McConnell Won't Rule Out Senate Run

S.C. Sen. Glenn McConnell (R-Charleston) should become the state's next lieutenant governor Tuesday, but the powerful leader of the senate won't rule out another run for his seat representing Charleston's District 41.

McConnell acknowledged the sacrifice he is making by accepting the oath, losing the seniority he has built over decades serving in the Statehouse. But meant McConnell was next in line.

"It's not an office I have sought, but the order of succession must be maintained," he said. "I want the people of the district to know I did not abandoned them. I simply complied with the Constitution."

But will McConnell abandon his new post? The senator refused to say for certain whether he would run again for the senate seat that will be up in the general election in November — a full two years before his term as lieutenant governor would expire.

"I have no plans to file at this point," McConnell said, but he noted, "I'm not going to close any doors at this hour."

The senator said it isn't his plan, "unless I heard from the people overwhelmingly on that point."

If McConnell returned to the senate by winning , he would lose all seniority. But new rules will be drafted for the next session, meaning a win in November might allow for a return to his leadership on bodies like the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

For now, McConnell appears prepared to transition into his new role. "I wasn't going to spin the Constitution to preserve my power," he said.