Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann wins second term leading the city
Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann will get another four years leading South Carolina’s capital city.
Rickenmann declared victory Tuesday night, winning more than 61% of the vote in the race to keep his position in city hall. Challengers Jessica Thomas and Wade Fulmer trailed, with Thomas receiving about 32% of the vote, and Fulmer receiving about 5% of the vote Tuesday.
The results are unofficial until they are certified, which typically happens the Friday following election day.
Winning another term will soon net Rickenmann more than two decades on city council. The city’s 71st mayor, Rickenmann served 14 years as a city council member before winning his first mayoral election in 2021.
His passion projects for the city have included “cutting red tape” for small businesses, prioritizing a more densely-populated downtown, re-envisioning the city’s approach to homeless services and improving the city’s ability to attract new visitors by taking better advantage of its central location in the state, its vast riverfronts, and its unique business districts.
The former restaurateur in his first four years as mayor has moved forward plans to develop the stretch of river between the Blossom and Gervais street bridges, has led an as-yet unfunded charge to consolidate and eventually relocate Columbia’s various homeless services, and touts more than $1 billion in new economic development citywide in the last year alone.
Projects like the resuscitation of Finlay Park, raises for public safety workers and other new expenses have put the city in a tight financial position, passing a tight budget this year that asks if tax increases could be on the table in the future. But those expenses are all part of his plans of making Columbia a top city, which Rickenmann continues to push for.
Rickenmann has also spoken about improving public safety, and points to a 9% drop in overall crime between 2023 and 2024, and a 40% drop in person-hit shootings.
With his desire to see more overnight visitors to Columbia, he’s spoken about wanting to increase the number of overnight visitors, and attracting more events to venues like Segra Park, Colonial Life Arena and Williams-Brice Stadium. The needle is moving on that goal as well, with a record-setting 6.2 million overnight visitors to the city in 2024.
The mayor has also faced criticism from some, particularly in response to a desire to curb meal-sharing programs for homeless residents on public streets, and during the city’s debate over whether to maintain or repeal an ordinance that bans the practice of conversion therapy on minors. He was one of four votes to repeal the ordinance after Attorney General and candidate for governor Alan Wilson threatened to sue Columbia over the matter, and after Republicans in the Statehouse threatened to withhold millions from the city’s budget.
One of Rickenmann’s challengers in the race, Thomas, made that situation a fulcrum of her campaign to oust the mayor. Rickenmann’s other opponent in the race, Wade Fulmer, centered his campaign on creating a more responsive city council and focusing on quality of life issues in the city’s various neighborhoods.
Rickenmann won the mayor’s race in 2021 after beating then-fellow city council member Tameika Isaac Devine, now a state Senator, in a runoff election. He won with 52% of the vote in 2021. At-large candidate Sam Johnson also ran for mayor against Rickenmann in 2021.
This story was originally published November 4, 2025 at 11:11 PM.
