A. Victor Rawl is an American politician, attorney, and jurist serving as a member of the

Charleston County Charleston County is located in the U.S. state of South Carolina along the Atlantic coast. As of the 2020 census, its population was 408,235, making it the third most populous county in South Carolina (behind Greenville and Richland counties). ...

council in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

. Rawl was a candidate for 2010 United States Senate election in South Carolina. He lost the Democratic primary to

Alvin Greene Alvin Michael Greene (born August 30, 1977) is an American political candidate from the state of South Carolina. He was the Democratic Party's nominee in the 2010 United States Senate election in South Carolina, and was defeated by incumbent Re ...

in a surprise upset and unsuccessfully protested the outcome of the race.Kinnard, Meg (2010-06-17
"SC Dems hearing protest over US Senate primary"
The Associated Press. Retrieved 2010-06-17.Toeplitz, Shira (2010-06-18

''

Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American, German-owned political journalism newspaper company based in Arlington County, Virginia, that covers politics and policy in the United States and intern ...

''. Retrieved 2010-06-18.

Early life and education

Rawl grew up on

Johns Island, South Carolina Johns Island is an island in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States, and is the largest island in the state of South Carolina. Johns Island is bordered by the Wadmalaw Island, Wadmalaw, Seabrook Island, South Carolina, Seabrook, Kiawah I ...

and attended the

Porter-Gaud School The Porter-Gaud School is an Independent school, independent Mixed-sex education, coeducational college preparatory day school in Charleston, South Carolina, Charleston, in the U.S. state of South Carolina. Porter-Gaud has an enrollment of about ...

. He graduated from the

College of Charleston The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th oldest institution of higher learning in the Unit ...

in 1968. He then graduated from the

University of South Carolina School of Law The University of South Carolina School of Law, also known as South Carolina Law School, is a professional school within the University of South Carolina. The school of law was founded in 1867, and remains the only public and non-profit law schoo ...

in 1973.

Career

He was an officer in the

South Carolina National Guard The South Carolina National Guard consists of the South Carolina Army National Guard and the South Carolina Air National Guardbr> American law specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions. In fact, the National Guard ...

for twenty-six years. He rose from the ranks of enlisted soldiers to retire with the rank of Lt. Colonel, serving as a Judge Advocate. He was in private law practice 1973 to 1986. He worked as a criminal prosecutor in 1976.

House of Representatives

Rawl was elected to the

South Carolina House of Representatives The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections. Unlike many legislatures, seati ...

four times and served from 1977 to 1978 and from 1980 to 1986, for a total of eight years. From 1980 to 1986 Rawl worked on the State Reorganization Commission, S. C. Housing Authority, and S.C. Prison Overcrowding Project.

Workers Compensation Commission

Rawl served on the Workers Compensation Commission from 1986 to 1990, deciding workers’ compensation cases and becoming familiar with South Carolina workers and the businesses that employ them.

S.C. Circuit Court

He served as a Circuit Court Judge from 1991 to 2003, presiding over thousands of Criminal and Civil Court cases throughout the State of South Carolina.

Charleston County Council

Rawl came out of retirement to be elected to Charleston County Council in 2008. His primary concerns on Council are road works, public transit, responsible development, public safety, waste management, and the responsible use of public funds. On council he has worked on recycling issues and voted to install solar panels on the Charleston County Jail to reduce energy costs. He currently sits on the Finance, Planning/Public Works, Public Safety/Health, Economic Development and Audit committees. He is a member of the CARTA board, helping administer one of the nation's most cost-effective public transit systems.

2010 U.S. Senate Candidacy

Rawl ran for the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

's nomination for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

seat in South Carolina currently held by

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Jim DeMint James Warren DeMint (born September 2, 1951) is an American political advocate, businessman, author, and retired politician who served as a United States Senator from South Carolina and as president of the Heritage Foundation. DeMint is a member ...

. He announced his candidacy in a statewide tour with consultants Harlan Hill and William J. Hampton, kicking off with a rally in Charleston, SC. He was ultimately defeated by

in the June 8 primary in what was widely viewed as a surprising result, given that Greene had little campaign funding and had no campaign staff or website. Rawl filed a formal protest of the official election results. On June 17, 2010, the executive committee of the South Carolina Democratic Party held a formal hearing on the matter. The committee rejected Rawl's request for another primary election, and upheld the June 8 election results.Kinnard, Meg

The Desert news. Retrieved 2018-11-10.

Personal life

Rawl met his wife, Laura, while attending the University of South Carolina, College of Charleston. They have been married 40 years and have one son, Vic Jr.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rawl, Vic Living people College of Charleston alumni University of South Carolina School of Law alumni Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives People from Johns Island, South Carolina Year of birth missing (living people)