Richard Martin (South Carolina)
Richard Martin (Republican Party) (also known as Rick) was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing District 40. He assumed office on November 14, 2016. He left office on November 14, 2022.
Martin (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the South Carolina House of Representatives to represent District 40. He lost in the Republican primary on June 14, 2022.
On December 14, 2021, Martin was suspended from the state House after being indicted on charges of misconduct and contributing to the deliquency of a minor.[1] Click here to learn more.
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2021-2022
Martin was assigned to the following committees:
- Operations and Management Committee, 2nd vice chairman
- Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee
2019-2020
Martin was assigned to the following committees:
- Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee
- Operations and Management Committee
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| South Carolina committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Environmental Affairs |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2022
See also: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for South Carolina House of Representatives District 40
Joe White won election in the general election for South Carolina House of Representatives District 40 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Joe White (R)  | 98.2 | 10,821 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.8 | 203 | ||
| Total votes: 11,024 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary runoff election
Republican primary runoff for South Carolina House of Representatives District 40
Joe White defeated Tammy Johns in the Republican primary runoff for South Carolina House of Representatives District 40 on June 28, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Joe White | 52.4 | 1,931 |
| Tammy Johns | 47.6 | 1,752 | ||
| Total votes: 3,683 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 40
Joe White and Tammy Johns advanced to a runoff. They defeated incumbent Richard Martin in the Republican primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 40 on June 14, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Joe White | 45.9 | 1,935 |
| ✔ | Tammy Johns | 30.6 | 1,291 | |
 | Richard Martin | 23.5 | 991 | |
| Total votes: 4,217 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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2020
See also: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for South Carolina House of Representatives District 40
Incumbent Richard Martin won election in the general election for South Carolina House of Representatives District 40 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Richard Martin (R) | 97.7 | 14,024 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 2.3 | 330 | ||
| Total votes: 14,354 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Richard Martin advanced from the Republican primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 40.
2018
General election
General election for South Carolina House of Representatives District 40
Incumbent Richard Martin won election in the general election for South Carolina House of Representatives District 40 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Richard Martin (R) | 98.2 | 9,212 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.8 | 172 | ||
| Total votes: 9,384 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 40
Incumbent Richard Martin advanced from the Republican primary for South Carolina House of Representatives District 40 on June 12, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Richard Martin |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Elections for the South Carolina House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 14, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The primary runoff election was held on June 28, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 30, 2016. Incumbent Walton McLeod (D) did not seek re-election.
Richard Martin defeated Carlton Kinard in the South Carolina House of Representatives District 40 general election.[2][3]
| South Carolina House of Representatives, District 40 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Richard Martin |
58.81% | 9,719 | |
| Democratic | Carlton Kinard | 41.19% | 6,807 | |
| Total Votes | 16,526 | |||
| Source: South Carolina State Election Commission | ||||
Carlton Kinard defeated Craig Kesler in the South Carolina House of Representatives District 40 Democratic primary.[4][5]
| South Carolina House of Representatives, District 40 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Carlton Kinard |
66.48% | 1,196 | |
| Democratic | Craig Kesler | 33.52% | 603 | |
| Total Votes | 1,799 | |||
| Source: South Carolina State Election Commission | ||||
Richard Martin defeated David Koon in the South Carolina House of Representatives District 40 Republican primary.[6][7]
| South Carolina House of Representatives, District 40 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Richard Martin |
72.82% | 1,774 | |
| Republican | David Koon | 27.18% | 662 | |
| Total Votes | 2,436 | |||
| Source: South Carolina State Election Commission | ||||
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. Incumbent Walt McLeod was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Richard Martin was unopposed in the Republican primary. McLeod defeated Martin in the general election.[8][9][10]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Walt McLeod Incumbent |
60.1% | 6,623 | |
| Republican | Richard Martin | 39.9% | 4,388 | |
| Total Votes | 11,011 | |||
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Richard Martin did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Richard Martin did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2014
Martin's campaign website highlighted the following issues:[11]
Education
- Excerpt: "Education is important because a well-educated workforce is the key to a strong economy. Rick is committed to reforming our public education system to make sure tax dollars are spent in the classroom not on “educrats” in Columbia; that good teachers are rewarded; and that classroom discipline is enforced."
Crime
- Excerpt: "Crime is on the rise and parts of our state are being overrun by gangs and thugs. It is our duty to provide the resources law enforcement needs to protect us against criminals such as: life without parole for Aggravated Murders; stiff penalties for felons in possession of a firearm and possessing a firearm while committing a drug crime; and mandatory Victim Panels for DUI offense. Rick is not a lawyer and he will only support conservative judges who apply the law fairly and will not hesitate to punish convicted criminals."
Judicial Reform
- Excerpt: "Our current procedure for appointing judges is antiquated and needs to be changed. Once appointed, judges should be held accountable for their conduct on the bench and the efficiency with which cases are handled. Rick believes that lawyer-legislators should not be allowed to practice before the judges they elect."
Guns
- Excerpt: "As a member of the NRA and other pro-gun rights organizations, Rick fully supports the Second Amendment and the rights of gun-owners to protect their families, property, and their rights. Rick also believes that hunting and fishing must be protected as an important part of our cultural tradition."
Pro-Life
- Excerpt: "As a Christian, Rick knows that all children are a gift from God, and he absolutely supports protection for the unborn."
Noteworthy events
Suspended from state House after indictment on charges of misconduct and contributing to the delinquency of a minor (2021)
On December 10, 2021, Richard Martin was indicted by a grand jury on charges that he allegedly tried to influence an investigation by the state's child-welfare agency and that he contributed to the delinquency of a minor by allegedly providing a minor with alcohol.[12] According to a probable cause affidavit, Martin's alleged misconduct occurred between the beginning of December 2019 and the end January 2020. Martin pleaded not guilty to the charges at a court appearance on December 14, 2021, and requested a jury trial.[13] In accordance with state law, House Speaker Jay Lucas (R) suspended Martin from the House shortly after he was indicted. Lucas said in a letter to Martin, “This suspension shall remain in effect … until the matters addressed in these indictments are resolved and either you are reinstated to the House of Representatives or the seat is declared vacant."[12]
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.
Scorecards
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.
2022
In 2022, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 11 to May 12.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental and conservation issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on business issues.
2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 12 to May 13.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 14 to June 25. The state Senate reconvened September to September 3. Both chambers reconvened September 15 to September 24.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 8 through May 21.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 9 through May 10.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 10 through May 11.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the South Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 12 through June 2.
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Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Richard Martin South Carolina House. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ TheState.com, "SC lawmaker pleads not guilty to misconduct, delinquency of a minor charges," December 14, 2021
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Candidate listing for the 11/8/2016 statewide general election," accessed August 26, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "2016 Statewide General Election," accessed November 28, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina Election Commission, "Candidate Tracking," accessed March 31, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Unofficial primary election results," accessed June 14, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina Election Commission, "Candidate Tracking," accessed March 31, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Unofficial primary election results," accessed June 14, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Election Results," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Official general election results," accessed November 13, 2014
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "2014 Election Information," accessed March 31, 2014
- ↑ Vote Richard Martin, "Where Rick Stands," accessed September 29, 2014
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 FitsNews.com, "South Carolina State Representative Indicted," December 10, 2021
- ↑ TheState.com, "SC lawmaker pleads not guilty to misconduct, delinquency of a minor charges," December 14, 2021
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
South Carolina House of Representatives District 40 2016-2022 |
Succeeded by Joe White (R) |
