Democrat Opposing Courson in Senate Dist. 20

Columbia attorney Robert Rikard is running for State Senate District 20 — the first Democrat to compete for the seat in 12 years. 

Rikard is challenging Sen. John E. Courson, who has held the seat for 27 years and was recently elected Senate president pro tempore after .

Rikard, who is a lawyer at the Columbia firm Rikard & Protopapas, LLC, has raised close to $65,000 for his campaign, not including a $25,000 loan, according to his state ethics report. 

“It is time for a change in the South Carolina State House,” Rikard said in a release. “With hard work, new ideas, and with the support of the people in District 20, we can build a better South Carolina together. The only way to move our great state forward is with fresh ideas and the effort to make them a reality.”  

A Midlands native, Rikard worked at the Richland County Sheriff's Department after graduating from the University of South Carolina. He later earned his law degree at USC. He has two sons.

The son of the son of George Rikard, a former state trooper, and June Rikard, a former legal secretary and court reporter, Rikard says he learned his work ethic from his parents.

"My parents taught me the importance of hard work, faith in God, and perseverance in the face of adversity,” Rikard said in the release. “I intend to bring those same core values and life lessons to this campaign and hopefully the Statehouse.”

“The culture of the Statehouse has to be reformed if we are going to have positive change and progress in South Carolina. Our current Senator is a good man who has been in this seat for twenty-seven years, and he has become part of the status quo,” said Rikard. “We can’t change the Senate if we don’t change the Senators.”

District 20 covers parts of St. Andrews, Irmo and downtown Columbia.