Daniel Rickenmann
Daniel Rickenmann | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 37th Mayor of Columbia | |
| Assumed office January 4, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Stephen K. Benjamin |
| Member of the Columbia, SC City Council | |
| In office January 1, 2005 – January 1, 2013 | |
| Constituency | At-Large |
| In office January 1, 2018 – January 4, 2022 | |
| Constituency | District 4 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Spartanburg, South Carolina |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Laura Rickenmann |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of South Carolina |
Daniel Rickenmann is an American businessman and politician, serving as the current Mayor of Columbia, South Carolina. Born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, he is the son of immigrants from Switzerland. He attended the University of South Carolina in 1987.[1]
Political career
In 2004, he was elected as an at-large representative for the city council of Columbia, South Carolina. He held the position until 2013 when he chose not to run for reelection. He ran again for city council in 2017, winning the election as a representative from Columbia's fourth district.[2]
On November 16, 2021, Rickenmann won a runoff election against Tameika Devine, a councilwoman for the city of Columbia. Rickenman won 52% of the vote to Devine's 48%.[3] He was sworn in as mayor of Columbia on January 4, 2022, succeeding Stephen K. Benjamin, who did not seek reelection.[4]
While candidates for the office of mayor in Columbia, SC are officially non-partisan, Rickenmann is a registered Republican. Conversely, his opponent in the 2021 election, Tameika Devine, was a Democrat. Devine was endorsed by former U.S. president Barack Obama and House Whip Jim Clyburn. Previously, Columbia has historically voted for Democratic candidates, including Joe Biden for U.S. president by nearly 40 points. It's two previous mayors, Bob Coble and Steve Benjamin were Democrats.[5] Some Republicans, including Ben Shapiro and United States Senator Rick Scott of Florida, cited Rickenmann's win as part of a "red wave."[6][7]
Electoral history
| Runoff election for Mayor of Columbia, 2021[a][8] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Daniel Rickenmann | 10,606 | 52 | |
| Tameika Devine | 9,789 | 48 | |
| Total | 20,395 | 100% | |
| Election for Mayor of Columbia, 2021[9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Daniel Rickenmann | 8,417 | 43.51 | |
| Tameika Devine | 5,846 | 30.22 | |
| Sam Johnson | 4,710 | 24.35 | |
| Moe Baddourah | 364 | 1.88 | |
| Write-in | 9 | 0.05 | |
| Total | 19,346 | 100% | |
Notes
- ^ Rickenmann and Devine went to a runoff election since no candidate won more than 50% of the vote in the initial election.
References
- ^ Clay, Margaret. "New Leadership Sitting down with Mayor Daniel Rickenmann". Columbia Metropolitan. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- ^ Lomis, Connor. "Daniel Rickenmann elected Columbia's next mayor". WISTV. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- ^ "Final results in for Columbia mayor, Columbia Council at-Larg". WLTX News 19. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- ^ "Daniel Rickenmann sworn in as new mayor of Columbia". The State. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- ^ Saveedra, Ryan. "Republican Elected Mayor Of Columbia After Dems Control City For 3 Decades; Biden Won County By 38%". The Daily Wire. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- ^ Miller, Andrew. "GOP defeats Obama-endorsed candidate in deep blue city that Biden won handily in 2020". Fox News. Fox. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- ^ Fastenau, Stephen. "As Republicans laud Rickenmann's Columbia mayor win, many downplay impact on city politics". The Post and Courier Columbia. The Post and Courier. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- ^ "2021 Municipal Election Day - Runoff Election Night Reporting". SC Votes. State of South Carolina.
- ^ "2021 Municipal Election Day Election Night Reporting". SC Votes. State of South Carolina. Retrieved 14 May 2022.