R. André Bauer (born March 20, 1969) is an American politician who has been the Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina since 2003. At 36, he is currently the youngest Lieutenant Governor in the United States. Mr. Bauer is a member of the Republican Party.

State Senator André Bauer (R-Newberry, SC) was inaugurated as South Carolina's 84th Lieutenant Governor on January 15, 2003, after soundly defeating fellow State Senator Phil Leventis (D-Sumter, SC), a World War II veteran, in the 2002 general election.

Mr. Bauer is currently the nation's youngest Lieutenant Governor, but he only has two constitutional obligations in the state of South Carolina. The first is to assume the office of governor if necessary. The second is to serve as President of the State Senate.

Rudolph Andreas "André" Bauer was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He is the son of William R. Bauer, a trial lawyer, and Saundrea Jill Bauer. Bauer is a graduate of both Irmo High School and the University of South Carolina.

Bauer was immediately preceded in office by two-term Lieutenant Governor Bob Peeler (R), who served in office from 1995-2003. Peeler unsuccessfully challenged former U.S. Representative Mark Sanford (R) for the 2002 Republican Gubernatorial Nomination. After defeating Peeler in the primary election, Sanford went on to defeat incumbent Governor Jim Hodges (D) in the general election that November.

Sanford and Bauer, though, have little to do with one another on a day-to-day basis, because, in South Carolina, the Governor and Lieutenant Governor are elected on completely seperate tickets.

Before his election to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1996, young André Bauer was a self-employed businessman in the retail sector, selling sports merchandise to national franchise stores like Wal-Mart. He has also worked as a car salesman. In 1999, the popular Bauer was promoted by his constituency to the South Carolina State Senate in a special election. He was then elected to a full term in the 2000 general election, and served in the State Senate until his inauguration as Lieutenant Governor.

During his State House campaigns, Bauer quickly made a name for himself by walking all throughout his district to meet with potential voters. This political tactic proved so successful that Bauer later used it in his race for Lieutenant Governor. He walked all throughout the state of South Carolina to secure his victory.

Bauer is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the South Carolina Civil Air Patrol. In this capacity, the Lieutenant Governor proudly endorses the Military Relief Fund, which offers financial assistance to the families of Reservists and Guardsmen who have recently been called to active duty as a result of the Iraq War.

Bauer, a former Junior Achievement teacher, is a current member of the following boards: Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Columbia, SC the Lake Murray Tourism and Recreation Association, the American Diabetes Association, the Columbia Visitor's Bureau, the S.C. Small Business Chamber of Commerce, and the Sons of the American Revolution.

In 1999, Bauer briefly served as the South Carolina State Chairman for Elizabeth Dole's presidential campaign. In 2001, Bauer was recognized as Alumnus of the Year for the University of South Carolina College of Applied Professional Science.

When he is not performing his official duties as Lieutenant Governor, Mr. Bauer works in the real estate sector.

Bauer has never been married, nor does he have any children. He is, however, an active member of the Union Methodist Church.

For more information on the biography of André Bauer, follow these links:

Lt. Gov. André Bauer's Official Website

Lt. Gov. Bauer's State House Profile

Mr. Bauer's position, which pays $46,000 a year, is largely ceremonial. Barring the untimely death or resignation of the governor, the lieutenant governor has no real power or authority in the Palmetto State. But, in July of 2004, the Lieutenant Governor's office did assume direction of the State Bureau of Senior Services, renaming it the "Lieutenant Governor's Office on Aging". This office is located in the Wilbur Smith building on Gervais Street in downtown Columbia, South Carolina.

For more details, follow this link:

Lt. Gov.'s Office on Aging

Besides sponsoring a writing contest for school children, Lieutenant Governor Bauer also holds an honorary seat on Governor Sanford's M.A.P. (Management, Accountability, & Performance) Commission. This commission has attempted to find new ways to streamline wasteful government spending in South Carolina.

For more details, follow this link:

M.A.P. Commission

In a 2003 press conference, Bauer recommended that the government of South Carolina privatize most of its buildings, roads, parks, and monuments in order to balance the state budget. As of 2005, the South Carolina General Assembly and Governor Sanford have both ignored Mr. Bauer's recommendations.

The Lieutenant Governor's term in office has also been marked with a controversial trade visit to Cuba, which he decided to take upon his own mandate. He also demanded to become the Acting Governor of South Carolina in early 2003 when Mark Sanford left the state for a few days to train with his Air Force Reserve Unit. Governor Sanford, though, refused to relinquish any power to Lieutenant Governor Bauer in any way, shape, or form.

Mr. Bauer has also visited Washington, DC as Lieutenant Governor, and discussed South Carolina's struggling economic climate before the United States Congress.

In May 2003, Lieutenant Governor Bauer was pulled over by a Columbia police officer for speeding through downtown Columbia in midday traffic. After being pulled over, Bauer stepped out of his pick-up truck, slammed the driver's side door, and began approaching the arresting officer, loudly proclaiming that he was the Lieutenant Governor and that he was late for a meeting at the State House.

The officer simply pulled his gun on Bauer, put him in handcuffs, and arrested him anyway. Bauer initially wanted to take the whole fiasco to trial, but ended up just paying his speeding ticket.

For more details, follow this link:

Bauer stopped at gunpoint for speeding

In July of 2005, it was discovered that the Lieutenant Governor had used his political clout to achieve a significant profit whilst selling land to the state for a road project. His accomplices in the deal were State Senator Yancey McGill (D-Kingstree, SC), who sits on the Senate Transportation Committee, and S.C. Highway Commissioner John "Moot" Truluck.

Technically, Bauer did nothing illegal here, but the negative publicity surrounding the events embarrassed him nonetheless.

For more details, follow this link:

State paid Bauer more for land than most received

It seems as though Bauer is up for a very tough re-election fight in 2006. Mike Campbell, son of former U.S. Representative & Governor Carroll Campbell (R), has announced that he will challenge Bauer for the Republican nomination next year. Meanwhile, Michael Hollings, son of former Governor & U.S. Senator Fritz Hollings (D), has announced that he will similarly seek the Democratic Party's nomination for Lieutenant Governor.

In what has to be considered a major blow to the Bauer campaign, former U.S. President George H.W. Bush (R) has already officially endorsed Mike Campbell for Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina.

So, even if Bauer does somehow manage to slip past Campbell in the primaries, he'd still have to face Hollings in the general election.

For more details, follow this link:

Hollings’ son to seek state’s No. 2 job

If by the middle of next year Hollings is up in the polls, and it appears as though Campbell will win the nomination, many pundits suggest that Bauer could opt out of the Lieutenant Governor's race entirely. Instead, he may decide to "go for the gold" and challenge incumbent Mark Sanford for the 2006 Republican Gubernatorial Nomination.

History, though, is not on Mr. Bauer's side. As previously discussed, Bauer's predecessor, Lieutenant Governor Bob Peeler, lost the Republican Gubernatorial Nomination to Mark Sanford in 2002. Peeler's predecessor, Lieutenant Governor Nick Theodore (D), also failed to reach the Governor's Mansion, when, in the 1994 general election, he was defeated by then-State Representative David Beasley (R-Darlington, SC). Governor Beasley, who succeeded Governor Campbell in office, ran for a second term four years later in 1998, but was vanquished by then-State House Minority Leader Jim Hodges (D-Lancaster, SC).

Campbell's predecessors, Richard Riley (D) and James B. Edwards (R), were two very successful governors who both went on to grace the national stage, but neither of them ever served as lieutenant governor. Governor Riley was appointed as U.S. Secretary of Education by U.S. President Bill Clinton (D) in 1993, and Governor Edwards was appointed as U.S. Secretary of Energy by U.S. President Ronald Reagan (R) in 1981.

In fact, the last Lieutenant Governor to become Governor of South Carolina was Edwards' predecessor, John C. West (D), who was elected way back in 1970, when André Bauer was just a year old. West would later be appointed as Ambassador to Saudi Arabia by U.S. President Jimmy Carter (D).