GDELTSouth Carolina
Goldstein: -3.9Tone: 1.5
by WILL FOLKS
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One of the two candidates vying to become South Carolina’s next top prosecutor was hospitalized just days before facing voters in a Republican runoff election.
David Stumbo, the Palmetto State’s eighth circuit solicitor, posted to social media on Saturday (June 20, 2026) that he was admitted to the hospital after “not feeling right” earlier that morning.
Stumbo’s post came just three days before he and third-term state senator Stephen Goldfinch were set to face Republican voters in a head-to-head matchup for the GOP nomination for attorney general. Goldfinch and Stumbo were the two top vote-getters in the GOP primary on June 9, 2026.
“No Saturday-before-the-election surprise here, it’s South Carolina politics, and the rumor mill’s been working overtime,” Stumbo wrote on Facebook. “Here’s the truth: I woke up not feeling right this morning, and my wife – who’s a good deal wiser than I am – told me to go get checked out. The doctor decided to admit me to the hospital to be safe and taken care of right away.”
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Stumbo declined to elaborate on what ailed him, saying only “I’m in good hands, in good spirits, and they are ensuring me I’ll be (at) full strength for Tuesday!”
“I’m following the doctor’s orders to the letter, and I’m not slowing down on what matters: earning the trust and the votes of South Carolinians who want a proven prosecutor as their next attorney general,” Stumbo added. “Polls are open Tuesday, June 23rd — I’ll see you there.”
Stumbo and Goldfinch are battling for the Republican nomination for attorney general, hoping to succeed Alan Wilson – who has held the office since 2010. Wilson did not seek another term in 2026, choosing instead to run for governor – a race he seems likely to win.
Whichever candidate claims the GOP nomination will face Democratic attorney Richard Hricik, who ran unopposed in his party’s primary. The last Democrat to hold this office was Travis Medlock, who was first elected in 1982 and served until 1995.
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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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Open article →GDELTNew York
Goldstein: 2.4Tone: -1.5
Iowa attorney general candidate Nate Willems stumps at Legends
Believing the Iowa Attorney General should not file lawsuits for the purposes of political grandstanding, but instead protect Iowans, Democrat Nate Willems threw his hat in the ring for the seat.
“It’s the biggest law firm in the state of Iowa, and it’s the only one which is supposed to represent regular Iowans,” he said. “It does so many critical things from prosecuting the most violent felonies anywhere in the state to defending the state when it is sued. It provides support and guidance to every aspect of state government.”
Willems said that a couple of years ago, current Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird flew to New York to sit with then former President Donald Trump during his trial.
“She looked for any camera she could find to tell anyone who would listen that it was a farce,” he said. “Brenna is a very conservative Republican with very extreme views. If you can put that aside, I just don’t think she behaves as Iowans expect the attorney general to behave. She does not behave in the dignified manner we came to expect with Tom Miller as our attorney general.”
He was a speaker at the Marshall County Democrats Tuesday Talks session at Legends. Born and raised in Anamosa, Willems is a Cedar Rapids labor attorney and previous two-time state legislator.
“I spent a lot of time on issues for working people,” he told the attendees. “I passed into law legislation which penalizes insurance companies which deny worker compensation claims without a legitimate reason. I fought against the early efforts to strip away public employees’ rights to bargain their union contract.”
Willems said after the 2011 redistricting occurred, his district was cut five different ways. He did not seek another term but focused on practicing labor law, ranging from union contract cases to stolen payroll wages.
“What I do in my little office is just a drop in the bucket, because there is $900 million per year stolen from Iowa workers’ paychecks,” Willems said. “That means people working off the clock, people not getting paid overtime, people having tips stolen, being misclassified as an independent contractor rather than a W2 employee. As far as I’m concerned, that is stealing. We’ve had laws in Iowa for a long time saying stealing is illegal. We’ve had laws go back even further that say ‘Thou shalt not steal.'”
He said he is running for attorney general because he wants to investigate corporations which steal from employees paychecks. Willems also wants to rebuild the consumer protection division of the state office.
“Tom Miller, over the course of 40 years, built a national model, a unit that goes to work for consumers and senior citizens,” he said. “On the other hand, Brenna Bird filed suit to prevent safe staffing standards from going into effect in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. I have no idea why you would do this. We have a real problem in the state of Iowa with quality nursing homes which provide adequate care and attention to seniors and those who are vulnerable.”
Since nursing homes accept Medicaid funding, Willems said Iowans have the right to expect them to fulfill promises, and the attorney general should enforce those promises.
He wants to build an attorney general office with the mindset that every day is an opportunity to work for every person who is an Iowan. Willems believes the state office has lost many talented attorneys, and the talented ones left are waiting to be “unshackled.”
“To allow them to do the job they know how to do,” he said. “We are going to try to attract some talent into the AG’s office. Along with that, I’m working on putting together a blueprint for a wage enforcement unit . . . which overlaps with a traditional consumer focus unit.”
Willems and his wife, Maggie, have three daughters. He will face Bird, the GOP incumbent, in the November general election.
Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.
Open article →GDELTIowa
Goldstein: 0.9Tone: -1.5
Iowa attorney general candidate Nate Willems stumps at Legends
Believing the Iowa Attorney General should not file lawsuits for the purposes of political grandstanding, but instead protect Iowans, Democrat Nate Willems threw his hat in the ring for the seat.
“It’s the biggest law firm in the state of Iowa, and it’s the only one which is supposed to represent regular Iowans,” he said. “It does so many critical things from prosecuting the most violent felonies anywhere in the state to defending the state when it is sued. It provides support and guidance to every aspect of state government.”
Willems said that a couple of years ago, current Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird flew to New York to sit with then former President Donald Trump during his trial.
“She looked for any camera she could find to tell anyone who would listen that it was a farce,” he said. “Brenna is a very conservative Republican with very extreme views. If you can put that aside, I just don’t think she behaves as Iowans expect the attorney general to behave. She does not behave in the dignified manner we came to expect with Tom Miller as our attorney general.”
He was a speaker at the Marshall County Democrats Tuesday Talks session at Legends. Born and raised in Anamosa, Willems is a Cedar Rapids labor attorney and previous two-time state legislator.
“I spent a lot of time on issues for working people,” he told the attendees. “I passed into law legislation which penalizes insurance companies which deny worker compensation claims without a legitimate reason. I fought against the early efforts to strip away public employees’ rights to bargain their union contract.”
Willems said after the 2011 redistricting occurred, his district was cut five different ways. He did not seek another term but focused on practicing labor law, ranging from union contract cases to stolen payroll wages.
“What I do in my little office is just a drop in the bucket, because there is $900 million per year stolen from Iowa workers’ paychecks,” Willems said. “That means people working off the clock, people not getting paid overtime, people having tips stolen, being misclassified as an independent contractor rather than a W2 employee. As far as I’m concerned, that is stealing. We’ve had laws in Iowa for a long time saying stealing is illegal. We’ve had laws go back even further that say ‘Thou shalt not steal.'”
He said he is running for attorney general because he wants to investigate corporations which steal from employees paychecks. Willems also wants to rebuild the consumer protection division of the state office.
“Tom Miller, over the course of 40 years, built a national model, a unit that goes to work for consumers and senior citizens,” he said. “On the other hand, Brenna Bird filed suit to prevent safe staffing standards from going into effect in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. I have no idea why you would do this. We have a real problem in the state of Iowa with quality nursing homes which provide adequate care and attention to seniors and those who are vulnerable.”
Since nursing homes accept Medicaid funding, Willems said Iowans have the right to expect them to fulfill promises, and the attorney general should enforce those promises.
He wants to build an attorney general office with the mindset that every day is an opportunity to work for every person who is an Iowan. Willems believes the state office has lost many talented attorneys, and the talented ones left are waiting to be “unshackled.”
“To allow them to do the job they know how to do,” he said. “We are going to try to attract some talent into the AG’s office. Along with that, I’m working on putting together a blueprint for a wage enforcement unit . . . which overlaps with a traditional consumer focus unit.”
Willems and his wife, Maggie, have three daughters. He will face Bird, the GOP incumbent, in the November general election.
Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.
Open article →