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Former South Carolina state treasurer and reality television star Thomas Ravenel hinted at a third act for himself in Palmetto politics over the weekend – posting on social media that he was contemplating a return to public life.
“I’m thinking about getting back into politics,” Ravenel wrote on X on Saturday (February 1, 2025).
According to the former statewide official, South Carolina has had “terrible leadership” from its chief executive officer in recent years.
“We’ve had terrible leadership at the governor’s position,” Ravenel wrote. “We’re one of the least competitive states in the southeast based on our extremely high counterproductive income tax rates. Also, we tax cars and boats and boat motors and the costs to extract these taxes barely cover the revenue received. Poor leadership!!!”
According to Ravenel, South Carolina’s tax code is antiquated and anti-competitive – and desperately in need of reform. He also endorsed school choice as a means of improving the quality of the Palmetto State’s government-run school system.
“Making our state competitive tax-wise would bring enormous prosperity to all South Carolinians, drastically reduce our poverty rate, substantially increase our wealth rate, and increase revenue,” he wrote. “Also, we need to make our schools much better through (the) competition choice brings. Competition always drives quality up.”

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Ravenel is correct on both counts. He is also correct in calling out the ongoing failure of Palmetto State “Republican” leaders to make meaningful progress on tax reform or school choice in the quarter century since they assumed control of state government.
Does this mean the 62-year-old businessman with the notoriously checkered past could provide a viable alternative?
Stranger things have happened in South Carolina…
Ravenel has a lengthy electoral history. He ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in 2004 – narrowly missing out on a GOP runoff that would have likely ended with him winning his party’s nomination for this seat. Two years later, he defeated nine-term incumbent Grady Patterson in the race for state treasurer – becoming one of the only Republicans in the entire country to knock off a Democrat in that election cycle.
Following his 2006 victory, Ravenel was viewed as one of the rising stars of the South Carolina Republican party – a telegenic, intelligent advocate for limited government and libertarian-leaning social policy. It wouldn’t last, though. Ravenel was forced to forfeit that office after less than seven months when he was indicted on federal drug charges. He eventually pleaded guilty and served ten months in a federal prison. The Ravenel investigation also ensnared Pierre Manigault, owner of The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier. However, Manigault was never charged.
Ravenel ran for the U.S. Senate as an independent candidate in 2014 and was briefly polling in double digits until his campaign foundered down the stretch. He finished with less than four percent of the vote in that election.
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Ravenel is the son of former U.S. congressman and state senator Arthur Ravenel Jr., whose name is emblazoned on the Lowcountry’s iconic cable-stayed bridge.
In addition to his political career, Ravenel made a name for himself as the original male lead on the Charleston, S.C.-based Bravo TV reality show, Southern Charm. His combustible relationship with co-star Kathryn Dennis fueled the show’s initial notoriety – and made them both reality television celebrities.
Ravenel and Dennis have two children together. He has a third child with another ex-girlfriend, Heather Mascoe.
Trouble accompanied Ravenel’s reality fame, however. In September 2018, he was arrested and charged with second degree assault and battery in connection with an alleged sexual assault against the former nanny of two of his children. A year later he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge and was given a thirty-day suspended sentence (meaning he did not have to serve any jail time).
The 2026 election cycle marks the first time Ravenel is eligible to seek statewide office following his 2008 drug plea – which kept him sidelined from seeking a state office for fifteen years.
Ravenel is one of three former statewide officials contemplating a return to the arena in 2026. Former governor Mark Sanford is also eyeing a campaign for the office he held from 2003-2011, while former lieutenant governor André Bauer – one of Ravenel’s former political allies – is considering campaigning for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Lindsey Graham.
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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. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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8 comments
GTFOOH! “ terrible leadership”!?! T-Rav is the living embodiment of “terrible leadership”, convicted drug dealer, serial philanderer and misogynist, ephebophile. Maybe he a Andre can run together on the “not even if they were the last two candidates on earth party”!
I don’t see why he should not expect to be welcomed back. He is a Republican. Republicans don’t care if you are a criminal. Trump is a serial philanderer, Trump is a misogynist. Trump has committed way more felonies than T-Rav. Heck, Matt Gaetz slept with a 17 year old and hosted drug parties, and Trump wanted him to be Attorney General of the US.
So what is your point? Everything you have accused him of the guy you support as President has done many times over. America is under the control of rich criminals now. What is one more?
Frank, please don’t confound the Trump crowd with actual facts and logical arguments. It just makes them dig in more.
He didn’t confound me with anything. I never voted for Trump – I will point out that he has the first female Chief of Staff (a long time advisor whom he relies heavily upon) and has appointed 8 women to cabinet level positions.
My point was, and remains, we South Carolinians can do far better than the man child, male whore, T-Rav.
You can’t say you are not a misogynist when you brag about molesting women. That is the very essence of being a misogynist. You can’t respect women and grab them by the P***y without their consent. In addition, he has been accused by numerous women of molesting them. Let’s not even mention the fact that he has committed adultery numerous times on all three of his wives. As for being an ephebophile, need I remind you about the Trump interview where he bragged about going backstage at the Miss America pageant so he could watch the young women getting dressed? These girls were 18 years old and he was in his 40s. He could easily have been their father, but then again he also said he would date Ivanka if she were not his daughter.
While you say you never voted for Trump and I have no way of knowing whether you did or not, that does not mean you have not supported him. You have never once called him out for his serial adultery, his graft, his misogyny, his crimes, his disrespect for people who served in the military, or his ephebophilia.
So Frank are you telling us You Support T-Rav?
We had Joe Potato in the Whitehouse for 4 years. T-Rav will do fine
What next, little Jimmy Smith and his election wife Mandy jumping into the race?