Bobby Harrell Jr.

Robert W. "Bobby" Harrell Jr. is a former Republican member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing District 114. He was first elected to the chamber in 1992. Harrell was chair of the freshmen caucus in 1993. He served as majority leader from 1997 to 1999 and chairman of the Ways and Means Committee from 1999 to 2005 before becoming state Speaker of the House on June 21, 2005.

Harrell suspended himself as speaker and from his office on September 11, 2014, in order to focus on addressing nine ethics and misconduct charges filed against him.^[1] On October 23, 2014, Harrell announced that he would resign from the South Carolina House of Representatives as a part of his agreement to plead guilty to six counts of misuse of campaign funds.^[2] On October 24, 2014, Harrell announced that he had submitted his letter of resignation to the House clerk in writing, making it effective at 5:00 p.m. The letter also stated he would withdraw from the upcoming general election.^[3] However, despite his withdrawal from the election, his name remained on the ballot.^[4][2]

In December 2014, Harrell told reporters that he was considering a political comeback, but that he was not at that time legally allowed to mount one. He said that he believed the use of campaign funds for personal use should not be a crime.^[5][6]

Biography

Harrell earned his B.S. in business administration from the University of South Carolina in 1978. His professional experience included being the owner and operator of a State Farm Insurance agency for more than 30 years and serving on the Highway 61 Commission from 1991 to 1992.^[7]

Noteworthy events

Ethics investigation

On September 10, 2014, First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe announced the indictment of Harrell by a Richland County grand jury. Harrell was charged nine times: six counts of using campaign funds for personal use, two counts of misconduct in office and one count of false reporting candidate campaign disclosures. In response, Governor Nikki Haley (R) called for Harrell to resign.^[8] Harrell suspended himself from his post as state Speaker of the House and from his office. This suspension was required by state law as he was indicted for a crime that carried more than a two-year sentence.^[7] Harrell faced a maximum sentence of 18 years in prison and $40,000 in fines.^[9]

On Thursday, October 23, 2014, Harrell appeared in the Richland County courthouse and "pleaded guilty to six counts of use of campaign funds for personal expenses agreed to resign immediately from his House seat."^[10] He is the first Speaker of the House in South Carolina to resign.^[2][11]

As part of his plea agreement, Harrell agreed to the following conditions:

• He was unable to seek or hold public office for three years, which was the duration of his probation;
• He would pay a fine of $30,000, in addition to $93,958 that had to be paid to the general fund of South Carolina. He would also be required to hand over the remaining portion of his campaign account. The funds would be transferred to the general fund of South Carolina;
• Finally, he had to agree to cooperate with all state and federal prosecutors, including being willing to testify. He would also be obligated to submit to polygraphs.^[12]

Despite the guilty plea, Harrell did not apologize, and remained steadfast in his insistence that he was innocent of all charges. Following the court appearance, he issued the following statement:

Following the announcement of Harrell's plea, the South Carolina Elections Commission announced they were seeking the council of the South Carolina Attorney General regarding how to proceed with election. Harrell's name appeared on the ballot, along with two challengers: Democrat Mary Tinkler and Green Party member Sue Edward.^[14] While he remained on the ballot, Harrell was barred from holding elected office for three years as a part of his plea agreement following charges of misuse of funds.^[2] and is barred from winning the election.^[15]

In December, 2014, Harrell told reporters that he felt that what he was convicted of (misuse of campaign funds for personal use) should not be a crime.^[6]

Campaign funds

According to a 2012 investigation by The Post and Courier, Harrell reimbursed himself $326,000 from his campaign funds but failed to keep accurate accounting of where the funds went. This documentation is required by the state to show that reimbursements are made only for political expenses, rather than personal purposes. The most controversial expenditures were related to Harrell's personal plane, which he claimed he only used for "official legislative trips and politically related travel." For five years, he had reportedly reimbursed himself $231,561 for travel costs.^[16]

In response to these revelations, South Carolina Common Cause, the South Carolina Democratic Party and the South Carolina Policy Council requested that Attorney General Alan Wilson formally investigate the matter. While many Republicans were silent on the issue or modestly supported Harrell, Rep. Ralph Norman (R) was more critical of the Speaker, saying "He's gonna have to go overboard now to explain why he hasn't provided this so far. This isn't something he can stonewall. There are enough people in the House that are gonna demand that he answer...You can't govern effectively if you're under this cloud of suspicion. How is he gonna make laws if he's not abiding by them?"^[17]

On February 28, 2013, South Carolina's State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) confirmed that it had opened an investigation of Harrell as result of the South Carolina Policy Council's complaint. A SLED spokesman said the division was "actively investigating" the case.^[18] According to The Post and Courier, most legislators of both major parties did nothing to challenge the speaker over the allegations.^[19]

On January 13, 2014, Alan Wilson, the Attorney General of South Carolina, announced that the investigation by the SLED on Harrell would be referred to the state grand jury. The attorneys for Harrell argued that Wilson was not impartial and should have been removed from the case. In a hearing on May 2, 2014, to determine if Wilson should be removed from the ethics case against Harrell, the judge did not make a decision and stated that he planned on taking his time.^[20][21]

On May 12, 2014, Richland Circuit Court Judge L. Casey Manning ruled that the allegations against Harrell would first be heard by the state House Ethics Committee and could not be pursued by the state grand jury. Manning's ruling came with the explanation that no evidence of criminal conduct had been displayed.^[22]

On September 10, 2014, First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe announced the indictment of Harrell by a Richland County grand jury.^[24] Harrell did not withdraw by an October 4 deadline that would have allowed Republicans to hold a special primary and delay the general election until December.^[9] He was the first Speaker of the House in South Carolina to resign.^[2]

Palmetto Leadership Council

In April, 2009, The Post and Courier published allegations that the Palmetto Leadership Council was being used by Harrell to circumvent campaign finance laws that controlled the limits on campaign contributions. A government watchdog group, Common Cause South Carolina, also alleged that Harrell used the PAC money as a means of leverage within the Republican Party in South Carolina. John Crangle, executive director of the watchdog group, told The Post and Courier that “Harrell uses money like a saucer of milk to get [members of the Republican Party] to do what he wants. He creates a control relationship over the recipients.”^[25].

According to an analysis by The Post and Courier, the PAC had funneled approximately a half-million dollars to Republican candidates and causes. One of the largest expenses by the Palmetto Leadership Council was the nearly $123,000 paid to Geechie Communications between 2008 and 2010. Greechie was operated by Republican South Carolina state Rep. Jim Merrill. There was also a payment of $5,500 for research expenses to a company registered to the home address of Kris Crawford, another member of the South Carolina House of Representatives. An additional $27,000 was paid to Richard Quinn & Associates, a consulting group run by state Rep. Rick Quinn. All three Republicans received campaign donations from the PAC, according to the newspaper’s analysis.^[25]

The council was the only one of its kind in the state, in that it was associated with a sitting member of the South Carolina legislature. Because PACs were unregulated, none of their activities were illegal. The Ethics Commission declined to investigate the allegations of wrongdoing, stating they had no jurisdiction over the activities of the PAC.^[25]

After a new wave of allegations surfaced about the activities of the PAC in 2014, Harrell defended the work of the PAC and denied any allegations that the funds were being used unethically.^[26] The head of the PAC, India Null, also denied that the Palmetto Leadership Council operated a separate fund that was control by Harrell. Ashley Landess, president of the South Carolina Policy Council, told reporters from The State that she had spoken with local investigators about rumors that such a fund existed and was controlled by Harrell.^[27]

Brother’s recusal

On October 8, 2014, The Post and Courier reported that Harrell’s brother, Charleston attorney John Harrell, recused himself from a panel that picked the judges the South Carolina legislature considered for election. John Harrell and a second attorney, Don Sellers, were appointed to the 10-member Judicial Merit Selection Commission by Bobby Harrell, Jr. in 2007.^[28]

The appointment of Harrell’s brother to the commission was considered unethical by the South Carolina Policy Council, which had previously stated that Harrell was wrong in appointing his brother in the first place.^[29]

Charleston conference

In August 2012, The Post and Courier reported that in September 2011, a dozen legislators used $10,000 in taxpayer funds for a conference held at the Charleston Place Hotel. Harrell, the event's official host, defended the expenditures, saying that "the overall impact for the Charleston economy and the image of our community to leaders around the country was huge." Harrell's personal tab for his stay at the hotel amounted to $1,519.^[30]

Vote swapping allegations

Law enforcement officials at the state and federal level investigated whether South Carolina House of Representatives lawmakers engaged in illegal vote swapping in the election for state South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice that took place in February, 2014, and which saw the re-election of Jean Toal.^[31] State Rep. Tommy Stringer (R - Greenville) told reporters that investigators from the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) approached him with allegations that legislators had agreed to swap votes in the Greenville Family Court race in exchange for votes for the chief justice race.^[32] According to The State, which broke the story, "[t]he probe centers on allegations that some legislators agreed to support Toal in the chief justice’s race in exchange for others agreeing to back Tarita Dunbar in a Greenville County Family Court race."^[31]

The State reported that SLED and Federal Bureau of Investigation agents approached multiple lawmakers, including state Rep. Jenny Horne (R-Dorchester) who was a central player in Toal's bid for re-election in February, 2014. Harrell led Toal's bid, but as of October, there was no indication that Harrell had been approached by either state or federal investigators regarding the allegations of vote swapping.^[31] Vote swapping is illegal under South Carolina law and carries a punishment of 90 days in prison or a $1,000 fine.^[33]

Legislative salary

According to an October 2010 report by The Nerve, Harrell recorded salary and expenses of $128,406 for the two-and-a-half-year period from January 1, 2008, through mid-2010, making him the second-highest compensated legislator in South Carolina during that period. South Carolina lawmakers have one of the lowest base salaries in the country at $10,400 annually. Only Texas and Mississippi have lower salaries. The difference between the base salary and what lawmakers are actually issued is made up with expenses, including subsistence payments and reimbursements for mileage and per-diem. The Nerve reported that there is little transparency in the issuance of the expenses. For lawmakers in the House, the decision regarding whether such reimbursement is issued was left up to Harrell, and was not a line item in the state budget.^[34]

Committee assignments

2013-2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Harrell served on the following committees:

2011-2012

In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Harrell did not serve on any committees.

Issues

Hydrogen funding

Harrell and then-Governor Mark Sanford (R) were at odds for much of the time after Harrell took over as speaker in June 2005. Harrell blamed the state's high unemployment rate on Sanford's economic development strategy.^[35] Sanford said he believed the way to grow jobs was through broad-based reforms such as eliminating the corporate income tax and providing for an optional flat tax, while Harrell preferred to rely on targeted incentives for businesses and industries.^[36]

Among Harrell's biggest focuses has been in the area of hydrogen and fuel cell research - claiming that "South Carolina is on the edge of what could become a multitrillion-dollar industry over the next 20 years - the beginning of a hydrogen revolution." The results, however, have been mixed, according to the Libertarian-leaning South Carolina Policy Council. More than $40 million in tax dollars have been invested in hydrogen research in the South Carolina Midlands alone, with the net result being the creation of a few hundred jobs, according to the Speaker's Office.^[36]

Elections

2014

See also: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2014

Elections for all 124 seats in the South Carolina House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 10, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 30, 2014. Mary Tinkler was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Bobby Harrell, Jr. was unopposed in the Republican primary. Sue Edward ran as a Green Party candidate. Tinkler defeated Edward and Harrell in the general election. Despite his resignation, Harrell's name remained on the ballot.^{[37][38][39][40]} While he remained on the ballot, as a part of his plea agreement following charges of misuse of funds, Harrell is barred from holding elected office for three years^[2] and is barred from winning the election.^[41] On October 30, 2014, the South Carolina Election Commission unanimously ruled that this election would be moved back to December and that Republicans would be allowed to nominate a new candidate. Tinkler filed a complaint with the South Carolina Supreme Court asking them to overturn the ruling.^[42] The state Supreme Court issued a stay on October 31, 2014, allowing the general election to take place as planned so that the court could review the commission's decision. If the court upheld the commission's ruling, the results of the general election would be thrown out and will force a November 25 primary election followed by a general election on December 9.^[43]
The South Carolina Attorney General's office signed a motion in early December to recognize Tinkler as the winner, and as a result, South Carolina Republicans have dropped their challenge to Tinkler's election. The hearing scheduled for December 9, 2014, was cancelled as a result.^[44]

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Mary Tinkler	84.6%	5,409
	Green	Sue Edward	15.4%	988
Total Votes	6,397

2012

See also: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2012

Harrell was re-elected to the District 114 seat in the South Carolina House of Representatives in the 2012 election. Harrell ran unopposed in the Republican primary on June 12 and defeated Larry Carter Center (G) and John Steinberger (I) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.^[45][46]

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Bobby Harrell, Jr. Incumbent	73.9%	11,493
	Green	Larry Carter Center	9.5%	1,473
	Independent	John Steinberger	16.2%	2,512
	Other	Write-Ins	0.5%	70
Total Votes	15,548

2010

See also: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2010

Harrell ran unopposed in the June 8 Republican primary for District 114 of the South Carolina House of Representatives. Harrell won, after running unopposed, in the general election on November 2.^[47]

South Carolina House of Representatives, District 114 (2010)
Candidates	Votes	Percent
Bobby Harrell (R)	8,488	98.86%
Write-In	98	1.14%

2008

See also: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2008

On November 4, 2008, Harrell won re-election, after running unopposed, to the South Carolina House of Representatives with 12,940 votes, representing District 114.

Harrell raised $361,053 for his campaign.^[48]

South Carolina House of Representatives, District 114 (2008)
Candidates	Votes
Bobby Harrell, Jr. (R)	12,940

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Endorsements

Presidential preference

2012

See also: Endorsements by state officials of presidential candidates in the 2012 election

Bobby Harrell Jr. endorsed Newt Gingrich in the 2012 presidential election.^[49]

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in South Carolina

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of South Carolina scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2014

In 2014, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 14 through June 6.

• Conservation Voters of South Carolina - 2013-2014 scorecard

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental and conservation issues.

• Greenville Tea Party - Greenville Tea Party Scorecard 2014

Legislators are scored by the Greenville Tea Party on their votes on bills "related to jobs, spending, and freedom."

• South Carolina Chamber of Commerce - 2014 legislative scorecard & year in review

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

• South Carolina Club for Growth - House and Senate 2013-14 scorecard

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the organization.

• The American Conservative Union

Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2013

2012

2011

The Palmetto Liberty PAC Scorecard

See also: Palmetto Liberty Political Action Committee's Legislative Scorecard (2012)

The Palmetto Liberty Political Action Committee, a conservative, pro-limited government think tank in South Carolina, releases its scorecard for South Carolina representatives and senators once a year. The scorecard gives each legislator a score based on how he or she voted in the two-year legislative term prior to the election on specific issues that the Palametto Liberty PAC thinks are anti-limited government. "Most of the votes shown on the score card are votes that we lost. Now we can identify the Legislators that caused us to lose these votes. These Legislators are the ones who need to be replaced if we are to achieve the vision of having the most free state in the nation."^[53]

2012

Bobby Harrell, Jr. received a score of 20% in the 2012 scorecard, ranking 57th out of all 124 South Carolina House of Representatives members.^[54] His score was followed by representatives Jackie Hayes (20%), George Hearn (20%), and Bill Herbkersman (20%).^[55]

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Harrell and his wife, Cathy, have two children, Trey and Charlotte, and live in Charleston. He served as a deacon at Westminster Presbyterian Church from 1991 to 1993, and he and his wife are members of the First Baptist Church of Charleston.^[56][57]

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term "Bobby + Harrell + South + Carolina + House"

All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.

See also

• South Carolina House of Representatives
• House Committees
• South Carolina State Legislature
• Joint Committees
• South Carolina state legislative districts

External links

• Speaker Harrell's personal website
• Profile from the South Carolina House of Representatives
• Profile from Open States
• Bobby Harrell on Facebook
• Bobby Harrell on Twitter
• Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
• Biography from Project Vote Smart
• Press Release: Hydrogen: Proving to be a Great Investment for SC
• Harrell: Don't Let Facts Get in way of Politics
• Campaign Contributions via OpenSecrets: 2012, 2010, 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1998, 1996

Footnotes

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