A veteran prosecutor is campaigning for the office of South Carolina tenth circuit solicitor – vowing to put violent criminals behind bars and shore up public safety in this two-county region of the Palmetto Upstate. Beth Blundy – whose campaign signage refers to her as “The Hammer” – is currently serving as senior assistant solicitor in the office of tenth circuit David R. Wagner.

Blundy, 42, of Seneca S.C., will campaign as a Republican in the race to replace Wagner – who is retiring from office. Two other candidates – deputy eighth circuit solicitor Micah Black and assistant seventh circuit solicitor Danny Fulmer – are also seeking the GOP nomination for this post, which oversees criminal prosecutions in Anderson and Oconee counties.

Blundy has scheduled a campaign kickoff event this Saturday (February 24, 2024) at 7:00 p.m. EST at 313 Cafe in Seneca, S.C. She’s billed the gathering as a “watch party” for the Republican presidential primary, which is being held on that same day.

Here are the details …

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According to her campaign bio, Blundy began working in the tenth circuit in 2010 – dealing first with “the pressing issues of driving under the influence (DUI) and domestic violence that plagued South Carolina.” Success in these two areas earned her promotions and responsibility over a “wide spectrum of cases.”

“Her assignments have ranged from handling drug trafficking, kidnapping, domestic violence, armed robbery, attempted murder, burglary, DUI with death, and more,” her bio noted. “She has proved her mettle in the courtroom time and again, exhibiting her dedication to upholding the law and delivering justice.”

Blundy is a graduate of Hillsdale College and the Thomas M. Cooley law school.

Like Blundy, Black and Fulmer also have extensive prosecutorial experience.

“From DUIs, property crimes, drug crimes, and violent crimes such as armed robberies, burglaries, assaults, domestic violence, attempted murder, murder and sex crimes, (Black) has prosecuted and tried every type of case, Black’s campaign bio noted.

According to his website, Black – who graduated from Presbyterian College and the Liberty University school of law – is running to “protect our citizens, promote deterrence, and ensure fair and equal treatment under the law.”

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As for Fulmer, he plans to focus on “vigorously prosecuting violent criminals” and “seeking long prison sentences in order to keep these predators behind bars.” He also said he intends to “work hard to address the illegal drug scourge by targeting drug dealers with aggressive prosecution.”

“I have been an attorney for the past twenty-five years and a prosecutor for the past fifteen years,” Fulmer noted on his campaign bio. “I have had the opportunity to prosecute a wide variety of cases, from DUIs and property crimes to drug trafficking, violent crimes, and murders.”  

Fulmer graduated from Clemson University and the University of South Carolina law school.

South Carolina is home to sixteen judicial circuits – each comprised of at least two and as many as five individual counties. While judges in these circuits are picked by state lawmakers, solicitors are chosen by the voters in partisan elections. Ten solicitor seats are on the ballot in 2024.

The filing period for partisan primary races in South Carolina begins at 12:00 p.m. EST on March 16, 2024 and closes on April 1, 2024. Partisan primary races will be held on June 11, 2024, and if no candidate were to receive a majority of ballots in a given race, a runoff election would be held two weeks later (on June 25, 2024) between the top two finishers.

Given this media outlet’s ongoing focus on enhanced public safety and accountability for violent criminals, count on us to keep close tabs on each of the ten solicitor’s races across the state.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina and before that he was a bass guitarist and dive bar bouncer. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven (soon to be eight) children.

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