Kitchens, Ritchie to meet in News 2 forum ahead of Republican primary runoff for Charleston County sheriff

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)- Two Republican candidates hoping to become the next Charleston County sheriff will meet in a forum on News 2 ahead of the primary runoff election.

WCBD’s Riley Benson will moderate the conversation between Greg Kitchens and Carl Ritchie during a special live edition of ‘2 The Point’ on Sunday, June 23 at 11 a.m.

The candidates will answer questions that matter most to Charleston County voters as each makes his final case for why he should advance to the general election in November.

Kitchens earned 9,519 votes, 45 percent, while Ritchie earned 8,908 votes, 42 percent during the June 11 primary election.

In South Carolina, a candidate must receive at least 50% of the vote to win outright. If no candidate reaches that threshold, the top two vote-getters advance to a runoff.

The remainder of the primary vote was split between Rick Keys and Rocky Burke. Keys has since endorsed Kitchens in the runoff.

Kitchens previously served as a deputy at the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, and Ritchie was the longtime chief of the Mount Pleasant Police Department.

The runoff will be held on June 25 with polls open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Early voting is available June 19 through 21 from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.

The winner will take on incumbent Sheriff Kristin Graziano (D) in November.