Leadership in Crisis - Retiring the Confederate Flag In 2014 , Senator Sheheen spent months and months touring the state and speaking to thousands of our citizens . Because of the growing divide he saw and experienced , Senator Sheheen made retiring of the Flag from the State House grounds a centerpiece of his campaign for Governor . Not long thereafter , Senator Sheheen ’s seatmate in the Senate , Pastor Clementa Pinckney , was murdered in the Charleston massacre by a Confederate Flag wielding white supremacist . Although mourning the death of his friend , Senator Sheheen quickly renewed his call for removal of the Flag pushing other leaders in the state to do the same . Senator Sheheen was responsible for drafting and introducing the legislation that removed the Flag and spent weeks planning , cajoling , and creating the legislative plan that gained the necessary votes to remove the flag . The Confederate Flag was retired from the State House grounds on July 10 , 2015
Charleston massacre
Charleston church shooting
Vincent Sheheen