Eighth Circuit Solicitor David Stumbo officially launched his bid for South Carolina attorney general Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (Photo provided by Stumbo campaign)
COLUMBIA — A three-term solicitor from the Upstate beat out a Grand Strand state senator to become the GOP nominee for South Carolina’s next top prosecutor.
When The Associated Press called the race at 8:48 p.m., David Stumbo was leading with 55% of the vote over Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, a businessman-turned-lawyer from Murrells Inlet. About 64% of ballots had been counted, according to unofficial state Election Commission results.
“Tonight, voters across our state sent a clear message: they want an attorney general who will stand strong for the rule of law, defend our Constitution, support law enforcement, and fight each day to keep our communities safe,” Stumbo said in a statement on social media.
Stumbo has been the chief prosecutor for Abbeville, Greenwood, Newberry and Laurens counties since voters first elected in 2012.
He had the backing of 1st Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe following his third-place finish in the June 9 primary.
Goldfinch, in a social media statement, congratulated Stumbo and pledged his full support for the solicitor in the General Election.
“David is a good man and I’ve come to admire and respect him,” he said.
Stumbo will take on Democrat Richard Hricik, a Charleston personal injury attorney, in the November race to replace Attorney General Alan Wilson, who on Tuesday became the GOP nominee for governor.
South Carolina hasn’t elected a Democrat as the state’s chief prosecutor in 36 years. The last Democrat in the office, Travis Medlock, did not seek re-election in 1994 as he made an unsuccessful bid for governor.
A Democrat hasn’t won any statewide office in South Carolina since 2006.
Whoever wins in November will oversee the 380-employee office and serve as the state’s chief prosecutor, as well as chief defender when state law is challenged in state and federal courts. The office’s responsibilities include overseeing the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, representing the state in death penalty appeals, and convening the State Grand Jury.
Goldfinch said while the results did not turn out the way he and his supporters had hoped, he was proud of the campaign his team ran and he looks forward to continuing his work in the state Senate.
Courtesy of South Carolina Daily Gazette
