Midlands, SC lawmakers draw 2020 challengers during time when election cycle uncertain
Former Columbia City Councilman Moe Baddourah — who last year lost his city seat to a newcomer — filed Monday to run for the South Carolina Senate seat currently held by firebrand freshman state Sen. Dick Harpootlian.
To face the Richland Democrat, Baddourah, a businessman and field engineer, would have to win a three-way GOP primary that includes Randy Dickey and Benjamin Dunn, a failed U.S. Senate candidate who lost to Harpootlian in the 2018 midterms by fewer than 2,000 votes.
Baddourah, who also has run for Columbia mayor and Richland County Council, did not respond by press time.
Harpootlian, who will not face a Democratic opponent, told The State on Monday he looks forward to a “robust campaign” in the fall.
“Whoever wins the Republican primary better be able to talk about issues and not hackneyed political slogans,” said Harpootlian, whose first term so far has included nearly blocking a deal between the state and the Carolina Panthers football team to bring their North Carolina operations across the border, calling for more transparency in the state budget and fighting operations of some college bars.
“I’ve worked very hard to protect my constituents both at the State House and on local issues,” Harpootlian said.
Harpootlian now joins more than a dozen Midlands area incumbent lawmakers who will face challengers in an election cycle that presents an unprecedented challenge. The coronavirus outbreak in the state is forcing public officials to figure out how to hold elections at a time when residents are being told to stay at home if possible and keep their distance from others in order to avoid catching or transmitting the highly contagious virus.
With public health experts and federal and state leaders calling to “social distance” to avoid the virus’ spread, election officials say they are considering whether to ask the Legislature to expand absentee voting to every South Carolinian, not just those, for example, of a certain age, or even whether to postpone the June primary and reschedule it for possibly August.
“It makes for a unique situation,” said Columbia’s Michael Letts, one of three Republicans who, along with Lee Blatt and David Larsen, filed this month to run for the northeast Richland Senate District 22, the seat currently held by Sen. Mia McLeod, D-Richland.
Blatt and Larsen were not immediately available for comment.
McLeod said Monday not only does she welcome opposition but she also looks forward to it.
“Competition makes us stronger. It does not make us complacent,” McLeod said. “It’s no coincidence that Richland County’s most outspoken senators have three Republican opponents each. I consider it a badge of honor.”
Letts, a Columbia-area businessman who runs In-Vest USA, which provides body armor to first responders, told The State on Monday that given the timing between the coronavirus and the primary, he will rely on phone-banking, social media, mail and media releases to campaign.
“It’s uncharted territory for everybody,” Letts said.
Senate seats are not the only ones up for grabs this year. Nearly a dozen House members from the Midlands also face challengers.
They include Rep. Jimmy Bales, who was first elected to the District 80 seat, representing parts of Kershaw and Richland counties, in 1999.
Bales, 84, will face Jermaine Johnson, former state campaign chair for former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, in the Democratic primary. Should Bales win his primary, he’ll likely face Republican Vincent Wilson, the only Republican to file for the seat. Wilson was not immediately available for comment.
Johnson, 34, who is involved with the Richland County Recreation Commission and owns a consulting firm, told The State on Monday, it’s time to “pass the torch” and open up the seat to a new generation.
“If all my great mentors waited ... then we would be missing out on a lot of good things now,” Johnson said. “It’s time to move forward. My generation and my community, the current representative doesn’t represent what my community looks like now.”
Bales told The State on Monday he has no reason to believe his constituents will vote him out, saying he has taken care of his district.
“You have to be up there awhile before you can do much to help your district and get money appropriated for projects,” said Bales, D-Richland, who sits on the House’s powerful budget-writing committee. “You’re not going to go up there in the first six, seven years and get anything done. That’s just not going to happen. You’ve got to wait your time. When you get on Ways and Means, you can do a few things for your district. Things don’t just happen quick.”
Bales wouldn’t say whether 2020 would be his last race, but added, “I’m thinking it’ll be my last term.”
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to accurately reflect a quote from state Sen. Mia McLeod.
This story was originally published March 31, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
