He wrote a book on State House corruption. Now, he says he wants your vote to fix it

Longtime government watchdog John Crangle is running for office.

The 77-year-old filed Thursday to run as a Democrat for the S.C. House's District 75 seat, now held by state Rep. Kirkman Finlay, R-Richland.

Crangle — who wrote a book on Operation Lost Trust, the 1990s FBI sting into widespread bribery in the General Assembly — said he plans to campaign on rooting out State House corruption.

Finlay, 48, said he is looking forward to a "very, very competitive race."

Crangle says he will center his campaign on a proposal to eliminate conflicts of interest in South Carolina's part-time Legislature by abolishing the S.C. House and having only a full-time state Senate. “What I’m trying to do is reduce the opportunity for the payouts and the shakedowns, which I believe is the root of a lot of the evil that goes on down there."

Now, only Nebraska has a one-house Legislature.

Finlay, a former Columbia city councilman seeking a fourth term in the House, isn't a fan of Crangle's idea.

“Democracy is clearly not without flaws. It’s a little bit like Winston Churchill said, 'Democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others,' " said Finlay.

Of Crangle's proposed full-time Legislature, Finlay said, "It’s a little bit like the argument of making a field goal worth 4 points. You’re just changing it a little bit. You haven't proven in any form of substance that you get better people, different people, more qualified people or different outcomes.”

This story was originally published March 29, 2018 at 3:29 PM with the headline "He wrote a book on State House corruption. Now, he says he wants your vote to fix it."