"What is so different about Katherine Jenerette? For starters she's a lot like the rest of us."

About Katherine Jenerette ~ Republican, First Congressional District, South Carolina

Who she is and what she has done: “…an independent-thinking conservative who's not afraid to buck the status quo, Jenerette sent shockwaves through the Palmetto political landscape.” Katherine Jenerette’s near win of a powerful Senate Seat in 2004 earned her a reputation in many political circles as “the good old boys' worst enemy." ~ FITS Political News

Katherine Jenerette is a U.S. Army veteran of the Persian Gulf War Operation Desert Storm and a graduate of the University of South Carolina, Coastal Carolina with a Masters Degree from USC, Columbia. She served as U.S. Congressional Field Representative for the First Congressional District, South Carolina. She is married and the mother of four children and an Officer in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Katherine Jenerette served as a Field Representative for the 1st Congressional District, South Carolina and a Congressional Staff Assistant, and was a member of the North Myrtle Beach Planning Commission. Katherine also served as the CEO of the Myrtle Beach Area Hospitality Association and a member the Horry County Envision 2025 Comprehensive Planning Committee task force.

Katherine is a Commissioned Officer serving in the U.S. Army Reserve and an Army Paratrooper and is currently assigned to the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, N.C. Jenerette is part of the military’s highly specialized Civil Affairs teams which forms the nucleus of the Army's Civil-Military operations expertise for both Army Special Operations (SOF) and conventional forces. She is a graduate of the U.S. Army's Airborne school at Ft. Benning, Georgia, the Mobilization Civil Affairs Course (MCAC) at Ft. Bragg, NC and the Military Police Corps Officer LeadershipCourse at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri.

After coming home from the Gulf War, Katherine attended the University of South Carolina,Coastal Carolina Campus on a Cross Country and Track scholarship. While in the Army, Katherine had competed in the U.S. Army All European Track and Field Championships and was a 'walk-on' at USC Coastal where she was recognized as one of the region's top runners when she was named to the NCAA Track & Field Big South Conference in 1994. She graduated from CCU with a degree in History in 1995 and earned her Masters Degree from USC, Columbia in 1997. In February 2000, Katherine represented her hometown of North Myrtle Beach in the Mrs. South Carolina International Pageant at the Litchfield Beach and Golf Resort. Katherine is currently an Adjunct Professor of History and has taught American History, Western Civilization and African American History.

Katherine is a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10804, served on the board of Directors of the North Myrtle Beach Citizens Association, the I-73 Association and is a Charter Member of the North Myrtle BeachChamber of Commerce. Katherine is very involved in sports activities as a runner, a Triathlete, an ocean kayaker, a sport shooter and an outdoorsman. [Link to US Congress 2010 Press Release]Katherine recieved her German Jump Wings at Ft. Bragg during the 11th Annual Randy Oler 'Operation Toy Drop' 2008 at Drop Zone Sicily.[Link to Photos]

Katherine lives in North Myrtle Beach with her husband Van, and their four children - a son in High School, Christian David, and three daughters, Benjamin Elizabeth, Drake Katherine, and Wilson Gabrielle. They all attend Horry County Public Schools. Christian and Benjamin are members of the NMB High School Cross Country and Track Teams and Benjamin was named the Sun News 'Toast of the Coast' Runner of the Year for High School Girls Cross Country. Katherine is a member of the First Baptist Church in North Myrtle Beach and an associate member of the Huguenot Protestant Church of Charleston.

SC SENATE ELECTION 2004: “...the good old boys' worst enemy..."
At 35-years old, as the Republican candidate for the South Carolina Senate in 2004, Katherine Jenerette scored an upset victory in Horry County, including North Myrtle Beach; which makes up nearly 70% of the SENATE District population.

Katherine, a Pro-Life, 2d Amendment, US Constitutional Strict Constructionist, nearly unseated one of the most powerful ‘Good Old Boy’ Democrat Senators in the state - Sen. Dick Elliott. Until this election, Elliott had never lost an election in Horry County, and was first elected to public office in the segregation era of 1962.[more Senate 2008 News Link: FITS 'She Might Be Senator']

After a bitter, hardball campaign; Senator Elliott only managed a slim victory of a mere 1,880 votes out of over 30,500 votes cast mainly because of his Democrat base in the western counties coupled with a major ‘error’ in the voters guide, published two days before the election. In the voters guide, Jenerette’s party affiliation was switched to Democrat (D) and it identified Democrat Senator Elliott as the incumbent (R) Republican candidate in the Senate race.

Jenerette would have been the only female Republican Senator in theState of South Carolina and one of the Senate’s youngest members. Katherine Jenerette did this without the support of the Republican Party Leadership, some of whom encouraged her to accept a deal to withdraw from the race as she faced off against the ‘old guard’ from both parties. In 2006 one influential political pundit described Katherine Jenerette as “…an independent-thinking conservative who's not afraid to buck the status quo, Jenerette sent shockwaves through the Palmetto political landscape.” Katherine Jenerette’s near win of a powerful Senate Seat in 2004 earned her a reputation in many political circles as “the good old boys' worst enemy." Despite being outspent 10:1, Katherine had the 2nd best Senate race in South Carolina among ten Republican candidates who challenged incumbent Democrat Senators; only GOP lawyer Dickie Jones finished ahead of her in his challenge against Senator Phil Leventis. [LINK: See SENATE 2004 MAP] Katherine's 2004 campaign endorsements and supporters included the South Carolina Citizens for Life and the NRA - National Rifle Association.

BACKGROUND and FAMILY
Katherine and Van Jenerette first met 22-years ago when both were stationed in Europe, worked together and later both competed as members of the V Corps Track and Field team. Years later, in 1992, they were married at the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base in a Christmas Eve service. Katherine worked, was an intercollegiate athelete, and had three children while attending college fulltime. They now have four children - a son in High School, Christian David, and three daughters, Benjamin Elizabeth, Drake Katherine, and Wilson Gabrielle. The children all attend Horry County Public Schools. After retiring from the Army as an Infantry Major, Van served as a staff assistant to former U.S. Congressman Arthur Ravenel, Jr.; and served as a member of the North Myrtle Beach City Planning Commission and ex-officio member of the Horry County Planning board. He taught Political Science and Sociology at Southeastern Community College and was an Adjunct Instructor at Coastal Carolina University and the University of South Carolina, Columbia. Van, a graduate of the Infantry Officer Candidate School, was inducted into the US Army OCS Hall of Fame at Fort Benning in April 2002. Katherine's father was a career military man and as an Army dependent she lived and traveled the world including a total of eight years in Europe.

EDUCATION
MS - University of South Carolina, Columbia SC 1997. BA - University of South Carolina, Coastal Carolina Campus, Conway, SC 1995 Post Graduate Studies in History - 1996-1997 1991-1995 - University of South Carolina, Coastal Carolina Campus - History major. Course work included education major. 1989-1990 - University of Maryland Frankfurt, Germany (Overseas Division) took night and lunch-time classes toward Bachelor Degree. July - October 2008 - U.S. Army Officer Leadership Course - Military Police, United States Army Military Police School, Ft. Leonard Wood, MO June - July 2008 - U.S. Army Basic Officer Leadership Course, United States Army Infantry Center, Ft. Benning, GA Feb. - Mar. 2008 - U.S. Army Airborne Course, United States Army Infantry Center, Ft. Benning, GA Paratrooper Training. Member Military Police Regimental Association (MPRA)

AWARDS and RECOGNITION
North Myrtle Beach Triathlon 2006 and 2007 1st in Age group - US Army Airborne Parachutist Badge - US Army Commendation Medal - Army Achievement Medal - NCO Professional Development Ribbon - ARMY Service Ribbon - National Defense Service Medal - SWA Service Ribbon - Marksman M-16 Marksmanship QualificationBadge - U. S. Army Europe, "Military Journalist of the Year" 1989 and 1990 - U.S. Army 2nd Runner-up, "Military Print Journalist of the Year" 1990 - U.S. Army Europe, "Editor, 1st Place Military Magazine" 1990 - NCAA Big South All Conference Runner 1994 - USATF Track & Field 2009 South Carolina State Masters Championship Meet 1500 meters and 800 meters.

PRESENTATIONS and PUBLICATIONS
Invited lecturer for Women Study Series at Southeastern Community College - “The All American Super Woman in 2005.” Spring 2005 Keynote speaker Horry County Veteran’s Memorial Dedication, Conway SC Veterans Day 2004 “Veterans’ Sacrifice, and America’s Debt.” Invited speaker, "A Re-Examination of the Insignia of the Notitia Dignitatum," 2nd Annual Late Antiquity Symposium, University of South Carolina, May 1998. "Desert Storm Recollections," North MyrtleBeach Library, North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina - Spring 1997. "TheMeaning of a Veteran" invited speaker, Veteran's Day Services, North Myrtle Beach, Nov. 1998. Schmidt, Katherine, "Rain, Rucksacks, and No Sleep," Spearhead Magazine Sept. 1989 Schmidt, Katherine, "It's EvenBetter Going Down," Spearhead Magazine June 1990.Source for experience in the Gulf War in British School: Living Through History: Britain 1750-1900 and the Twentieth Century World, Nigel Kelly, Rosemary Rees and Jane Shuter, (Oxford, England - Heinemann) 1998, "The Desert and the Storm - Personal Recollections of the Persian Gulf War," work in progress. Jenerette, Katherine, co-author "When the Last Baby Boomer Dies: An American Celebration," work in progress. Jenerette, Katherine, “The NOTITIA DIGNITATUM: The Roman Empire’s Final Order of Battle from the Latin manuscript written during the 5th century A.D. about ROMAN ARMY MILITARY units and their deployment during the period of the late Roman Empire,” work in progress.