Jim Rex
Jim Rex | |
|---|---|
| South Carolina Superintendent of Education | |
| In office January 10, 2007 – January 12, 2011 | |
| Governor | Mark Sanford |
| Preceded by | Inez Tenenbaum |
| Succeeded by | Mick Zais |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 21, 1941 Toledo, Ohio, U.S. |
| Political party | Alliance |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic (Before 2013) |
| Spouse | Sue |
| Children | Adam, Jeff, Nathan, and Siri |
| Residence | Fairfield County, South Carolina |
| Alma mater | University of Toledo, (B.A., M.Ed., Ph.D.) |
| Occupation | Educator |
Jim Rex (born November 21, 1941, in Toledo, Ohio) was the 16th South Carolina Superintendent of Education. He ran for the position in 2006 as a Democrat, against Karen Floyd, a Republican. Rex defeated Floyd by only 455 votes, the closest margin of victory in a statewide election in South Carolina's history. He was sworn in as superintendent on January 10, 2007, replacing fellow Democrat Inez Tenenbaum. In 2014, Rex co-founded a new political party – the American Party of South Carolina, now known as the Alliance Party of South Carolina.
As of 2025, he is the last Democrat to have won a statewide election in South Carolina. While Yancey McGill briefly held the office of Lieutenant Governor from June 2014 to January 2015, he was elected by the state senators, and while Brian Gaines has been State Comptroller since 2023, that was the result of a gubernatorial appointment.