On Tuesday, March 15, 2022, Sen. Dick Harpootlian was present at a South Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee meeting held in Columbia, S.C. A photograph captured by Travis Bell of STATEHOUSE CAROLINA for the SC Daily Gazette shows the senator in attendance.
In one of the most closely-watched Democratic contests in South Carolina, voters in the Midlands have ousted the former state Democratic Party chairman, who gained national notoriety as the lawyer to Alex Murdaugh. The outcome of the election was announced on Tuesday.
The night proved to be a tough one for certain GOP incumbents. In the House, challengers affiliated with the hardline Freedom Caucus unseated several Republicans, which could intensify the already-existing GOP vs. GOP conflict in that chamber. The ousted incumbents included a well-established Upstate chairman.
Next year, the winners in the Senate are most likely to push for an all-out ban on abortion, which would be back on the GOP agenda.
Rep. Russell Ott, D-St. Matthews, emerged victorious in the closely contested race for the redrawn Senate district in Columbia, defeating his opponent, Sen. Dick Harpootlian, D-Columbia. This race was particularly significant as it was for the seat previously held by Sen. Nikki Setzler, the state’s longest-serving legislator, who is retiring after an impressive 48 years in the upper chamber.
Calhoun County gains more representation in the post-census redrawing of district lines, which is significant for Representative Ott and his father, former House Minority Leader Harry Ott, as they have both represented the county for a total of 26 years.
Harpootlian strongly criticized Russell Ott for consistently siding with Republicans on anti-abortion laws, which is a significant concern for Democrats residing in the firmly Democratic areas of downtown Columbia.
According to him, Ott was labeled as a flip-flopper due to his changing stance on the issue of abortion. Ott initially voted in favor of a law that prohibited abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy in February 2021. However, since the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade case in 2022, Ott has opposed Republican-led abortion bans. Ott has even taken steps to increase women’s access to birth control.
Calhoun County farmer, Ott, criticized Harpootlian for not representing the entire district and instead focusing on representing Murdaugh, who was found guilty of killing his wife and son. Ott also pointed out Harpootlian’s tendency to use colorful language. “He (Harpootlian) was not making an effort to represent the whole district,” Ott stated, highlighting Harpootlian’s absence from the Statehouse during Murdaugh’s trial.
Harpootlian shared that his campaign achieved its targeted number of votes in Richland and Lexington counties, where he has a strong presence. However, Ott’s hometown of Calhoun experienced a larger voter turnout than anticipated, which worked in Ott’s favor. Ott garnered more support in rural areas, resulting in a 120-vote lead over Harpootlian.
According to Harpootlian, the residents of Calhoun County have made it clear that they desire a senator, as evidenced by their voting patterns from yesterday.
During a press conference held on Wednesday morning, he acknowledged Ott’s victory and expressed his support for him in the upcoming November elections.
In regards to the recent process, Harpootlian stated that he had lost and acknowledged that the system had worked. He made it clear that he was not accusing anyone of stealing and was not throwing a temper tantrum or expressing doubt in the system.
In 2018, the senator won a special election by flipping a Senate seat that had been held by a Republican for decades. Before his successful election, he served on the Richland County Council, acted as solicitor of the Fifth Circuit, which includes Richland and Kershaw counties, and held two terms as the state Democratic Party chairman.
His Senate seat was officially sent to the Lowcountry through the post-census redistricting.
According to Harpootlian, his future plans are uncertain at the moment, apart from continuing to manage his law firm. It is worth mentioning that his wife holds the position of ambassador to Slovenia.
With a hint of irony in his voice, the 75-year-old remarked that the political future that held so much promise was brought to an abrupt end.
It’s still uncertain who Ott will be up against in the purple district during the November elections. A run-off will determine the Republican candidates, with Jason Guerry, a construction company owner, and Chris Smith, a retired real estate agent who prides himself on his conservative values, vying for the spot.
Pulling to the right
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In the Upstate region, the House Freedom Caucus supported far-right candidates who successfully flipped three seats held by incumbent GOP caucus members.
Republican leaders attempted to reduce the size of the caucus that has been criticizing them on social media and in the chamber, but their efforts were unsuccessful. Instead, the primary results led to an increase in their numbers.
In the race for the South Carolina House of Representatives, it was a close call between long-serving Rep. Bill Sandifer, a Republican from Seneca, and his opponent Adam Duncan, a wrestling coach also from Seneca who had the backing of the Freedom Caucus. The margin between the two was less than 60 votes, despite Duncan’s lack of prior political experience.
For over 16 years, Sandifer has held the position of chairman for the House Labor, Commerce, and Industry Committee.
Thomas Gilreath, a former National Guardsman and farmer from Belton who runs a grading and paving company, has defeated Assistant Majority Leader Jay West, R-Belton, who had been in office for eight years.
Phillip Bowers defeated Rep. Jerry Carter, R-Clemson.
In 2020, Carter secured his first election victory, having previously defeated Bowers, who had served on the Pickens County School Board, in the GOP primary. It’s worth noting that the seat has traditionally been held by moderate Republicans. Looking ahead to November, Bowers will be up against Democrat Eunice Lehmacher.
House Majority Leader David Hiott acknowledged the loss of three valued members, attributing it to the nature of politics. He emphasized that turnovers are common during elections.
According to Hiott, a Republican representative from Pickens, the recent victories of the Freedom Caucus will not have a significant impact on the House Majority Caucus. He expressed his respect for the voters in those districts who chose to remove the incumbents. Hiott also mentioned the possibility of Republicans gaining a few seats in the upcoming November elections.
“The Freedom Caucus may have gained one or two members, but that doesn’t alter the fact that we still hold the majority,” he stated.
Rep. Neal Collins, R-Easley, was among the dozen Republicans who successfully defended their seats against Freedom Caucus challengers. Notably, Collins won by his largest margin in recent history, securing nearly 55% of the votes.
Not only did the ultra-conservative caucus secure three Upstate seats, but it also managed to retain 15 others. Additionally, two run-off contests still have Freedom Caucus candidates in the running, which could potentially increase the group’s membership to 20 members.
Victory against establishment Republicans was claimed by Rep. R.J. May, who is a founder of the chamber’s Freedom Caucus and a political consultant involved in several campaigns.
“Heard last night were the voices of the voters across South Carolina,” he stated. The people demand a more conservative and efficient government, and they are fed up with the traditional politics of the moderate Republicans and liberal Democrats who rule the coalition,” he added.
In South Carolina, the majority of races are determined during the primary, and the districts that Freedom Caucus candidates win are predominantly Republican. Additionally, May is considering the possibility of broadening the caucus’s reach to include the state Senate.
He declined to name anyone but shared that they are in talks with several candidates who may join their effort. The aim is to make it a bicameral effort, and they will be having conversations with these candidates to explore this possibility.
Governor Henry McMaster recently made his first endorsement in Statehouse GOP primaries. Unfortunately, all three challengers he supported, who were running against Freedom Caucus members, were defeated. The incumbent candidates he endorsed, West and Sandifer, also lost their respective races.
On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the governor, Brandon Charochak, stated that the General Assembly has had a prosperous working relationship with the governor in history and the recent election results suggest that this relationship will continue to flourish.
Senate hopefuls
Several House members also ran for a Senate seat, but they failed to secure the required 50%-plus-one votes needed to win. As a result, these races will now be decided in a run-off election on June 26.
The seat being vacated by Democrat-turned-Independent Sen. Mia McLeod will be contested by Rep. Ivory Thigpen, D-Columbia, and Richland County councilman Overture Walker in heavily Democratic Richland County.
In the upcoming election, Rep. Jason Elliott, a Republican from Greenville, will be facing off against Ben Carper. Carper, who has a background in teaching and works as a real estate broker, has the support of the chancellor of Bob Jones University, a private conservative Christian college in Greenville. Carper has stated that he intends to collaborate with the Freedom Caucus, as reported by the Greenville News.
It’s worth mentioning the races that feature South Carolina’s female senators from the GOP.
Last year, the group of female senators in the chamber referred to themselves as the “sister senators” and unanimously voted against the proposed six-week abortion ban. At that time, there were five members in the group, but a sixth has since been sworn in this year. Although they were unsuccessful in preventing the final version from passing, they did manage to help defeat the House Republicans’ near-total ban on abortions, which would have made them illegal as soon as a pregnancy was medically detectable.
However, the decision also resulted in primary challenges for all three Republican female senators. One of them, freshman Sen. Penry Gustafson, who represents Camden, was defeated by her challenger by a significant margin.
The race between Charleston Senator Sandy Senn and Johns Island House member, Representative Matt Leber, is extremely close and is now headed towards an automatic recount as the difference in their votes is less than 1%.
In the recent primary, Sen. Katrina Shealy, who is the only chairwoman in the Senate, was one of the three leading candidates. However, despite her strong showing, the Lexington Republican fell short of securing the victory. Consequently, she is now headed for a runoff against Carlisle Kennedy, the son of former state Rep. Ralph Kennedy, who was defeated in a GOP primary back in 2016.
When Harpotlian delivered his concession speech, he specifically mentioned the “sister senators” and expressed his sadness about the defeat of one and the uncertain future of two others.
“He said that this shows the current status of our state, particularly in the Republican primary.”
Comeback attempts
Former legislators looking to make a comeback were also present in South Carolina’s primaries.
In a bid to regain his Spartanburg area seat, former Senator Lee Bright of Roebuck will be facing off against Representative Roger Nutt of Moore, who is vying for a Senate seat, in a run-off.
Kirkman Finlay, a former Republican Representative, emerged victorious in the primary elections, paving the way for a potential rematch against Heather Bauer, the Democratic Representative from Columbia, in 2022. Meanwhile, Vic Dabney, another former Republican Representative from Camden, faced a crushing defeat in his bid for re-election.
As Ott gears up to take his seat in the Senate, the competition to fill his vacant position is heating up. Former Representative Jerry Govan, who hails from Orangeburg, is now in a run-off with Johnny Felder.
Felder is seeking the position that his father, former Rep. John Gressette Felder, held for 24 years. In addition, he is the great-nephew of the well-known late state Sen. Marion Gressette, whose name has been given to the Senate’s office building on the Statehouse grounds. Marion Gressette is recognized as one of the longest-serving legislators in South Carolina’s history.
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