A second Democratic legislator on Tuesday entered the race for a redrawn Midlands-based South Carolina state Senate district.
State Rep. Russell Ott, 45, D-Calhoun, said Tuesday he plans to file in March to run for Senate District 26 against another Democratic legislator, Sen. Dick Harpootlian, 75, of Richland County.
Both announced their bids after longtime state Sen. Nikki Setzler, the Lexington Democrat who currently represents that district, said he would retire after this year.
"Here's the unfortunate reality. A lot of times the people that are in that building (S.C. Statehouse) cast votes while forgetting that those votes actually impact lives of real people," Ott said Tuesday at a press conference outside the Statehouse announcing his bid. "They're more concerned about the cameras, and the glory and what that vote means for them."
Ott said the district needs a workhorse, not a "show horse."
Ott, a farmer, business owner and a former lobbyist for the S.C. Farm Bureau, won his rural district in a 2013 special election. He filled the unexpired term of his father, former state Rep. Harry Ott, the Farm Bureau's president and CEO.
Ott's current District 93 includes parts of Calhoun, Lexington and Orangeburg counties.
If elected, Ott said he'll continue to push policy that elevates public school teachers and education, and he said he'll work to ensure the economy works for everyone.
"Some people like to joke because I wear my work boots with my suits," Ott said. "But it's a reminder to me that I'm here to work for real people that are putting in long, hard hours each and every day."
Ott told reporters Tuesday he doesn't plan on filing in March to run for both House and Senate seats. Instead, he said he's focused on "running and winning" the Senate election.
Ott said he's committed to the ground game and raising the money that'll be necessary to run in a June primary.
Latest campaign disclosure filings as of Tuesday morning showed Harpootlian with more than $93,000 in his campaign account. Ott, meanwhile, had more than $4,500 in his House account and a $1,000 loan in his Senate account.
"Sen. Setzler has set the model for what, you know, this district wants, and the representation that this district needs," Ott said. "All I gotta do is follow in his footsteps."
Though it leans a bit more Democratic, the redrawn Senate district is the closest to a toss-up district, according to Dave's Redistricting.
Setzler's district was redrawn by the Legislature in the last redistricting process, based on 2020 Census data.
Harpootlian's current Senate District 20, which includes parts of Lexington and Richland counties, was moved down to the Charleston area due to a population surge on the coast.
“Because of the population growth along the coast, we have collapsed (Harpootlian’s) District 20 and moved it to the Charleston area,” Senate cartographer Will Roberts said in 2021, reported by The State newspaper. "In doing so, we have three resident senators that are totally within Richland. We’ve got Districts 19 (now represented by Sen. Tameika Isaac Devine), 22 (Sen. Mia McLeod) and 21 (Sen. Darrell Jackson) that are wholly contained.”
Now, Senate District 26 includes parts of Calhoun and Lexington counties, in addition to parts of Richland County and downtown Columbia, covering parts of Harpootlian's current district.
Similar to Ott, Harpootlian first won his Senate seat in a 2018 special election, filling the unexpired term of former Sen. John Courson, who was suspended from office amid a Statehouse corruption investigation.
Harpootlian, an attorney, is a former solicitor for the Fifth Judicial Circuit and former chairman of the S.C. Democratic Party. He recently gained even more national notoriety for his representation of convicted double-murderer, Alex Murdaugh.
His wife, Jamie Harpootlian, is the current U.S. ambassador to Slovenia.
Prior to Ott publicly announcing his bid Tuesday, Harpootlian criticized the House member for his past votes on anti-abortion legislation. In a campaign email this month, Harpootlian said Ott should've run as a Republican, rather than as a Democrat.
Ott told reporters Tuesday that abortion has often been used as a "wedge" issue in elections to cause division.
But, Ott said he would stand his support of women's health against anyone's, adding he plans to run his campaign on a "positive message"
Harpootlian, however, is unlikely to let go of the issue.
And, hours after Ott announced his bid, Harpootlian issued his own announcement: the endorsement of South Carolina's most high-profile Democrat, U.S. Congressman Jim Clyburn.
