Disgraced SC pol, reality TV star eyes comeback

Disgraced former South Carolina state Treasurer Thomas Ravenel (R) is floating a bid against Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) as an independent.

Ravenel was forced to leave office in 2007 after pleading guilty to cocaine possession charges, serving a 10-month prison sentence.

Now, he’s trying to make a political comeback through his new gig — as a star on Bravo’s reality TV series “Southern Charm,” which follows the salacious lives of Ravanel and other Charleston elite.

After hinting at another political run for weeks, on “Watch What Happens Live” after the show on Monday evening he announced that he’d run as a libertarian-leaning independent if Graham wins his June primary election, as expected.

The son of a former Congressman will have to gather 10,000 signatures to get on the ballot — a tall task.

And some of the 50-year-old’s escapades on the reality TV show could come back to haunt him: recent storylines have centered on a pregnancy scare with his 22-year-old girlfriend, and he also recently had his license suspended after pleading guilty to a drunken driving charge. 

Graham has been sailing through his primary race so far — but it appears his competition may be getting a bit more stiff. Columbia-based pastor Det Bowers (R) raised more than $400,000 in his first few months in the campaign, according to CNN, more than the handful of other candidates challenging Graham have managed to pull together at the start of their bids. 

Still, Graham has been close to the 50 percent threshold he needs to avoid a primary in recent public polling.

Jessica Taylor contributed to this report.