Takeaways from SC attorney general debate: gotchas, barbs and even information

In Wednesday night’s debate, the three Republican S.C. attorney general candidates agreed on one thing anyway:

Alex Murdaugh should be retried for murder, and soon, said each of the three Republicans vying in the June 9 primary for the nomination for South Carolina attorney general.

Earlier this month, Murdaugh, perhaps South Carolina’s most notorious criminal defendant ever, had his double-murder conviction in the killings of his wife and son overturned by the S.C. Supreme Court.

“We absolutely have to try the Murdaugh case again... We will pursue that case as zealously as any other case,” said state Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, R-Georgetown, 44, a civil lawyer and entrepreneur who said his years of experience as a military lawyer qualify him to try the case.

“I don’t need a tutorial to try that case... I’ll be ready to walk into that office and try the Murdaugh case on Day One,” vowed 8th Judicial Circuit Solicitor David Stumbo, 50, who has years of experience prosecuting violent crimes.

“The Murdaugh case — It absolutely needs to be retried,” said 1st Judicial Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe, 59, who threw a jab in his answer at Goldfinch by adding that only he (Pascoe) and Stumbo, with their many years as veteran prosecutors trying murder and other violent crimes in state courts, could handle a difficult and high-profile case like Murdaugh’s.

The three are campaigning to succeed incumbent Attorney General Alan Wilson, the son of U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-SC. Alan Wilson is gambling his political career on a bid for the governor’s seat.

One area where Stumbo, Pasco and Goldfinch differed: so-called medical marijuana, which is legal in numerous other states.

While Stumbo said he is not in favor of making medical marijuana available in South Carolina and noted there is no standard for impaired driving by marijuana, Pascoe said benefits of medical marijuana for children with seizures and cancer patients are known, and its medical uses should be studied. Pascoe said he favors tight controls on who is able to get the drug, should it become legal.

Goldfinch said making marijuana legal in South Carolina “is a moot point” because marijuana products are freely sold in South Carolina nowadays. “Everybody is using the stuff, and it’s a real problem. ... It needs to be regulated.”

During the 57-minute debate, the three candidates came across as self-assured, quick-minded and prepared for all the dozen-plus questions asked by the poised moderator, Gavin Jackson, an SCETV legislative correspondent.

Each candidate got time for a rebuttal if attacked by another candidate. Goldfinch and Pascoe got the most time for rebuttals, since they constantly threw jabs at each other.

In appearance, for the most part, Goldfinch, Pascoe and Stumbo were more or less alike. They all wore suits, dress shirts and ties, and a pin of an American flag crossed with a South Carolina flag on their left lapel. Each was neatly coifed.

It’s possible the next attorney general will have a beard: Stumbo and Goldfinch each have facial growth; Pascoe is clean-shaven.

In manner, Pascoe and Goldfinch were each spoiling — aggressively but within the bounds of decorum — for a fight with the other. Pascoe repeatedly accused Goldfinch of lying and Goldfinch kept on insinuating that Pascoe, who for years was a Democrat and only last year announced he was switching parties, was still a Democrat at heart relying on Democratic lawyers to raise major funds.

In the state’s hothouse Republican political culture, being called a Democrat is akin to stark moral failure and the lowest of insults. Goldfinch used the phrase “There he goes again” (a favorite quip of Ronald Reagan during a debate with former President Jimmy Carter) against Pascoe.

In a recent S.C. Policy Council poll, Pascoe, had 10 percent, and Goldfinch had 14 percent. Stumbo had 9 percent. But 65 percent of the voters were “not sure” who they would vote for, leaving open the possibility for a win by any of the three.

Other highlights:

• Pascoe, who successfully prosecuted five crooked state lawmakers and who had to personally argue a case in the State Supreme Court to win the right to investigate those criminals, said a top priority would be to establish an anti-corruption unit. “I’ve put men on death row. I sent a cop killer to the firing squad. I have prosecuted public corruption at the State House. I was the first public official to call for judicial reform. I’m going to use that experience to lower crime in SC, to combat illegal immigration and protect our children better by seeking the death penalty for child rapists.”
• Stumbo said he is a “lifelong conservative Republican” and a two-decade prosecutor who has fought internet predators and was the first internet crimes against children prosecutor in the state. “I have prosecuted hundreds of murderers, child molesters, domestic abusers and drug traffickers.” When he worked in the attorney general’s office years ago, he fought public corruption and fraud and cartels. He has 19 sheriffs and five solicitors endorsing him, he said.
• Goldfinch stressed his background as a military veteran prosecuting “the worst of the worst” and said he fights against government regulation. “I’m a conservative lawmaker, a Republican lawmaker, I’m a businessman, an entrepreneur, a father, husband and son.’’ He said he has run multiple successful businesses and “fought the federal government every step of the way.” He has won five Republican primaries, he said.
• Goldfinch mentioned Pascoe’s longstanding ties to one of South Carolina’s best-known Democrats, attorney Dick Harpootlian (who is Murdaugh’s lawyer). Pascoe repeatedly called Goldfinch “Stem cell Steve,” a reference to a brush with federal regulators that Goldfinch had years ago in one of his businesses in Texas. Goldfinch told a reporter after the event that he was never convicted of anything.
• Stumbo for the most part let the other two trade verbal punches, calmly talking up his strong points, such as reducing backlogs in his caseloads and stressing that he is a conservative Republican. He stood between the two, allowing Pascoe and Goldfinch have at it and letting their jabs sail past him from both directions.

One thing that did not come up: President Trump’s recent social media post asking followers to vote for anyone but Pascoe in this race. That is expected to get advertised more by Pascoe’s opponents as June 9 — the final day of voting — draws near. In his post, Trump called Pascoe a “RINO” (Republican in name only) and a “total fraud.”

Asked about Trump’s statement, Pascoe said Thursday in a text to The State newspaper, “Imagine the desperation of my enemies to bother the President of the United States with misinformation about me in a down ballot race. If I had been as misinformed as he has been, I would have said the same things. The conservative voters of our state support me overwhelmingly. If President Trump speaks with me for 10 minutes, I know I can convince him to support me too.”

The real issue, said Pascoe in an interview, is that his opponents don’t want a proven corruption fighter in the attorney general’s office, someone like him who will ditch the lucrative contracts lawyers from big law firms now have with the that office.

“That’s why they’re coming after me,” said Pascoe.

As a practical matter, whoever wins the Republican nomination will be the next attorney general in this heavily Republican state. The term of office is four years and post pays $208,000 a year.

It is possible that none of the three will win a majority June 9. In that case, there would be a runoff between the two top vote-getters.

No statistics were immediately available on how many people took in all or portions of the debate. It was broadcast on all 11 SC ETV television stations and all eight radio stations around the state, as well as on various social media channels.

This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Takeaways from SC attorney general debate: gotchas, barbs and even information."