Rep. Ted Vick (D-Chesterfield) announced Friday that he was ending his run for Congress, a day after he was released from a Columbia detention center on DUI and weapons charges.
State Rep. Ted Vick (D-Chesterfield)
Vick was stopped for speeding in Columbia Wednesday night shortly after leaving a bar in the city’s Five Points district. Columbia Police say Vick refused a breathalyzer test and had an expired permit for a pistol he was carrying.
“While I have full confidence that the legal system will clear much of this up, it will not change the fact that I made some serious mistakes that I alone am responsible for,” Vick said in a statement. ”I realize that I have caused pain to those who love and support me and it’s my responsibility to make this right.”
However, he said he would continue to run for re-election in the South Carolina House of Representatives. His only opponent in that race is a Republican– retired Air Force engineer Richie Yow.
When reached Friday, Yow said he did not want to comment on Vick’s current troubles. “My prayers are with his family,” he said. Yow said he would continue to focus his attacks on Vick’s voting record in the House.
Ironically, Vick is not the first candidate to drop out of the Seventh Congressional race after being arrested. Former state Rep. Thad Viers pulled out and resigned his House seat after his January arrest on harassment charges.
