Daniel Rickenmann

Daniel Rickenmann
71st mayor of Columbia, South Carolina
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 4, 2022
Preceded byStephen K. Benjamin
Personal details
Born1969 or 1970 (age 54–55)
Spartanburg, South Carolina, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseLaura Rickenmann
Children2
EducationUniversity of South Carolina (BA)

Daniel Rickenmann (born 1969/1970)[1] is an American businessman and politician, serving as the 71st mayor of Columbia, South Carolina.

Early life and education

Born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Rickenmann is the son of immigrants from Switzerland. He attended the University of South Carolina in 1987.[2]

Political career

2025 Mayoral election

In March 2025, Mayor Rickenmann announced his bid for re-election.[3][4] He faces challenges from Jessica Thomas and Wade Fulmer Jr.[5]

2021 mayoral election

After confirmation on February 2021 that incumbent Mayor Stephen K. Benjamin would not seek re-election,[6] Rickenmann announced his bid for the office.[7] Other candidates were At-Large Columbia City Councilwoman Tameika Isaac Devine, attorney Sam Johnson, and former Columbia City Councilman Moe Baddourah.[8] On November 16, 2021, Rickenmann won the runoff election against Isaac Devine with 52% to 48% of the vote.[9] He was sworn in as mayor of Columbia on January 4, 2022.[10]

U.S. airmen assigned to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing listen to Rickenmann (left) during a mayoral delegation visit within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, November 20, 2024.

Rickenmann ranked Number 2 in the The Post and Courier Columbia Power List 2023.[11] and 2024.[12]

While candidates for the office of mayor in Columbia, South Carolina, are officially non-partisan, Rickenmann is a Republican. Conversely, his opponent in the 2021 election, Tameika Isaac Devine, is a Democrat. Devine was endorsed by former U.S. president Barack Obama and House Whip Jim Clyburn. Previously, Columbia had historically voted for Democratic candidates, including Joe Biden for U.S. president by nearly 40 points. Its two previous mayors, Bob Coble and Steve Benjamin, were Democrats.[13][14][15]

City council election

In 2004, Rickenmann was elected as an at-Large representative for Columbia City Council. He held the position until 2013 when he chose not to run for reelection. He ran again for city council in 2017, winning the election as a representative from Columbia's fourth district.[16]

Rickenmann (5th from the right) in the Oval Office with other newly-elected mayors, 2023

Endorsements

In June 2023, Rickenmann endorsed Tim Scott in the 2024 United States presidential election.[17][18]

Electoral history

Runoff election for mayor of Columbia, 2021[a][19]
Candidate Votes %
Daniel Rickenmann 10,606 52
Tameika Isaac Devine 9,789 48
Total 20,395 100%
Election for mayor of Columbia, 2021[20]
Candidate Votes %
Daniel Rickenmann 8,417 43.51
Tameika Isaac Devine 5,846 30.22
Sam Johnson 4,710 24.35
Moe Baddourah 364 1.88
Write-in 9 0.05
Total 19,346 100%

Notes

  1. ^ Rickenmann and Devine went to a runoff election since no candidate won more than 50% of the vote in the initial election.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Columbia's Rickenmann Makes His Pitch to Local Republicans". The State. September 9, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  2. ^ Clay, Margaret (March 2022). "New Leadership Sitting down with Mayor Daniel Rickenmann". Columbia Metropolitan. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
  3. ^ "Columbia mayor Daniel Rickenmann launches re-election campaign". WIS-TV. March 7, 2025. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  4. ^ Kesler, Alex (March 10, 2025). "Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann launches reelection campaign". WACH. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  5. ^ Bassett, Marley (July 31, 2025). "LIST: Candidates who have filed to run in 2025 Midlands municipal elections". WIS-TV. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  6. ^ Olson, Mike (February 4, 2021). "Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin announces he will not seek re-election". ABC Columbia. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  7. ^ Trainor, Chris (April 28, 2021). "Rickenmann formally launches campaign for Columbia mayor, talks tax reform". The State Newspaper. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  8. ^ Trainor, Chris (August 13, 2021). "Who's running for mayor of Columbia? Meet the four hopefuls looking for your vote". The State Newspaper. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  9. ^ "Final results in for Columbia mayor, Columbia Council at-Large". WLTX News 19. November 16, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
  10. ^ "Daniel Rickenmann sworn in as new mayor of Columbia". The State. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
  11. ^ "Power List 2023: USC still dominant in Columbia". The Post and Courier. August 2, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  12. ^ "Here's who made The Post and Courier's 2024 Power List for Columbia". The Post and Courier. December 18, 2024. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  13. ^ "Columbia Mayor Bob Coble drops out of Senate race". WIS-TV. October 20, 2003. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  14. ^ Gaynor, Gerren Keith (May 13, 2023). "Meet Stephen Benjamin, the most senior Black man in the White House". The Grio. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  15. ^ Fastenau, Stephen (November 18, 2021). "As Republicans laud Rickenmann's Columbia mayor win, many downplay impact on city politics". The Post and Courier. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
  16. ^ Lomis, Connor (November 17, 2021). "Daniel Rickenmann elected Columbia's next mayor". WIS. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
  17. ^ Kinnard, Meg (June 12, 2023). "Dozens of South Carolina leaders endorse Tim Scott's presidential bid". WLTX-TV. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  18. ^ "Sen. Tim Scott in Spartanburg to announce campaign endorsements". FOX Carolina. June 12, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  19. ^ "2021 Municipal Election Day – Runoff Election Night Reporting". SC Votes. State of South Carolina.
  20. ^ "2021 Municipal Election Day Election Night Reporting". SC Votes. State of South Carolina. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.