Todd Rutherford

Todd Rutherford
Minority Leader of the South Carolina House of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 8, 2013
Preceded byHarry L. Ott Jr.
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives
from the 74th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
November 9, 1998
Preceded byAlma W. Byrd
Personal details
BornJames Todd Rutherford
(1970-10-10) October 10, 1970 (age 56)
Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
Spouses
  • Naida Harris
    ​
    ​
    (m. 2008; div. 2017)​
  • Megan Pinckney
    ​
    (m. 2020)​
Children2
EducationHoward University (BA)
University of South Carolina, Columbia (JD)

James Todd Rutherford (born October 10, 1970 in Columbia, South Carolina) is an American politician and Democratic member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing the 74th District since 1999. He is the Minority Leader of the House.

Early life and education

Rutherford graduated from W.J. Keenan High School in 1988. Rutherford earned his bachelor's degree from Howard University in 1992. He then worked as Legislative Assistant to Congressman Robin Tallon before earning his Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1996.

After passing the bar, Rutherford worked as Assistant Solicitor and Special Prosecutor of Narcotic and Drug Cases in the Fifth Circuit Solicitor's Office. In 1998, he founded the Rutherford Law Firm.

See Trial of Alex Murdaugh

In April 2023 Rutherford and Mark Moore became the new legal team for South Carolina banker Russell Laffitte, who faced state charges after his conviction as a co-conspirator with Alex Murdaugh in federal financial crimes. The State trial has been deferred until 2024.

South Carolina General Assembly

Rutherford was elected to the South Carolina General Assembly in 1998 to represent House District 74. He initially served on the Military, Medical and Municipal Affairs Committee before joining the Judiciary Committee in 2002. Rutherford currently serves on the Ways and Means Committee and the Ethics Committee.

Rutherford was named Young Democrat of the year in 1999.

In 2007 Rutherford introduced a bill to replace the Confederate battle flag with the South Carolina state flag. However, the bill never received a hearing. In June 2015 the flag was removed with the overwhelming support of the House Democratic Caucus.

Rutherford is a leading proponent of medical marijuana in the South Carolina General Assembly. In 2014, Rutherford filed the "Put Patients First Act," the first of its kind in South Carolina.

Rutherford joined House members Deon Tedder and Roger Kirby in forming the Freedom Caucus of South Carolina, in contrast to the conservative SC Freedom Caucus.

In 2013, Rutherford was elected Minority Leader. In 2024 he faced a challenge from Kambrell Garvin, but was re-elected.

Electoral history

2016 South Carolina House of Representatives

2016 South Carolina House of Representatives District 74 election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Todd Rutherford 12,174 98.9%
Write-in 131 1.1%
Total votes 12,305 100.0%

2018 South Carolina House of Representatives

2018 South Carolina House of Representatives District 74 election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Todd Rutherford 9,681 90.0%
Independent Michael L. Block 1,018 9.5%
Write-in 52 0.48%
Total votes 10,751 100.0%

2020 South Carolina House of Representatives

2020 South Carolina House of Representatives District 74 election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Todd Rutherford 12,328 82.8%
Republican Vimalkumar Jariwala 2,526 17.0%
Write-in 33 0.22%
Total votes 14,887 100.0%

2022 South Carolina House of Representatives

2022 South Carolina House of Representatives District 74 election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Todd Rutherford 9,089 98.6%
Write-in 129 1.4%
Total votes 9,218 100.0%

2024 South Carolina House of Representatives

2024 South Carolina House of Representatives District 74 election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Todd Rutherford 12,303 98.4%
Write-in 197 1.6%
Total votes 12,500 100.0%

References

  1. ↑ "Minority Leader J. Todd Rutherford". South Carolina Legislature online. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  2. ↑ DeWitt, Jr., Michael M. (April 21, 2023). "What's next for Russell Laffitte, Curtis Edward Smith and alleged Alex Murdaugh accomplices?". Greenville News. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  3. ↑ Tripp, Drew (September 20, 2023). "Russell Laffitte prison start date pushed back again". WCIV-TV. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  4. ↑ Adcox, Seanna (June 20, 2015). "South Carolina legislator: Take down Confederate flag". AP. WoodTV8. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  5. ↑ "South Carolina House votes to remove Confederate flag from statehouse grounds". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  6. ↑ Hutchins, Corey. "With new legislation, activists hopeful S.C. will allow medical marijuana". Charleston City Paper. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  7. ↑ Williams, Lee (March 7, 2023). "Three legislators create "Freedom Caucus of South Carolina," members say caucus with similar name not doing its job". WOLO-TV. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  8. ↑ "South Carolina House Republicans and Democrats stick with same leadership for upcoming legislative session". WCBD News 2. 2024-12-04. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  9. ↑ Bustos, Joseph (December 4, 2024). "SC's House Minority Leader Rutherford reelected as Democratic leader despite a challenger". The State Newspaper. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  10. ↑ "2016 Statewide General Election, detailed results". South Carolina Election Commission. November 8, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  11. ↑ "2018 Statewide General Elections, detailed results". South Carolina Election Commission. November 6, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  12. ↑ "2020 Statewide General Election, detailed results". South Carolina Election Commission. November 3, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  13. ↑ "2022 Statewide General Elections, detailed results". South Carolina Election Commission. November 8, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  14. ↑ "2024 Statewide General Election, detailed results". South Carolina Election Commission. November 5, 2024. Retrieved October 10, 2026.