Richland solicitor Johnson under fire but still could win June primary

Despite federal and state investigations into the questionable spending of tens of thousands of dollars, embattled Fifth Circuit Solicitor Dan Johnson still could win his June primary contest.

Johnson has been dogged by numerous reports about allegedly improper spending during his eight years as the chief prosecutor for Richland and Kershaw counties.

But political insiders say the two-term incumbent still is favored to beat challenger Byron Gipson in the June 12 Democratic primary, winning his party's nomination for the November general election.

"Dan's the front-runner," says former state Rep. Bakari Sellers, a Columbia lawyer and CNN commentator.

Johnson has the power of incumbency — incumbents rarely lose in South Carolina — and his challenger, Columbia lawyer Gipson, is a political unknown "who has to do a whole lot of work in a very short time," Sellers said.

Another dynamic is racial, says Sellers.

Both Gipson and Johnson are African-American.

However, Sellers added, "A lot of moderate white voters who would be voting for Byron (Gipson) will likely be voting in the Republican primary for Gov. (Henry) McMaster that day."

(South Carolina's political parties tend to be racially divided — most white voters vote Republican, and most black voters vote Democratic.)

Longtime Richland County political activist Diane Sumpter also gives the edge to Johnson.

"I absolutely think Dan has support out there," Sumpter said. "I never heard of Byron Gipson until I saw him on TV."

Johnson has started some programs that a lot of people like, Sumpter said.

For example, his office has run programs on how to get minor criminal offenses expunged from individuals' records, helping them get jobs and Pell grants for school, Sumpter said. "That has been very well received in the black community."

Another reason for Johnson's sway?

He, like many other S.C. politicians, has built bridges by employing the children of politically connected people as interns and assistant solicitors. For example, Richland County Magistrate's Judge Daniel Coble, son of longtime former Columbia Mayor Bob Coble, was an assistant prosecutor in Johnson's office.

Even Republicans say it won't be easy to beat Johnson.

"From my Republican friends who have Democratic friends, I have heard over and over again that Dan Johnson has much more support than you would ever suspect," said state Rep. Kirkman Finlay, R-Richland.

As 2018 started, Johnson was an overwhelming favorite to win a third term as solicitor of Richland and Kershaw counties. In that $141,300-a-year position, Johnson controls the criminal docket in both counties and a host of other programs. His office also has a budget in the millions of dollars.

However, in March, a public interest foundation, Public Access to Public Records, or PAPR, began to publish on the internet records of Johnson's office spending from 2011 through last November.

Those records showed Johnson questionably had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in public money, including to travel around the country and abroad. Johnson's travels included visiting luxury casino complexes and renting Uber luxury cars. Checks for thousands of dollars also commonly were made out to "cash" without any documentation in the solicitor's office.

That spending record set off ongoing investigations by the FBI and the State Law Enforcement Division. Meanwhile, Johnson said his office had hired an auditor to review its spending.

In late March, Gipson announced he would oppose Johnson in the June primary, promising he would make "sure the office is audited properly and the public knows where the money's going."

Putting up signs Thursday in the St. Andrews area of Richland County, Gipson acknowledged he is not as well-known as Johnson.

But, he added, "I feel like if people know what we stand for. They will have an educated choice to make. I'm going to work hard to restore integrity to this office."

Johnson did not respond to requests for comment.

This story was originally published May 10, 2018 at 6:02 PM with the headline "Richland solicitor Johnson under fire but still could win June primary."