Education has always been the top priority of Jim Hodges, the 114th Governor of South Carolina.

As Governor, Jim Hodges has kept his promise to "focus like a laser-beam on improving our schools." South Carolina now leads the nation in SAT improvement. In fact, SAT scores have increased more over the last two years than in the past ten years combined. According to Education Week magazine, South Carolina now ranks fourth in the nation in improving teacher quality and sixth in promoting accountability.

Last November, South Carolina voters overwhelmingly approved Hodges' education lottery initiative to fund college scholarships, free technical education and classroom technology. The education lottery is the cornerstone of Governor Hodges' comprehensive education reform agenda, which also includes approval of $1 billion for school construction without raising taxes and the First Steps to School Readiness preschool initiative. This year, Hodges has launched an ambitious initiative to raise teacher pay to the national average within six years.

Governor Hodges has advanced a number of other common-sense, conservative initiatives. Among these are the state's first sales tax holiday and the South Carolina SilverCard, offering prescription drug coverage for our state's senior citizens.

As a young man in Lancaster, Jim Hodges continued his family's tradition of working summers in the textile mills to pay for his college education. He earned a business degree from the University of South Carolina in 1979, and a law degree from the USC School of Law in 1982. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Governor Hodges was first elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1986. He served for 11 years, including two years as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee (1992-94) and two years as House Democratic Leader (1995-97).

Born November 19, 1956, in Lancaster, he is the son of George N. and Betty H. Hodges. He is married to the former Rachel A. Gardner of Hartsville. They have two sons, Luke and Sam.