The Political Beat Candidate Guide: South Carolina Attorney General

Democrat Richard Hricik and Republican candidate David Stumbo are vying for the title of South Carolina Attorney General.

Stumbo did not respond to our candidate guide questionnaire.

We will publish his answers here, if we receive them.

Richard Hricik (D)

What would be your top priority as AG, and how do you plan to address it?

You work hard, play by the rules, and try to do right by others — but too often it feels like the law works differently for people with money, power, and connections than it does for you. I feel that too. As someone who turned wrenches before he ever turned pages in a law book, I know what feeling powerless is like. That’s why for three decades I’ve fought the powerful on behalf of ordinary people — and won. Because the Rule of Law applies to everyone—equally—including the powerful and the connected. It’s not “red” or “blue.” It’s black and white.

Most people think the AG is only about prosecuting criminals. That’s actually only a small part of the job as almost all criminal cases are handled by your county solicitor. The AG is actually the managing partner of a roughly 400-person, 100-lawyer law firm that is supposed to not only protect you, but also protect your rights, your wallet, and our God-given natural resources.

So my top priority is to go after ALL the bad guys who are harming you, and not just the criminals. We’ll get them, too. But I’ll also put the Attorney General’s office to work for you. I know what worries you here: data centers, corporate polluters, utility rates, Flock cameras and your rights, and whether local governments are following the rules. Those are exactly the fights the AG should be in for you. Too often lately, the office hasn’t done much for you. That’s about to change. And know this—a permit is not a license to drain your water, harm your community, or jack up your utility bills.

Because I take no donations — no PACs, no special interests, not even my own money — you know who I am and who I am fighting for. You. Because when you owe no one, you can fight for everyone. That’s my promise to you. And that’s the actual job of Attorney General-- to serve the people.

How do you plan to address violent crime in South Carolina?

Nothing matters more than your family’s safety. So start with something many people don’t realize: your county solicitor prosecutes virtually all the violent crime that occurs in your county. The Attorney General’s job is to make your local solicitors and local law enforcement stronger — with training, rapid legal support, and the backup they need — and to step in only on the biggest and toughest cases that cross county lines.

First, listen. Law enforcement has told me they want much more communication with the AG’s office and a real voice in helping them get results in their communities. Officers and agencies shouldn’t have to wait for permission to get legal help from the Office of AG. My office will be directly available to them. I taught law enforcement as a college professor. Here’s the links to the responses of me and my opponent on how they will support law enforcement. You can read and decide for yourself who has a plan.

Second, lead like the private-sector leader I am. Insiders tend to see things as, “That’s just the way it’s always been done.” And that is not a reason to keep doing anything—especially when it’s not achieving results. For 30 years I’ve run a law firm that only survives by delivering results. I’ll use modern data, technology, and analytics to put resources — and your tax dollars — where the threats are the greatest. A smarter office delivers more safety without costing you more.

Third, prioritize the violence that is killing South Carolinians that we just can’t seem to fix: domestic violence and drunk driving. We rank among the worst in the nation in both. I’ll expand the office’s domestic violence prosecution work, help solicitors win these types of cases instead of pleading them away while pushing for maximum penalties, and publicly track the results.

What is your stance on the death penalty?

I support the death penalty, and I will use it where the law allows. It is the most serious power a state has and this is a question of law, not politics. The Legislature and the Constitution set its limits. Courts decide whether each case meets them. My job is to uphold and defend The Rule of Law and follow that law faithfully, no more and no less.

In practice, local solicitors usually decide whether to seek a death sentence at trial. And their job ends when the trial is over. Because it is the Attorney General’s office that handles what comes after: all the appeals and post-conviction review that can stretch on for years. That is where the skill and experience in appeals matters most—defending that death sentence, because the families of the victims have been through enough, and their loss should never have to be relived because the sentence was lost on appeal.

I have successfully litigated cases in the state and federal courts, including the federal court of appeals and even up to the US Supreme Court. I know appellate law and teach constitutional civil rights law at two law schools. I know the law, the appeals courts, and how to make sure justice is delivered “like a never-failing stream.”

What separates you from your opponent?

Qualifications: you want to hire the most-qualified attorney with the experience and skills to do the actual job of Attorney General. Here is the link to my professional biography. The actual job of Attorney General is to be the managing partner of a roughly 400-person 100-lawyer statewide law office with seven divisions. The word “General” is in the title because the job requires general legal knowledge—and the more areas of law the better: constitutional law, consumer protection, utilities, the environment, securities, complex lawsuits against national corporations, appeals, and holding government itself to the Rule of Law just to name some of them.

Yes, the office also handles select criminal cases, but those cases aren’t tried by the AG—Creighton Waters (not Alan Wilson) is trying the case against Alex Murdaugh. Managing partners run the Office; they don’t try the criminal cases—the job of Attorney General is so much bigger than that.

So why me? Don’t look at my words. Look up my record and my resume. For 30-plus years I’ve fought and won for ordinary people against powerful corporations and even against government, in state and federal court. I’ve worked since I was 13, put myself through college at night, and was the first in my family to graduate college. I know who I am, where I came from, and who I have always fought for. Before law school, I was an accountant at the then largest firm in the world and did forensic work. I can follow the money and find all the corruption. I built a very successful small business from scratch, ethically, and without TV advertising. I teach constitutional civil rights litigation at two law schools. I’ve taken a case to the United States Supreme Court. And the South Carolina Supreme Court appoints me to help investigate ethics complaints against other attorneys.

I have the qualifications, skills, and experience to run the whole law firm, and that means I can go after ALL the bad guys for you, not just the criminals—I’ll get them all for you. That’s the actual job. I owe no one but you and the Rule of Law; even the folks who don’t for me.