Bryant goes from back of the SC Senate to the big chair

Shortly after finishing his first day presiding over the state Senate as South Carolina’s new lieutenant governor, Kevin Bryant was struck by just how quickly his position in the body had changed.

“In the Senate, I was often in the minority,” Bryant said.

In that role, Bryant often made it his job to disrupt the normal flow of the Senate’s business. “Now, my job is to maintain order,” he said.

It is quite a turnaround for Bryant, a 12-year lawmaker who was best known for unsuccessful efforts to pass a “bathroom bill” to restrict transgender bathroom access, efforts to require the tracking of refugees entering South Carolina, and opposition to the Affordable Care Act and Common Core education standards.

Now, Bryant is the state’s second-in-command after the Senate voted Wednesday to elevate him to lieutenant governor. The move was part of a political chain reaction that included former Gov. Nikki Haley becoming the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and Henry McMaster becoming the state’s new governor.

The new job not only gives Bryant a higher profile, it also makes him the Senate’s presiding officer. Bryant said he intends to use his new post to support other dissenting voices in the Senate.

“I made very clear that the rules of the Senate are meant to protect the minority view,” he said. “And I will, along with the Senate rules, protect their right to be heard.”

Bryant also hopes to use the lieutenant governor’s office as a bully pulpit to share his conservative views with his constituents. “And my constituents just went from 100,000 to 4.5 million.”

Bryant’s time in the spotlight may be short.

Starting in 2018, the lieutenant governor will no longer be separately elected. Instead, the state’s No. 2 will be selected as the running mate of the governor.

Bryant said he isn’t thinking yet about his political future.

“We’re very comfortable with the unknown,” he said. “Some opportunity may open up. ... I had no idea this would be a possibility until a few weeks ago. I see it as God’s will.”

Bryant’s new job also makes him the head of the Office on Aging, where Bryant said he hopes to maximize benefits for both seniors and taxpayers.

Bryant said he hopes to use his post to help new Gov. McMaster with his agenda, and to shepherd through some bills he had supported as a senator, including Hyco’s Law – a bill that toughens penalties for killing police dogs.

But once his legislative week is done, Bryant will head back to the family pharmacy he runs with his brother in Anderson.

“I have a deal with my brother,” he said. “I work Friday and Saturday, and we rotate Mondays.”

This story was originally published January 30, 2017 at 7:17 AM with the headline "Bryant goes from back of the SC Senate to the big chair."