Dick Harpootlian

Last updated

Harpootlian and Jim Griffin represent former attorney Alex Murdaugh, who had been charged with more than 90 counts of breach of trust with fraudulent intent, computer crimes, money laundering and forgery. Murdaugh was convicted of murdering his young son Paul and wife Maggie and was sentenced to two life sentences, after a six-week long trial. [4]

On December 11, 2024, Harpootlian and Griffin filed a South Carolina Supreme Court appeal of the double murder conviction. [5] [6]

Political career

Fifth Circuit Solicitor

Harpootlian was elected solicitor for the Fifth Judicial Circuit of South Carolina, serving from 1991 until 1995. [7] During that time, Harpootlian prosecuted Pee Wee Gaskins and University of South Carolina President Jim Holderman. [8] [9]

1994 South Carolina Attorney General race

Harpootlian ran for attorney general of South Carolina in 1994 losing to Charlie Condon in the general election. [10] [11] He served as the chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party twice. [12] He is credited with the party's decision to move the South Carolina primary earlier in the primary schedule. [13]

South Carolina Senate

On June 4, 2018, John E. Courson resigned his senate seat after pleading guilty to mishandling campaign funds. [14] Courson's resignation was related to the South Carolina Statehouse corruption investigation led by David Pascoe which found multiple instances of wrongdoing in the South Carolina General Assembly. In November 2018, Harpootlian defeated Benjamin Dunn in a special election for Courson's old senate seat. [15] It was the first time in 14 years a Democrat flipped a Republican-held Senate seat. [16]

  • 2020 South Carolina Senate election: In 2020, Harpootlian faced repeat challenger Benjamin Dunn, defeating him for a second time.
  • 2024 South Carolina Senate election: In 2021, redistricting plans for the South Carolina Senate moved Harpootlian's district in Richland County to Charleston County on the coast. [17] On January 11, 2024, Harpootlian announced his candidacy for State Senate District 26 seat, currently held by incumbent Senator Nikki G. Setzler, who is not running for re-election. [18] State Representative Russell Ott announced for the seat in February 2024. [19] [20] The primary race between Harpootlian and Ott has generated headlines. Harpootlian was endorsed by Congressman Jim Clyburn and Former State Representative Bakari Sellers. Ott was endorsed by St. Matthews Mayor Helen Carson-Peterson. [21] [22] [23] [24] In the preliminary results for the 2024 Democratic primary, Harpootlian lost to Ott by 2 points. [25]
Tenure

Since joining the Senate, Harpootlian has been critical of the University of South Carolina's hiring practices and legislation giving the Carolina Panthers tax incentives to move their headquarters to Rock Hill, South Carolina. In May 2019, Harpootlian commissioned his own independent analysis on the economic benefits of moving the Panthers headquarters to Rock Hill. The report found that the added jobs to the area were a third of what the state of South Carolina's review found. Harpootlian stalled the Senate vote on the measure although it later passed. [26]

In November 2019, Harpootlian was criticized for profanely threatening to have an aide of the Richland County Legislation Delegation fired over a press release which failed to include job openings at the Columbia airport. [27] In December 2019 he called the university's search for the president's next chief of staff "cronyism at its finest." [28] Harpootlian came out against a bill in the senate which would legalize curbside pickup for alcohol products in January 2020. [29] And in December of that year Harpootlian raised concerns about $43 million in untracked earmarks which attracted statewide coverage. [30]

In March 2021, Harpootlian proposed that South Carolina permit the use of firing squads as an alternative method of capital punishment in South Carolina. Harpootlian said that while he "abhorred" and "resisted" the death penalty, his work as a prosecutor trying the serial killer Donald Henry Gaskins led to him opposing the electric chair as a "horrible, horrible thing to do to another human being." He worked with Republican State Senator Greg Hembree to propose that a bill allowing the use of electrocution also allow the condemned to choose between that option and firing squads. Harpootlian said that "the death penalty is going to stay the law here for a while. If we’re going to have it, it ought to be humane... This was a desperation move on my part to minimize the pain and suffering of the condemned." [31]

Endorsements

During the 2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Harpootlian stated that he was a "Joe Biden guy." [32] He endorsed Bernie Sanders for president on February 3, 2016, comparing Sanders' passion with the kind Obama exuded in 2007 when they had first met." [33] In 2020, Harpootlian endorsed Joe Biden for president, stating "If the Democratic Party believes nominating a socialist is the way to win in November, they need to start drug testing at the national committee" in reference to Sanders. [34]

Controversies

In September 2012, Harpootlian drew controversy when he compared then-governor Nikki Haley to Eva Braun, the mistress of Adolf Hitler. The remarks were condemned by Norm Coleman, the chair of the Jewish coalition of Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, who accused him of "trivializing Nazism". [35] Harpootlian drew further controversy in 2013 for remarks he made at the annual Jackson-Jefferson dinner of the state Democratic Party, where he said that they needed to "send Nikki Haley back to wherever the hell she came from"; Haley is Indian-American with Sikh heritage, and her parents immigrated from India. A Haley campaign spokeswoman criticized the remarks as targeting her ethnicity. [36] Harpootlian's remarks were condemned as racist or xenophobic by Indian news outlets India Today , Firstpost , and Outlook . [37] [38] [39] Harpootlian later apologized, claiming that he did not intend to target her ethnicity and that he wanted her to "go back to being an accountant in a dress store rather than being this fraud of a governor that we have". [36]

On February 5, 2020, Harpootlian tweeted that South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Jerry Govan Jr., received "almost $50,000" from the Tom Steyer Presidential campaign for campaign services. [40] Harpootlian referred to Steyer as "Mr. Moneybags" and suggested that he had purchased Govan's support. [41] Later that day, members of the South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus held a press conference asking Biden to distance himself from Harpootlian. [42] Later that day, Steyer accused Harpootlian of having "a horrid track record of disrespecting and disparaging African Americans." [40] Steyer also asked Biden to disavow Dick Harpootlian and what he said during a 2020 Democratic Party presidential debate in New Hampshire. Harpootlian denied that his comments were racially motivated, [43] State Sen. Marlon Kimpson, a Legislative Black Caucus member, noted that the press conference was not held by the caucus itself, but by Govan and his supporters; some caucus members, including Kimpson, did not participate. Kimpson, a Biden supporter, characterized the controversy as an outgrowth of personal feuds between state lawmakers. [44]

Personal life

His wife, Jamie Lindler Harpootlian, served as the ambassador of the United States to the Republic of Slovenia. [45]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry McMaster</span> Governor of South Carolina since 2017

Henry Dargan McMaster is an American politician and attorney serving as the 117th governor of South Carolina since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 50th attorney general of South Carolina from 2003 to 2011 and the 91st lieutenant governor of South Carolina from 2015 to 2017 under Governor Nikki Haley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikki Haley</span> American politician and diplomat (born 1972)

Nimarata Nikki Randhawa Haley is an American politician and diplomat who served as the 116th governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017 and as the 29th U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from January 2017 to December 2018. A Republican, Haley is the first Indian American to serve in a presidential cabinet. She was a candidate in the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries. Her victory in the Washington, D.C. primary on March 3, 2024, made her the first woman ever to win a Republican Party presidential primary contest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James E. Smith Jr.</span> American politician

James Emerson Smith Jr. is an American politician who served as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1996 to 2019. Smith is a combat veteran and a serving officer in the South Carolina Army National Guard, a small business owner, and a practicing attorney in Columbia, South Carolina.

Nikki G. Setzler is an American politician who is a Democratic member of the South Carolina Senate, representing the 26th District since 1976. In November 2020, Setzler announced that he would step down as Minority Leader.

C. Bradley Hutto is an American politician currently serving as a Democratic member of the South Carolina Senate, representing Senate District 40 since 1996. He is the Democratic Minority Leader in the Senate, succeeding Nikki Setzler on November 17, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 South Carolina gubernatorial election</span>

The 2014 South Carolina gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the governor of South Carolina, concurrently with the regularly-scheduled election and special election to both of South Carolina's U.S. Senate seats, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

Wendell G. Gilliard is an American politician, steelworker, and union official. A Democrat, Gilliard serves as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing the 111th District.

Russell L. Ott is an American lobbyist and politician from the state of South Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, he is a Member representing the South Carolina State Senate District 26.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 South Carolina elections</span>

A general election was held in the U.S. state of South Carolina on November 4, 2014. All of South Carolina's executive officers were up for election as well as both United States Senate seats, and all of South Carolina's seven seats in the United States House of Representatives.

Justin Tyler Bamberg is an American attorney and politician serving as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 90th district, which includes all of Bamberg County and parts of Orangeburg County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaime Harrison</span> American attorney and politician (born 1976)

Jaime R. Harrison is an American lawyer and politician who is the chair of the Democratic National Committee. He previously served as the chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party from 2013 to 2017. Harrison ran against Senator Lindsey Graham in the 2020 United States Senate election in South Carolina, he was defeated by ten points.

Marlon E. Kimpson is an American politician and attorney who serves as a member of the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations in the Office of the United States Trade Representative during the presidency of Joe Biden. Kimpson served in the South Carolina Senate from 2013 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 South Carolina elections</span>

A general election was held in the U.S. state of South Carolina on November 6, 2018. All of South Carolina's executive officers were up for election as well as all of South Carolina's seven seats in the United States House of Representatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 South Carolina Democratic presidential primary</span>

The 2020 South Carolina Democratic presidential primary took place on February 29, 2020, and was the fourth nominating contest in the Democratic Party primaries for the 2020 presidential election. The South Carolina primary was an open primary and awarded 64 delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention, of which 54 were pledged delegates allocated on the basis of the results of the primary. Former vice president Joe Biden and senator Bernie Sanders were the only candidates to earn delegates. Biden won 48.7% of the popular vote and notably placed first in every county in the state; it was his first ever win in a presidential primary. Sanders came in second place and won 19.8% of the popular vote. Businessman Tom Steyer, who had staked his entire campaign on the state, placed third but did not surpass the threshold and dropped out of the race, endorsing Biden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Pascoe</span> Solicitor

David Michael Pascoe is an American lawyer serving as the First Circuit Solicitor in the state of South Carolina since 2005. The First Circuit comprises Dorchester, Calhoun, and Orangeburg counties. In 2016, Pascoe won a Supreme Court case against the South Carolina Attorney General where the Attorney General attempted to remove Pascoe as the special prosecutor in a corruption probe involving the General Assembly. Pascoe oversaw the investigation and secured convictions on five powerful South Carolina General Assembly members that included the House speaker, President Pro Tem of the Senate, Chairman of the House Judiciary, and two former House Majority Leaders.

JA Moore is an American politician. He is a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 15th District, serving since 2018. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 South Carolina Senate election</span>

The 2020 South Carolina State Senate elections took place as part of the biennial 2020 United States elections. South Carolina voters elected state senators in all 46 senate districts. State senators serve four-year terms in the South Carolina Senate, with all of the seats up for election each cycle. The primary elections on June 9, 2020, determined which candidates appeared on the November 3, 2020, general election ballot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 United States presidential election in South Carolina</span>

The 2024 United States presidential election in South Carolina took place on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, as part of the 2024 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia will participate. South Carolina voters will choose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote. The state of South Carolina has nine electoral votes in the Electoral College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Harpootlian</span> American lawyer and diplomat

Jamie Lindler Harpootlian is an American lawyer who served as the United States ambassador to Slovenia from 2021 to 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 South Carolina Senate election</span>

The 2024 South Carolina Senate election was held on November 5, 2024, alongside the 2024 United States elections. Primary elections took place on June 11, 2024.

References

  1. ↑ "Jody Harpootlian-Morgan Obituary (2015) - Charlotte, NC - Charlotte Observer". Legacy.com .
  2. ↑ Self, Jamie (May 2, 2015). "Armenian genocide anniversary stirs memories for descendants in S.C." The State. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  3. ↑ Trainor, Chris (August 2, 2021). "One Five Points bar to close, but two others can get their liquor licenses" . The State. Archived from the original on 2021-08-20. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  4. ↑ Phillips, Patrick; Green, Mary (2023-03-07). "Harpootlian addresses SC Senate colleagues, critics after Murdaugh trial". live5news. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
  5. ↑ DeWitt, Jr., Michael M. (December 11, 2024). "Alex Murdaugh has filed 132-page SC Supreme Court appeal of double murder conviction". Greenville News. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Alex Murdaugh's murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence". ABC News. December 12, 2024. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  7. ↑ "Who is Judge Clifton Newman? Alex Murdaugh double murder trial judge in national spotlight".
  8. ↑ "University Ex-President Is Target of Sex Charge". The New York Times. Associated Press. 1991-10-23. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2019-04-13.
  9. ↑ Harris, Art (June 23, 1983). "The Seeds of Vengeance". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
  10. ↑ "AllPolitics - The Postpartum Prosecutor - Dec. 15, 1997". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 2019-04-13.
  11. ↑ "Our Campaigns - SC Attorney General Race - Nov 08, 1994".
  12. ↑ Weiner, Rachel (2011-04-04). "Dick Harpootlian: Return of the King?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-04-13.
  13. ↑ Davenport, Jim (4 May 2003). "Acid-tongued Harpootlian hands over S.C. Democratic Party reins". The Times and Democrat. Associated Press. Retrieved 2019-04-14.
  14. ↑ "Richland Sen. John Courson Enters Guilty Plea, Resigns from Office". WLTX. Retrieved 2019-04-14.
  15. ↑ "Democrat Dick Harpootlian wins special election for South Carolina Senate District 20". WLTX. Retrieved 2019-04-14.
  16. ↑ Joseph Cranney (13 November 2018). "Former SC Democratic leader bringing 'aggressive' style to state Senate". Post and Courier. Retrieved 2019-04-14.
  17. ↑ "Statehouse Report – NEWS BRIEFS: Charleston may gain Senate seat from Columbia in remap". Statehouse Report. November 11, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-12-25. Retrieved 2021-12-25.
  18. ↑ Brams, Sophie (January 11, 2024). "Democrat Dick Harpootlian to seek re-election to South Carolina Senate". WCBD-TV. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  19. ↑ Parrilla-Guerrero, Mayra (February 13, 2024). "State Representative Russell Ott announces candidacy for State Senate District 26". WIS-TV. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  20. ↑ Kokes, Kailee (February 13, 2024). "Ott, Harpootlian to square off for state Senate nom after Setzler's retirement". Lexington County Chronicle. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  21. ↑ Bustos, Joseph (May 29, 2024). "Who's a true Democrat? Harpootlian and Ott trade barbs in SC Senate primary". The State Newspaper. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  22. ↑ Thompson, Alexander (May 29, 2024). "Murdaugh attorney Harpootlian in fierce primary fight to keep spot in state Senate". The Post and Courier. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  23. ↑ "Dick Harpootlian Hammers Russell Ott On Abortion Votes". Fitsnews. May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  24. ↑ Neville, Nick (May 20, 2024). "Harpootlian, Ott face off in spirited, contentious SC Senate District 26 forum". WIS-TV. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  25. ↑ Thompson, Alexander (June 11, 2024). "Russell Ott ousts Murdaugh attorney Dick Harpootlian in SC Senate primary". [[The Post and Courier. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  26. ↑ "Carolina Panthers Offered $120M to move practice field to SC". USA Today . Archived from the original on 2019-05-09.
  27. ↑ "Richland senator accused of threatening county employee's job in profanity-laced rant". The State. November 26, 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-11-29.
  28. ↑ "USC opens another brief search for a top executive. This time it's for chief of staff". The State. December 5, 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-12-07.
  29. ↑ Bohatch, Emily (January 22, 2020). "SC bill to make alcohol delivery and curbside pick up legal moves forward". The State. Archived from the original on 2020-01-23.
  30. ↑ Associated Press, Report: $43 Mil in Earmarked Spending Poorly Tracked. (Dec. 19, 2020). Retrieved Dec. 19, 2020 from
  31. ↑ Jamie Lovegrove (7 May 2021). "Why a Democrat pushed for firing squad to be added to SC death penalty bill". Post and Courier. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  32. ↑ Schwartz, Ian (January 14, 2016). "Former SC Dem Chairman Harpootlian: "I'm A Joe Biden Guy"". www.realclearpolitics.com. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
  33. ↑ LoBianco, Tom. "South Carolina Dem Richard Harpootlian backs Sanders". CNN. Retrieved Oct 15, 2020.
  34. ↑ Stein, Sam; Trudo, Hanna; Markay, Lachlan (January 27, 2020). "Worried Democratic Operatives Scramble to Fund a Network to Take Down Bernie Sanders" . Retrieved October 15, 2020– via www.thedailybeast.com.
  35. ↑ "Dick Harpootlian Compares Nikki Haley To Hitler's Mistress Eva Braun [Updated]". Huffington Post . September 5, 2012. Retrieved February 29, 2020.[ dead link ]
  36. 1 2 Martin, Jonathan (May 4, 2013). "Dem S.C. chair defends Haley barb". Politico . Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  37. ↑ "US Democrat Leader Under Fire for Insulting Nikki Haley". Outlook . May 5, 2013. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  38. ↑ "Nikki Haley faces racist attack on her Indian roots". Firstpost . May 7, 2013. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  39. ↑ "Nikki Haley faces racist attack from Democrat Dick Harpootlian". India Today . May 7, 2013. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  40. 1 2 "Black lawmakers call Biden surrogate's comments racist, demand former VP disavow". NBC News. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
  41. ↑ Lovegrove, Jamie. "Steyer, Biden feud on debate stage over SC legislator's remarks about campaign payments". Post and Courier. Archived from the original on 2020-02-08. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
  42. ↑ "Black Lawmakers Demand Biden Disavow Surrogate's Comments". The New York Times. Associated Press. 2020-02-05. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2020-02-08.
  43. ↑ "Here's what Tom Steyer was attacking Joe Biden over during Friday night's debate". theweek.com. 2020-02-07. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
  44. ↑ Lovegrove, Jamie. "Steyer, Biden feud on debate stage over SC legislator's remarks about campaign payments". Post and Courier. Retrieved 2020-05-31.
  45. ↑ Monk, John (December 18, 2021). "Jamie Harpootlian of Columbia gets U.S. Senate nod to be ambassador to Slovenia" . The State.
Dick Harpootlian
Harpootlian-campaign.jpg
Member of the South Carolina Senate
from the 20th district
In office
November 14, 2018 –December 2024
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Attorney General of South Carolina
1994		Succeeded by
South Carolina Senate
Preceded by Member of the South Carolina Senate
from the 20th district
2018–present		Incumbent
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.