First Circuit Solicitor revealed his decision to leave the Democratic party last night. Known for his tough stance against crime and corruption, he expressed his intention to rejoin the Republican party.
Speaking in Summerville, SC, he expressed no grievances with Democratic voters but criticized the leadership for neglecting its primary voter base.
With this choice, only three Democrats in South Carolina retain solicitor positions, while the Republicans occupy the remaining 13.
The Dorchester County GOP dinner at the Summerville Country Club is where the announcement took place. He was accompanied by Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson of Charleston, Fourteenth Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone from Colleton County, and Dorchester County Sheriff Sam Richardson, among other prominent Republicans present at the gathering.
David Pascoe’s Impact on Local Politics
A graduate from The Citadel, David Pascoe won his initial election for the First Circuit in 2004. He effectively handled the prosecution of Mikal Mahdi in 2006 for the killing of an Orangeburg police officer, resulting in Mahdi receiving the death sentence. Mahdi’s execution is set for Friday.
He spearheaded a state inquiry into corruption within the state legislature, resulting in the indictment of South Carolina House Speaker Bobby Harrell. He later won a Supreme Court case against Attorney General Alan Wilson’s office to further the investigation against lawmakers in 2016. The First Circuit is made up of Dorchester, Orangeburg and Calhoun Counties, making him one of the few Democrats elected county-wide in Dorchester County. As a Democrat, he ran unopposed in the 2024 general election. In 2010, he flirted with a run at the Democratic Party’s nomination for the Attorney General’s office before dropping out ahead of the primary.
David Pascoe is acknowledged for his role in the downfall of influential political advisor Richard Quinn, Sr, who has since passed away, and the resulting political controversy known as the Quinndom.
Dorchester, Orangeburg, and Calhoun Counties compose the First Circuit, where he stands out as one of the scarce Democrats chosen for county-wide positions in Dorchester County.
He had no competitors in the 2024 general election as a Democrat. Before the primary in 2010, he considered vying for the Democratic Party’s nomination for the Attorney General’s position but withdrew from the race.
Local News Via - MyrtleBeachSC.com
