Thomas Ravenel announced last week that he plans to re-enter the world of politics by running for Governor of South Carolina.
No, seriously.
The former Southern Charm star and disgraced former South Carolina treasurer revealed his latest political aspirations on social media, assuring constituents that he has “a message” that will change both South Carolina and the United States.
“I’m running for Governor of South Carolina and none of the lightweights currently in the race are going to stop me,” Thomas announced Thursday on X. “I have a message that’s going to change not just South Carolina but the entire country.”
This latest entrance in the political sphere marks the fourth time the 62-year-old has ran for office. Three years before serving as the South Carolina treasurer– for a whopping five months in 2007– the father of three ran in the Republican primary race for a seat in the U.S. Senate, though his efforts were unsuccessful and he was later fined nearly $20,000 by the Federal Election Commission for improperly filing reports, according to People.
Shortly after going on to serve as the treasurer for South Carolina in 2007, Thomas was indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute less than 500 grams of cocaine.
Thomas was suspended from his role of State Treasurer amid his indictment and he went on to resign from the position of treasurer a month later. That same year, Thomas spent a month in an Arizona rehab facility and pleaded guilty to “conspiring to buy and distribute less than 100 grams of cocaine.”
He was later sentenced to 10 months in federal prison for his wrongdoings.
Fast forward seven years, Thomas made his second run for a U.S. Senate seat, running as an Independent in 2014 against incumbent Lindsey Graham. Thomas’s efforts–- some of which were documented on Season 2 of ‘Southern Charm’–- again fell short, with the polo aficionado only nabbing 3.9 percent of the vote.
As The Ashley previously told you, Thomas announced in August 2018 that he was leaving ‘Southern Charm’ following allegations of sexual assault by more than one person. Weeks later, he was arrested and charged with assault and battery, after which, Bravo confirmed that Thomas wouldn’t be returning to the reality series for Season 6. Despite his resignation, Thomas went on to film a scene for Season 7 with ex and baby mama Kathryn Dennis, calling his return “a favor to Kathryn.”
Thomas did this “favor to Kathryn” amid one of the more (and rare) peaceful moments of the exes’ extremely long and tumultuous custody battle regarding their two children, Kensie and Saint. Thomas was eventually awarded permanent sole custody of the two children in 2023.
(In addition to the two children he shares with Kathryn, Thomas also has a son named Jackson, whom he welcomed in 2020 with then-girlfriend Heather Mascoe.)
Days before officially announcing his bid for South Carolina governor last week, Thomas warned hinted on social media that he was “thinking of getting back into politics.”
“ … We’ve had terrible leadership at the governor’s position,” he wrote on X last week. “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!!!”
Thomas also replied to a potential voter on the social media platform who questioned if he still used cocaine, telling the former Bravo star, “I can’t vote for someone who does.”
In response, Thomas said he does not use cocaine, nor has he ever “had a problem with it.”
“My lawyers made me go to rehab, and the doctors accessing me into the program after evaluating me, asked me what I was doing there, and when I told them it was for cocaine use, they responded that they didn’t detect any cocaine abuse,” Thomas claimed. “Finally, I told him that I was the State Treasurer and then trying to find a way to justify my stay at their facility, they stated ‘well, we can work on why you were so reckless.’ And it was extremely reckless.
“That said, it should never been thrown into federal court, in which case it would’ve been a misdemeanor, and I would’ve remained Treasurer,” he continued. “But that’s politics for you. So they nailed me for distribution [because] I shared it (not sold it) and got a worse sentence than the dealer. Again, it was a very stupid mistake.”
Because Thomas has been convicted of a federal crime he is not legally allowed to vote in elections.
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(Photos: Bravo; X; Instagram)
