Katrina Frye Shealy (born December 25, 1954, in Columbia, South Carolina) is an American politician, and a member of the South Carolina State Senate.[1] She is a Republican but was elected as a petition candidate from District 23 in Lexington County. At the time of her election in 2012, she was the only woman in the South Carolina Senate and in May of 2023, was one of six women serving in the South Carolina State Senate.[2][3][4] She was defeated in a runoff in 2024.
In 2008, Shealy ran for the Republican Party's State Senate District 23 nomination against long-time incumbent state senator Jake Knotts. Despite support from prominent Republicans including United States SenatorJim DeMint,[5] Shealy was defeated.
Shealy filed again as a candidate in the 2012 Republican primary. Her name was removed from the ballot after it was determined that she incorrectly filed her candidate paperwork. This case went to the SC Supreme Court and resulted in the removal of over 200 candidates from the ballot that year who had also incorrectly filed their paperwork.[citation needed] It was known as the Great Ballot Debacle of 2012.[by whom?] Shealy fought to have her name added to the general election ballot as a petition candidate and won the November 7, 2012 general election with 51% of the vote.[6]
In 2016, she defeated her two Republican primary challengers, Michael Sturkie and Patricia Wheat, attaining more than 60% of the vote. In the general election, she was unopposed and elected to a second term in the state Senate.
In 2024, Shealy saw two Republican primary challengers, Carlisle Kennedy and Zoe Warren. Shealy faced Carlisle Kennedy in a runoff.[8] The winner will run unopposed in the general election. On June 25, Shealy lost the election and conceded to her opponent.[9]
Shealy chairs the Senate Family and Veterans' Services Committee, and serves on the Senate Corrections and Penology, Finance, and Rules Committees.[10]
In her first term, Shealy served on the Agricultural and Natural Resources Committee, Corrections and Penology Committee, Fish, Game and Forestry Committee, General Committee, and the Judiciary Committee.[1] In 2015, Shealy was elected First Vice Chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party.
She now serves on the Finance Committee, Labor, Commerce and Industry, Rules, Family and Veteran Services, which she chairs, and Corrections and Penology. Shealy was appointed to serve on the SC Joint Citizens and Legislative Committee On Children and also serves as past chair of the Southeastern Legislative Committee Human Services and Public Safety Committee. She serves as Chair of the S.C. Suicide Prevention Committee and is a member of the S.C. Child Fatality Review Committee. Shealy serves as Chair of the Family and Veterans Services Committee and is the first Republican woman to serve as chair of a Standing Committee in the South Carolina Senate.[11] Shealy is also co-chair of the SC Suicide Prevention Coalition and a member of the Governor's Committee on Domestic Violence. She also serves on the Senate Operations and Management Committee. Senator Shealy serves on the Board for the National Foundation of Women Legislators and served as National Chair in 2022.
In 2018 Shealy was the sponsor of Legislation in SC that was signed into law by the Governor creating the Office of the Child Advocate (S805). This Agency has oversight over the nine state agencies that handle children's issues and went into effect on July 1, 2019.[12]
In 2022 Shealy received national attention for a speech criticizing her colleagues' approach to abortion legislation.[13] In 2023, she joined with a Democrat, an Independent and two other Republican women state senators, calling themselves, "The Sister Senators": Sen. Mia McLeod (I-Richland), Sen. Katrina Shealy (R-Lexington), Sen. Penry Gustafson (R-Kershaw), Sen. Margie Bright-Matthews (D-Colleton), and Sen. Sandy Senn (R-Charleston). They blocked male state senators from passing a bill that would ban almost all abortions in South Carolina by filibustering it.[14][15][11] On May 23, 2023, Senate Republicans passed another bill that severely restricted abortion rights to six weeks, exceptions made only in cases of rape, incest, fetal abnormalities or the woman's life or health being in danger and paving the way for a Supreme Court confrontation over its elements. Shealy had offered an alternative amendment that would have preserved some rights, including a ban expanded to twelve weeks, but it was rejected by the Senate in a 21 to 25 vote.[16]
In 2015 Shealy created a 501(c)3, Katrina's Kids, to serve children in Foster Care and Group Homes across all 46 counties in South Carolina. The foundation raises funds to send children to summer camp, participate in sporting opportunities, or any approved extracurricular activity not supported by state funding. The foundation has also helped with medical or dental funding for children. Katrina's Kids holds an Annual Music Benefit and a Race for the Case 5K event that helps supply suitcases and backpacks for children entering foster care.[18]
^LeBlanc, Steve (September 19, 2023). "'Sister senators' who fought abortion ban to receive JFK Profile in Courage award". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
