by ANDY FANCHER
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For the first time in nearly a quarter century, Spartanburg County went to the polls without ex-sheriff Chuck Wright on the ballot — delivering a landslide defeat to his longtime ally and fellow pillar of a law enforcement machine once revered, now mired in allegations of Good Ol’ Boy corruption.
With all precincts reporting, retired state trooper Bill Rhyne captured 73.9 percent of the vote — 18,501 ballots — in a decisive runoff win over county coroner Rusty Clevenger, the establishment-backed candidate who inherited much of Wright’s old support.
Clevenger drew only 26.1 percent, or 6,530 votes.
Widely recognized as a “friend” of Wright, Clevenger conceded about an hour after polls closed, with only a few dozen of the county’s precincts reporting. By then, Rhyne had already built a commanding lead on the strength of early and absentee ballots, bolstered by the first wave of precinct returns.
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“We weren’t expecting (an announcement) this early,” Rhyne told supporters after securing the GOP runoff election, effectively becoming Spartanburg County’s next top cop. “To the men and women of the sheriff’s office, hang tight. Help’s on the way… We’re coming with a plan.”
The former trooper gave “a thousand percent of the glory to God” in his first speech as sheriff-elect, saying he was “never supposed to be here” but that it was “His will to keep me here.”
Rhyne, an upstate native and Marine Corps veteran, worked at the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) from 1996 to 2000 before spending more than two decades with the S.C. Highway Patrol, retiring as a lieutenant overseeing several divisions focused on public information.
Having campaigned as the “change candidate” against a law enforcement establishment that past and present officers say they personally witnessed as corrupt, Rhyne’s victory marks the first visible crack in decades of institutional corruption for the Upstate county.
Clevenger, a fixture of that same establishment — whose claims about his tenure as coroner are increasingly being exposed as false — later issued a public concession on Facebook. The post came from a professional page that had blocked FITSNews at the outset of his campaign.
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“It was an honor to be your candidate,” he wrote on Tuesday. “I am proud of the campaign we ran… Spartanburg County is my home, and the results of an election do not change that. Let’s all work together now to make it the best place it can be.”
This year’s special election was triggered by Wright’s abrupt resignation in May amid a multi-agency criminal investigation — a departure that has since peeled back layer after layer of a tenure so troubled it’s difficult to argue certain deputies weren’t at least aware.
Against that backdrop, nine Republicans jumped into the race to replace Wright, a crowded primary field that narrowed to a runoff between Rhyne and Clevenger earlier this month. In the final days, however, Clevenger’s campaign unraveled when he launched a failed, last-minute political attack on Rhyne.
Ahead of their final televised debate, Clevenger accused Rhyne of not voting for President Donald Trump — citing a supposed absence of voting records from the S.C. Election Commission. But during the broadcast last Wednesday, Rhyne countered with certified documentation proving he had, in fact, cast a ballot in the 2024 election.
Clevenger, who had long touted his career as an investigator, suddenly found himself branded a liar. He offered no apology to Rhyne and instead doubled down — flooding Spartanburg County with thousands of mailers peddling the debunked theory well into the week and weekend.
Come Monday, on the eve of the runoff, FITSNews published an investigative report on Clevenger — detailing his ties to former employer Trey Gowdy, the ex-solicitor-turned-congressman whose family and neighbors contributed at least $3,000 to Clevenger’s campaign for sheriff.
Gowdy, meanwhile, appears to remain in Wright’s legal camp.
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The report also spotlighted testimony from deputy coroners who accused Clevenger of being increasingly absent from work — a habit long associated with Wright — sometimes arriving late or leaving early, even as he maintained an open friendship with Wright that he later downplayed.
Despite working alongside Wright for more than 40 years — with a brother who spent three decades at SCSO and a father who served nearly ten as the office’s full-time chaplain — Clevenger “unequivocally” denied having “any idea” of the “alleged criminal activity” deputies said was evident as early as 2004.
Clevenger, first elected coroner in 2009, was reelected in 2024 and will remain in office until 2029.
“We have a very complete mission on how we’re going to move forward,” noted Rhyne after his primary victory. “In the coming days, we’ll start talking about our team, and how we’re going to built our team… To the men and women of the sheriff’s office, hang tight. Help’s on the way.”
While it remains unclear who Rhyne will hold accountable — or potentially purge from a scandal-scarred office mired in allegations of public corruption — the law enforcement community that rallied behind him said promises have been made, and they intend to hold him to them.
By virtue of his GOP primary victory, Rhyne’s name will be the only one on the ballot this fall — all but guaranteeing he will be the next sheriff.
Until Rhyne takes over, Interim Sheriff Jeffery Stephens — appointed by longtime Wright ally Governor Henry McMaster — remains at the helm of the department.
This story may be updated.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Andrew Fancher is a Lone Star Emmy award-winning journalist from Dallas, Texas. Cut from a bloodline of outlaws and lawmen alike, he was the first of his family to graduate college which was accomplished with honors. Got a story idea or news tip for Andy? Email him directly and connect with him socially across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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4 comments
The first action should be arresting Chuck Wright. He’s the biggest drug dealer and thief in Spartanburg County. He used to run drugs through the Vic Bailey dealership.
Anybody heard from Chuckie lately? I think he be hiding his sorry ass. Thats ok because the shit’s fixin to hit the fan on his sorry ass and a few others in his little circle. LOL!
Will the new Sheriff (hopefully) discontinue “Operation Rolling Thunder” (aka “Operation Legalized Road Piracy”) that Wright was so proud of conducting, each year?
Saw Chuck Wright in Greenville two days ago at a local restaurant by himself with a ball cap pulled down low. Maybe he is hiding out there because he thinks no one knows him.