Hard-charging 8th Circuit Solicitor David Stumbo, of Greenwood, will be the South Carolina Republicans' nominee for Attorney General in November, overcoming a "dark money" effort to derail him with something called The Stumbo Files and a brief weekend hospitalization that cost him a day on the campaign trail.
Final results show Stumbo winning by just over 35,000 votes.
Solicitor for this circuit since 2012 - and a former employee and close ally of Governor nominee Alan Wilson - Stumbo swamped Stephen Goldfinch, a Grand Strand attorney, with 55.7% of the vote (to Goldfinch's 44.3%) as about 3/4 of the state's precincts reported Tuesday evening -- June 23 was a runoff election between the two men.
Stumbo got an endorsement from the man who ran 3rd in the earlier in June voting, David Pascoe; but President Donald J. Trump told Republicans not to vote for Pascoe because Pascoe used to be a Democrat. Dark money campaign literature linked Pascoe to Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Stumbo likely will be the state's next Attorney General, the seat that Wilson holds now but cannot retain as he runs for Governor, replacing Henry McMaster who cannot seek re-election. Wilson destroyed Lt. Gov. Pam Evette by a 68.3% to 31.7% margin with about 3/4 of the state's vote counted - Wilson's vote-margin in Laurens County was 4,251 to Evette's 1,434.
Evette earned President Trump's endorsement, but as it became clearer that Wilson would win, the President said SC Republicans couldn't go wrong with either candidate. As that took the wind out of Evette's sails, Wilson forged ahead campaigning with Texas Senator Ted Cruz in the final days of the run-off - the weekend before, Wilson made Laurens a campaign bus tour stop and he spoke at Laurens County's Memorial Day observance. As Lt. Gov., Evette had been in Laurens County post-Hurricane Helene and participated here in anti-litter and pro-nature-tourism efforts. A late in the campaign dark money TV ad linked Evette to drag queens and NY Congresswoman AOC. Wilson faces Democrat Jermaine Johnson in November.
For his part, Attorney General nominee Stumbo said, "Tonight, voters across our state sent a clear message: They want an Attorney General who will stand strong for the rule of law, defend our Constitution, support law enforcement and fight each day to keep our communities safe."
Stumbo kicked off his AG campaign at the Laurens County Museum's Magnolia Room, and traveled the state to receive the endorsements of Sheriffs and fellow Solicitors. In November, he faces off against Richard Hricik, a Democrat and a Mount Pleastant (Charleston) attorney -- Travis Medlock was the last Democrat to hold this position.
Another statewide race, for Agriculture Commissioner, was on Tuesday's run-off ballot, as Trump- and McMaster-endorsed Cody Simpson soundly defeated Danny Ford II, 62.5% to 37.5%.
The Democrats are putting forward a complete slate of statewide candidates this year, but no Democrat has held a statewide seat in South Carolina since 2006.
Republicans will say they are running on their record, but Democrats will counter that the GOP now owns it all - gas at $4-a-gallon, property tax hikes like the 5.24-mil increase passed Monday night by the Laurens County Council, what have been called "failing schools", and a business-friendly environment that has some people in the state worried that they will wake up one day next door to an energy-gobbling, water-gulping, high-pitched-humming data center.
Some of that concern is what kept the Laurens County Council in theiir budget-approval-third-reading-called meeting for 2 hours and 48 minutes Monday night. They approved a $42 Million budget by a 4-2 vote, with the results of property tax re-assessment still pending and giving county employees a 3% cost-of-living raise.
Poole joins this group in January, replacing former chairman Brown Patterson, along with Nancy Garrison, replacing Kemp Younts, and Darryl Halbert replacing council chairman Jeff Carroll.
Carroll, Patterson, and Younts chose not to stand for re-election to the Laurens County Council.
In fairness, it did not take the council nearly 3 hours to pass a budget - they conducted a legally-required public hearing, and then called for a quarterly citizens-speak on any topic meeting - and they got an earful.
After his run-off win over Wilson - the day after the county council meeting - Poole said, "I want to say congratulations to my opponent on a great campaign, and I want the folks in Cross Hill and Waterloo to know that I heard them loud and clear, and I won't disappoint them." As a graduate of Laurens Academy and school's the 2026 Commencement speaker, Poole is a distinguished military veteran and a vice-president of ProCore Pest Control.
In addition to 3 new members of the Laurens County Council, Laurens will have a new member of the SC Legislature. Republican voters turned out incumbent Luke Rankin in favor of Cross Hill businessman Rick Shealy earlier in June. Dark money campaigning plagued Rankin - who used a RINO in his televison ads - in the final days of the campaign, and he was sidelined somewhat on the local campaign trail by being a leader in the SC House of an successful attempt to re-apportion the state's 7 Congressional seats. The State Senate's vote on the matter came the same day as early voting opened, and a very strong first day turnout convinced a majority of state senators that it was too late in the election process to do re-apportionment. The Democrats took that as a win, as it likely saves veteran lawmaker Jim Clyburn his seat in the 6th District - the only one of the 7 held by a Democrat. At least 2 of these seats will see turnover, as Congress members Ralph Norman and Nancy Mace chose to run for the GOP governor nomination rather than stand for Congressional re-election.
Shealy's opponent for the Laurens-based House seat will be attorney Michanna Tate, a Democrat.
For his part, Shealy said "experience" was a key factor in his unseating Luke Rankin - the Rankin family welcomed their second child just days after the primary election.
RELATED, Stumbo's announcement here.
