GOP Chair: Representations by Piscatella 'Not True'

The "" cited by Dorchester County Republican elections officer Tony Piscatella, when asked why nearly every non-incumbent candidate filed correctly, may not have been luck at all.

Instead, according to party Chair Carroll Duncan in a statement released Tuesday officially decertifying three non-incumbent candidates due to improper paperwork filing, it was a misrepresentation.

Citing affidavits and private conversations with Piscatella, Duncan wrote that she has had no choice but to decertify S.C. Senate District 38 GOP nominee Sean Bennett, who defeated incumbent Sen. Mike Rose in the June primary.

Also, she said she is decertifying primary losers Dorchester County Council District 4 candidate John Hull and Dorchester County Council District 6 candidate Roger Goodman, in accordance with S.C. election law, upheld by the S.C. Supreme Court in May. 

"In its recent rulings relating to candidate filing, the South Carolina Supreme Court has made clear that it expects county political parties to decertify candidates who have not lawfully filed paper copies of their Statements of Economic Interest at the same time as Statements of Intention of Candidacy," Duncan wrote.

"In previously certifying non-incumbent candidates, I relied on representations made by Tony Piscatella, the Dorchester County Republican Party filing officer, that he had, through  'dumb luck,' required non-incumbents to file paper SEIs despite the filing instructions having no such requirement. I believed Mr. Piscatella and certified all non-incumbents except one who had never filed any SEI anywhere."

Read the full statement here.

According to Duncan's statement, Bennett's SEI is missing — something she learned after June 12 in a private conversation with Piscatella. 

She called the decision to decertify Bennett "regrettable." 

Duncan decertified Hull and Goodman on the grounds of their affidavits. Goodman's affidavit says he never turned in an SEI. Hull's SEI was printed at party headquarters after he filed his SIC, but, according to his affidavit, he left with the only copy and it was not filed with his SIC. Both affidavits say Piscatella never asked for the paper copy SEI.

Affidavits by S.C. House District 97 candidate Jordan Bryngelson and Dorchester County Sheriff candidate Mike Turner, both of whom lost their primary bids, said when they attempted to file their paper SEI, Piscatella initially said it was unneeded, but he eventually accepted their copies. 

"I deeply regret  this, but the rule of law requires that I follow orders of the South Carolina Supreme Court," Duncan wrote. "I cannot certify candidates for the ballot if I do not honestly believe they filed in compliance with the Supreme Court’s recent decisions."

, including herself and S.C. House District 97 nominee Ed Carter, but that could have been overturned. Duncan is running for Dorchester County Council District 5, and stated that she remains decertified and will leave it up to Tim Huber, county GOP vice chair, to determine the validity of her filing. 

Bennett's only likely recourse will be to run as a write-in candidate, since the deadline for signatures to run as a petition candidate passed Monday. There are no Democratic or petition challengers for the Nov. 6 general election for the District 38 seat.

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Rose could not be reached for comment. Bennett's attorney Robby Robbins would not comment on the facts of the case with litigation pending.

Read more on the Dorchester County ballot lawsuit here:

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