Richter to run in GOP contest

Tim Scott's decision to run for Congress reverberated through the lieutenant governor's race as Mount Pleasant lawyer Larry Richter indicated Monday he plans to keep it a three-way GOP contest.

Richter, who has served as a circuit judge and state senator, said people encouraged him to look at running for the seat after it became clear Scott would bow out. Richter expects to make a formal announcement before the week is out.

"I'm very interested in this position for a number of reasons, mostly because I guess you say I stay tuned with this stuff," he said. "I'm not looking to make the office more than it is. ... I don't have any desire to use this as a sort of launching pad for anything else."

Richter would face Ken Ard, of Florence County, and Bill Connor, an Orangeburg lawyer and Afghanistan veteran for the Republican nomination.

Scott had raised $273,280 toward his race and still had $170,091 on hand, according to last month's campaign disclosure filed with the State Ethics Commission.

Connor had raised slightly more -- $293,257 --and had $109,752 on hand, but Connor's fundraising included a $150,000 loan. Scott had no loans or personal money in the race.

Ard had raised $585,400, but that includes a $300,000 loan and $50,000 of his own money. Ard had $386,751 on hand, according to his most recent filing.

Only one Democratic candidate has emerged to date: Ashley Cooper, a Charleston lawyer and former aide to U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings, recently chose the race for his political debut.

The lieutenant governor is elected separately from the governor and presides over the state Senate and the state's Commission on Aging.

Reach Robert Behre at 937-5771 or at rbehre@postandcourier.com.