missed, small donations, in-state money, legislation, agreement, extreme labels, receipts.

A measure counts only with at least 200 statements, 100 roll calls or 5 sponsored bills behind it and a peer group of at least 10. Two things never lead: high party unity or attendance, where most members sit, and a high rate of a kind of statement backed by fewer than 10 statements. When nothing qualifies, the headline is a neutral fact instead: statements classified, or years in office. The wording always names the direction (“in the bottom 5% of …”, “votes against the majority of …”).

Identifiers

Profile id
3265c6c1-e300-4fd3-9d61-1cef57279d67
Open States
ocd-person/3265c6c1-e300-4fd3-9d61-1cef57279d67

Bulk files with the same data for every official:

Freshness of this profile’s data

  • What politicians sayOct 27, 20261 days agoMembers of Congress: tweets since 2017; press releases, newsletters and floor speeches since 2022. State legislators: tweets since May 2024. Governors: tweets since January 2025. Labels from an LLM classifier.
  • Roll calls (state)Oct 21, 20267 days agoOpen States floor roll calls, 2019 on (none for AK and MO).
  • Bills (state)Oct 28, 2026todayOpen States bills and sponsors, 2019 on; stages from roll calls.
  • Campaign money (state)no dateState campaign-finance agencies, 2019 on; aggregates only.
  • Ideology (CSIP)Oct 25, 20263 days agoCommon-Space Ideal Points (CSIP), current validated run.
  • WebsitesOct 25, 20263 days agoWeekly crawls of federal sites since April 2026; monthly state crawls since June 2026.
  • State floor speechesOct 21, 20267 days agoState floor speech turns (published transcripts and captions), 2020 on; not LLM-classified.

How the measures work

What politicians say
Every post, press release, newsletter and congressional floor speech is read by a language model and marked for personal attacks, policy criticism, policy discussion, bipartisanship and credit claiming. A statement can be in several. Rates are shares of statements in the window. The methods paper.
Extreme labels
A statement has an extreme label when it calls a politician, party or policy “far left”, “far right”, “MAGA”, “extreme”, “radical”, “woke”, “fascist” or “communist”. The target is who the label is aimed at.
Policy areas and agreement
Statements and bills share 25 Congressional Research Service policy areas (state bills are assigned by a language model). Agreement is 1 − Jensen–Shannon distance between the two distributions, shown with at least 20 policy statements and 5 bills.
Ideology (CSIP)
Common-Space Ideal Points place federal and state officials on one left–right scale, estimated jointly from roll calls, campaign contributions and the text of statements, with standard errors. Only a validated run is shown. The methods paper.
Campaign money
Campaigns report by name only donors who give more than $200 in a cycle; smaller gifts are reported as one total. Federal totals and the small-donor share come from the FEC’s financial summaries of each campaign committee. Donor counts, donor states, employers and occupations cover itemized donors only. State filings report no small-gift totals, so state figures are itemized only. The lab never publishes donor names.
Votes and key votes
Attendance, party unity and the count of votes against the majority of an official’s own party come from roll calls (Voteview for Congress, chamber records for the states). Key votes are final-passage or override votes that became law, were decided by under 10%, saw at least 10% of a party vote against its majority, or concerned one of the 25 bills most mentioned in officials’ statements.
Peers and ranks
Comparisons are with the same party, chamber and level (for example House Democrats); state legislators are compared within their state and chamber for votes. Every comparison names its group. Rank 1 is the highest value in the group; tied values share the average of their ranks, and the percentile is the share of the group below the value, ties counting half.

America’s Political Pulse · Polarization Research Lab

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