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Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former SC treasurer and reality TV star ends bid for governor, days after announcement
Thomas Ravenel and Rouge Apker attend Miami Beach Polo Event at W South Beach Hotel & Residences on April 26, 2013 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo byfor W South Beach Hotel & Residences) COLUMBIA — South Carolina is back to zero official gubernatorial candidates. Four days after announcing his run for governor, Thomas Ravenel — a former reality TV star and state treasurer who quit following a federal cocaine indictment — withdrew from the race. The 62-year-old former 'Southern Charm' star announced his decision just after 5 p.m. on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday, saying that he needs to focus on family. 'Being a single father of three young children, I believe this is not the time for me to be running for Governor of South Carolina. Consequently, I hereby withdraw my intentions to be a gubernatorial candidate in 2026,' he wrote. Ravenel, who lives in Aiken County, has two boys who are 4 1/2 and 9, as well as a daughter who is 10, he told the SC Daily Gazette last week. 'At this juncture of my life, it is much more important to raise my young family than to run for political office,' he said. Ravenel's exit from the 2026 governor's race leaves no official candidates. But that could soon change. U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace has openly said she's considering a run for governor and delivered a bombshell speech on the House floor Monday. The coastal 1st District congresswoman accused four men of 'some of the most heinous crimes against women imaginable.' All four strongly denied the allegations. Former treasurer, reality TV star announces run for SC governor Attorney General Alan Wilson and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette are also expected to run. State Sen. Josh Kimbrell, R-Spartanburg, has also said he's considering a run. Gov. Henry McMaster, the state's longest-serving elected governor, can't seek another term, creating a wide-open field. Ravenel announced his short-lived campaign at 11:02 p.m. last Thursday in a post on X. 'I'm running for Governor of South Carolina and none of the lightweights currently in the race are going to stop me,' he wrote. 'I have a message that's going to change not just South Carolina but the entire country.' Ravenel is the son of the late state senator and congressman Arthur Ravenel Jr, who was known as 'Cousin Arthur.' Arthur Ravenel died in 2023 at 95. Thomas Ravenel's political career started with an unsuccessful bid for U.S. Senate in 2004 ultimately won by former Sen. Jim DeMint. Only two years later, Ravenel was considered a rising Republican star when he defeated Democrat Grady Patterson, a nine-term incumbent, to become state treasurer. But six months after being sworn in, he was indicted on a federal cocaine charge, resigned, then pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute less than 500 grams of cocaine He completed a 10-month prison sentence in March 2009. He stressed to the Daily Gazette last Friday that he was only sharing cocaine, not distributing. 'If you buy a six pack of beer and share it, are you a beer distributor?' he asked. Ravenel was on the Bravo network reality TV show 'Southern Charm' from 2014-2018, the first five seasons of the show. In 2018, he was accused of sexual assault. He pleaded guilty in 2019 to third-degree assault and battery and paid a $500 fine in lieu of a 30-day sentence, The State reported. Ravenel's last bid for office was more than a decade ago. He challenged U.S. Sen Lindsey Graham in 2014 as a petition candidate after the senator handily beat six GOP primary challengers without needing a runoff. But Ravenel finished third on the November ballot with less than 4% of the vote.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Former treasurer, reality TV star announces run for SC governor
Thomas Ravenel and Rouge Apker attend Miami Beach Polo Event at W South Beach Hotel & Residences on April 26, 2013 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo byfor W South Beach Hotel & Residences) COLUMBIA — South Carolina has its first official candidate for governor. And the name should be familiar to many in the Palmetto State. Thomas Ravenel, a former reality TV star and state treasurer who quit following a federal cocaine indictment, announced his plan to run for governor on X late Thursday. 'I'm running for Governor of South Carolina and none of the lightweights currently in the race are going to stop me,' he said in the post sent out at 11:02 p.m. 'I have a message that's going to change not just South Carolina but the entire country.' Ravenel, 62, did not immediately respond to a message left on his office phone. He teased his announcement in a post last week that criticized South Carolina's all-Republican leadership. 'I'm thinking about getting back into politics. We've had terrible leadership at the governor's position,' he posted Feb. 1. 'We're one of the least competitive states in the southeast based on our extremely high counterproductive income tax rates. Also, we tax cars and boats and boat motors and the costs to extract these taxes barely cover the revenue received.' He concluded the post by saying, 'Poor leadership!!!' Property taxes are levied and collected by counties, not the state, to fund local government services and public schools. And while South Carolina's top marginal rate of 6.2% remains the highest in the Southeast, the average effective tax rate — what tax filers actually pay after deductions and exemptions — was among the nation's lowest (for states with an income tax) even before a 2022 state law collectively cut taxes by $1 billion. That law is set to be fully phased next January, a year ahead of schedule. Ravenel, 62, is the son of the late state senator and congressman Arthur Ravenel Jr., namesake of the bridge connecting the Charleston peninsula to Mount Pleasant. Thomas Ravenel was seen as a rising Republican star when he defeated longtime Democratic state Treasurer Grady Patterson in November 2006. But his star came crashing down in July 2007, when he resigned amid a federal cocaine charge and pleaded guilty to possession two months later. He completed a 10-month prison sentence in March 2009. Nancy Mace yet to announce bid for SC governor, but jabs at potential opponents Ravenel was also on the first five seasons of the reality TV show 'Southern Charm.' He left the show after the fifth season but made a surprise appearance in the premiere of the seventh season. This isn't Ravenel's first attempt at a return to politics. In 2014, he announced a challenge to U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham after the Republican incumbent easily beat six GOP primary opponents. Ravenel got on the November ballot as a petition candidate after collecting the necessary minimum of 10,000 signatures from registered voters. But he ultimately placed a distant third, with less than 4% of the vote. While no one else has announced a run to replace Gov. Henry McMaster, who can't seek a third full term, the race has already heated up. U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace is traveling the state as she's contemplating a run at the Governor's Mansion, already bashing Attorney General Alan Wilson and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, who are expected to run. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
