Jake Knotts

John M. "Jake" Knotts, Jr. (born December 12, 1944) is a former Republican member of the South Carolina Senate, representing the 23rd District from 2002 to 2012. Previously he was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1994 through 2002.

John M. Knotts, Jr.
Member of the South Carolina Senate
from the 23rd district
In office
2002–2012
Preceded byJoe Wilson
Succeeded byKatrina Shealy
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives
from the 88th district
In office
1994–2002
Preceded byC. Lenoir Sturkie
Succeeded byMac Toole
Personal details
Born (1944-12-12) December 12, 1944
West Columbia, South Carolina
Political partyRepublican
SpouseBetty Lee
Professionlaw enforcement

Early life

Knotts was born in December 1944 in West Columbia, South Carolina, the son of John Milton, Sr. and Dovereen Jessie (Williams) Knotts.[1] He was the child of a poverty-stricken family and raised as Jakie Webster until he was told his real name at age 12.[2] Knotts served in the Navy.[3] Following his service, Knotts worked as a police officer for the Columbia Police Department, a detective, and an assistant coroner before entering politics.[3] Knotts married Betty Lee in 1965,[1][4] with whom he has two children, Michelle Nicole and Tara Marie.[4]

Political career

Knotts was a prominent critic of governor and fellow Republican Mark Sanford and was a leading critic of the governor following his disappearance and admission of an extramarital affair.[5][6]

Knotts was defeated for re-election in the 2012 general election by Katrina Shealy, a Republican petition candidate who he had defeated in the 2008 Republican primary.

Committee assignments

Knotts served on the following committees in the state senate:[1]

  • Agriculture and Natural Resources
  • Fish, Game and Forestry
  • General
  • Invitations (Chairman)
  • Judiciary
  • Rules

Controversies

"Raghead" comment

On June 3, 2010, Knotts used the word "raghead" to describe President Barack Obama and Republican gubernatorial candidate (and fellow Lexington County resident) Nikki Haley while appearing on a live broadcast of Pub Politics. Several people present at the political talk show's broadcast confirmed Knotts said "We already got one raghead in the White House, we don’t need a raghead in the governor's mansion."[7] Haley was raised as a Sikh and later converted to Christianity. Haley has stated she attends services of both faiths.[7]

Other South Carolina Republicans were quick to distance themselves from Knotts and called for an apology.[8] Knotts later issued a statement, saying, "Since my intended humorous context was lost in translation, I apologize. I still believe Ms Haley is pretending to be someone she is not, much as Obama did, but I apologize to both for an unintended slur."[9] Haley campaign manager Tim Pearson called Knotts "an embarrassment to our state and to the Republican Party."[10]

After Knotts' controversial remarks, former Lexington County Republican Party chairwoman Katrina Shealy announced a primary candidacy to challenge Jake Knotts in 2012.[11] On June 10, the Lexington County Republican Party voted to censure Knotts and asked him to resign from office, by a vote of 26 to 7.[12] Knotts reiterated that he would not resign, saying "I'm truly, deeply sorry I used those words and there was no intention for them to be interpreted to be prejudice."[12]

In a 2021 interview, Knotts said again that Haley "wasn't a real Christian" and had "converted for political purposes".[13]

References
  1. "Senator John M. "Jake" Knotts, Jr". South Carolina State Legislature. Archived from the original on June 21, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
  2. "How Jake became Jake: Knotts on growing up poor in Columbia." Interview with Jake Knotts. 23 May 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
  3. Definition of a hard-nose. The Item via Google News Archive. 6 July 1996.
  4. "Senator John Milton 'Jake' Knotts, Jr. (SC)". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
  5. "Republican calls for investigations into Sanford." CNN Political Ticker. 26 June 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
  6. Yvonne Wenger. "Knotts admonishes Sanford but will not call for his resignation." Post and Courier. 26 June 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
  7. O'Connor, John., Smith, Gina. Knotts' slur stirs the Haley storm. Archived 2014-12-27 at the Wayback Machine The State. June 3, 2010.
  8. Smith, Ben. S.C. Republicans condemn 'raghead' comment. Politico. June 3, 2010.
  9. US lawmaker under fire over racist slur of Indian-American. Associated Press. Yahoo! News. June 4, 2010.
  10. Ivey, Page (June 4, 2010). "SC state senator refers to candidate as 'raghead'". The Guardian. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
  11. Landreth, Rob (June 4, 2010). "Shealy Says She Will Challenge Knotts In 2012". WSPA-TV. Archived from the original on June 8, 2010. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
  12. "Local GOP Leaders Ask S.C. State Senator to Resign Over 'Raghead' Remark". Fox News. June 11, 2010. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  13. "Nikki Haley's Time for Choosing". Politico.
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