Wilkins, 56, of Greenville, has been the presiding officer, or speaker, of the state House of Representatives for eight years. He was elected to the House in 1980 in his first foray into politics.

The speaker is not only the presiding officer of the House, he is its leader, its administrative executive and, more important, one of the three most powerful people in the state.

The others are Senate leader Glenn McConnell and Gov. Mark Sanford.

Governors of South Carolina do not have the powers of some in other states, so they share power with legislative leaders.

"They are the leaders of this state," said University of South Carolina political science professor Blease Graham. He would add the influence of Chief Justice Jean Toal to that triumvirate, however.

Wilkins can set the tone in the House and control the agenda, to a large extent, because he is a member of the majority Republican Party. He also appoints members to committees.

He acknowledges the post has "a great deal of influence and authority because of the structure" of state government.

"It gives you the opportunity to have a positive input in any piece of major legislation, if you want to exert that influence," Wilkins said.

And exert it he does, occasionally handing over the gavel to come down from the dais to speak to colleagues, as he did several times during the recent video poker debates.

More often, the influence is felt outside the chamber, exercised through quiet word of mouth.

House Minority Leader James Smith, D-Columbia, said Wilkins is part of the majority and its leadership and often works for Republican- sponsored issues.

Democrats don't always agree with the other party's initiatives or the speaker, but they feel they get a fair shake from Wilkins when he is presiding.

"I've always felt strongly that he's not the Republican speaker of the House but he's the speaker of the institution," Smith said.

Democratic leaders think they can work with Wilkins and be part of the process even if they are outnumbered 73-51.

"We have a level of trust that I think has been important, a level of respect," Smith said.

The speaker is elected by House members when they organize themselves every two years after elections. When he was elected the first time, the GOP wasn't the majority party, so he did it with support from Democrats.

Graham, a close observer of legislative politics, said Wilkins garners support because "he's decisive, but he's not off- putting," and he's "a great balancer of technical competence with human consideration."

A person in that position must be prepared and alert, but at the same time not abrasive or arrogant, to keep the post, Graham said.

"He's just an all-around guy that you think of as a leader," he said.

In that leadership position, Wilkins says he aims to pursue his vision of a state with "a positive environment for our citizens and businesses, so they can grow and create jobs."

That is an important function of state government, he says, and so is avoiding overburdening people with taxes.

He wants to see tax restructuring and a spending cap on state government.

His state power has spread his influence to the White House.

"I never thought I'd be able to call the president of the United States a friend," Wilkins said.

An early supporter of George Bush, Wilkins gets invited to Camp David weekends. Bush also appointed him to the U.S. Military Academy board of visitors.

Wilkins was a young lawyer who had never considered running for office until he read that former Democratic Speaker Rex Carter, who represented the district Wilkins lives in, would not seek re-election.

He told himself, "Wilkins, you're running for the House."

He ran as a Republican in a Democratic district, and one where the Democrats already had a chosen heir to replace Carter. Moreover, the local GOP leadership had a chosen standard-bearer and did not encourage the unknown Wilkins.

"I didn't have enough sense to know I couldn't win, shouldn't win," Wilkins said. "I just jumped in and started running."

When the Republican leadership saw the support he gathered, their chosen candidate dropped out and he trounced the Democrat in the general election.

When Wilkins was elected to the House, he was one of only 18 Republicans, so he has seen a complete changeover in party control of the Statehouse.

He never thought of running as a Democrat, even though Republicans were scarce at the time.

Wilkins said he has always had a conservative philosophy that "government can't be all things to all people," and it seemed as if Democrats looked for new things for government to do.

When he ran, he just wanted to give something back to his state and would serve only two years.

But he found that "you evolve, and you get more involved."

He served on the powerful Judiciary Committee, then became its chairman. At the time, he was the only Republican committee chair, elected by other committee members who were mostly Democrats.

Wilkins was named to head a joint committee on government restructuring when changes were made in 1993, and he also served as speaker pro tem before being elected speaker.

He has seldom had serious opposition in his district, and none as speaker, either. And he would like to continue to serve as speaker as long as members will elect him.

"I love what I do. I think I contribute in a positive way in the process," he said.

Part of what drives him is a competitive streak that even extends to his yardwork.

Some of that came from his early sports life as a tennis player. His team was the high- school state champion under his leadership, and through that he won a full tennis schol arship to Clemson University.

At Clemson, he was the captain of the team and led it to a share of trophies. He doesn't play as much as he used to, but still likes to hit occasionally, he said.

He believes his other great motivators are his parents.

His father, an attorney he describes as highly ethical, demanded their best. And he had a very nurturing mother, who encouraged her children to excel.

"I think I'm the classic overachiever. I'm always trying to do better," Wilkins said.

After law school at the University of South Carolina and a stint in the Army, Wilkins went home to practice with his father, got married and started a family.

He and his wife, Susan, tried unsuccessfully for a few years to have children, so they adopted one. Soon after, they learned they were expecting.

Their sons are 11 months apart. Their children grew up in the aura of politics, and one got the political bug. Robert is an attorney who works for U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham. James is a math teacher in Charleston.

Through the years, the couple and their children vacationed in the Pawleys- Litchfield area, staying in different houses. About six years ago, they had the chance to buy Summer Academy with two other couples.

The house was built in 1840 as a summer school for planters' children while their families vacationed on the island. The Wilkinses get the house about a third of the year.

This year, they got it for the week of the Fourth, which Wilkins said it his favorite time because of the island's parade, rounds of parties, visits from his children and other events.

"That's one of my favorite times," he said. "It's fun, and we love Pawleys Island."