Phil Shoopman is leaving politics to spend more time with his family and his engineering job.
A day earlier Shoopman notified the South Carolina Republican Party that he was not going to run for another term. The formal announcement, via email to the SCGOP, made Amanda Somers the apparent District 5 winner. But the SCGOP re-opened filing for two days citing a 1976 election law.
Shoopman’s last day in Columbia is scheduled June 7. Only an extended legislature or special session will prolong Shoopman’s term.
“I’ve got a family, day job and senate work. I knew in my heart I didn’t have four more years left. “My children would have been 10 and 12 after the next term. I want to be with them the next four years,” Shoopman said.
The job played a toll on Shoopman’s life outside the Senate. “A large part of the job is more than being on the floor voting. We’re responding to the public when we’re home or in Columbia. I have been invited to speak to a lot of civic groups and organizations with this being the primary season. And some even asked me to speak twice. I looked at my calendar and there is not one day to do any engineering between now and the election.
“I’ve been in Columbia six years (representative and senator) and it has taken a toll on my business and private life. I have a day job (engineering) and a family. I thought we could keep the plates balanced.”
“I don’t want to get to a point where I didn’t have fond memories of it,” Shoopman said. “I leave smiling and I look forward to the next chapter in my life.”