Longtime Dorchester-Orangeburg Solicitor David Pascoe easily wins in rare primary contest (2024)

ST. MATTHEWS— Longtime Democratic prosecutor David Pascoe will keep his seat after drawing a rare reelection challenge to his seat as First Circuit solicitor.

With nearly 6,000 votes cast as of 8:30 p.m. June 11, Pascoe led his opponent, Austin Nichols, by an 83 percent to 17 percent margin in the race to become the top prosecutor covering Dorchester, Orangeburg and Calhoun counties.

Nichols called Pascoe roughly around the same time, Pascoe said.

"Today, the voters have overwhelmingly rejected the selfish politics of Columbia," Pascoe said in a text message. "Rejected the politics of deceit and race-baiting; and instead they embraced service above self, truth, and justice. The Rutherford-Nichols brand of campaigning has no home in the First Circuit."

The comment referred to S.C. House lawmaker Todd Rutherford, who had often sparred with Pascoe.

Nichols could not immediately be reached for comment.

The race was a rare challenge for Pascoe, who has occupied the office since 2005 and not faced a primary challenger in more than a decade.

An outspoken anti-corruption activist, Pascoe's statewide profile was elevatedthrough his prosecution ofStatehouse corruption casesin the late 2010s. In recent years, he has staked his claim as a vocal supporter of judicial reform and has called for a close to the practice of so-called lawyer-legislators in the South Carolina Legislature being allowed to select judges they may one day try cases in front of.

Some speculated that stance inspired the opposition against him.

Nichols is an attorney for a law firm owned and operated by Rutherford, the House minority leader, Columbia Democrat and attorney with whom Pascoe has repeatedly clashed.

While Nichols denied Rutherford recruited him to run in prior interviews with The Post and Courier, political observers saw the race as a proxy battle between Pascoe and Rutherford, who has vocally called for someone to run against the incumbent.

Much of the Democratic establishment had rallied behind Pascoe. In late May, longtime Democratic congressman Jim Clyburn announced he would be backing Pascoe, while the legal community pumped thousands more dollars into his campaign coffers.

According to campaign finance reports, former state Democratic Party chairman and sitting Sen. Dick Harpootlian — who has regularly sparred with Rutherford on judicial reform —donated $1,000 to Pascoe's campaign, helping fuel a political operation that outspent Nichols by a near-six figure margin.

"I’m both grateful and humbled by the margin of victory," Pascoe said in a text message. "It’s a testament to my staff and their exemplary service to our community. It’s also a statement against the negative politics of Todd Rutherford and Austin Nichols, who spent thousands of dollars in dark money and money from Rutherford’s personal campaign account to attack me. Look what it got them, 20 percent of vote."

No Republican filed for the seat.