He wants to represent Columbia in the SC Senate. But he just moved into the district

One of the candidates running for Columbia's vacant S.C. Senate seat is also one of the city's newer residents.

Insurance agent Bill Turbeville moved into an apartment in downtown Columbia just days before the seat came open last month.

State Sen. John Courson resigned on June 4 after pleading guilty to misconduct in office, more than a year after he was first indicted and suspended from office.

At the beginning of the month, Turbeville and his wife signed a lease on an apartment in Senate Plaza, leaving behind a house on Spring Lake Road in Forest Acres he had lived in, on and off, since 1995.

Turbeville says he made the move for a couple of reasons. An employee and his family is currently living in the Forest Acres house while another house is under construction and Turbeville planned to downsize after his children moved away. He and his wife are in the process of finding a smaller home downtown or in Shandon.

"My wife's a realtor, so she's been looking for a place for some time," Turbeville said. "She doesn't want to live in a condo for long."

But there is a reason to look for a home — and live temporarily in an apartment — downtown. Turbeville says he had long planned to seek Courson's seat, and a downtown residence would place him in the district. The family's Forest Acres home is in Senate District 22, which is represented by Democratic state Sen. Mia McLeod.

"It's something I've been thinking about, so that was in the thought process (for moving)," Turbeville said.

Turbeville is one of four Republicans seeking the nomination for the district in an Aug. 14 primary, along with attorneys Christian Stegmaier of Chapin, Benjamin Dunn of Balletine and John Haller of Columbia. Three Democrats also are seeking the seat.

Voter records indicate Turbeville was still registered in his Forest Acres precinct until June 27, the day after the state primary runoff which Turbeville voted in. He wouldn't have been able to register to vote in last month's primary at his new residence so soon before the vote.

This story was originally published July 2, 2018 at 4:34 PM.