Year in Review is a Top 10 countdown of stories released throughout 2020 by The Manning Times.
(04/30/2020)
On December 12, at the Clarendon County courthouse, Kimberly and Kevin Johnson were sworn in by former senator John Land as members of the South Carolina House of Representatives and South Carolina Senate, respectively.
Kevin Johnson has been a member of the South Carolina State Senate and still representing District 36. He is married to Gloria Richardson, with three children, Kenneth, Kyndra, and Kimberly Johnson.
Kimberly Johnson is a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing District 64. She assumed office on November 9, after she won the general election on November 3, 2020. The Johnson family is doing whatever it takes to succeed by creating a legacy worth keeping. In Clarendon, the father and daughter duo, winning elected positions in the elections made people very proud. Kimberly Johnson and her father, Kevin Johnson, share a bond like some fathers and daughters, and now they both share similar titles after winning their races.
The father and daughter made history during the November 3rd election by being the first father daughter team in the SC House and Senate; a feat that is only exemplified by the two of them also being African American.
“I just want to say that God is so good,” said Kimberly during her speech at the ceremony. “Even in the not so good times, God is good.”
Johnson went on to tell the gathered crowd a story of when she had to step away from her father’s 2011 campaign to take care of her grandparents. The goal of her story was to convey her gratitude to the “Johnson campaign team” for all of the support they gave her during that time; gratitude that she extends to the present day after they helped her achieve her victory.
“In 2020, we feel tremendously blessed and favored,” said Kimberly.
During the swearing in, former senator John Land also left remarks for the father and daughter.
“[motioning towards the crowd] all of you allowed me to serve you for up there in the State House for 38 years,” said Land. “Most people who serve that long come to think that nobody can replace them. Well I didn’t suffer from that. When my wife and I sat down and decided that we didn’t want to serve anymore in that way, I said ‘I know who we want to serve Sumter and Clarendon in the South Carolina Senate.’ That man was Kevin Johnson.”
After the swearing in and remarks from Kimberly and Kevin, The Honorable Wright Turbeville, a retired family court Judge, gave the benediction before the event was over.
