Bill Hopkins, an attorney from Pawley’s Island, announced his candidacy for U.S. Congress in South Carolina’s Seventh Congressional District, which is currently represented by Congressman Tom Rice. Hopkins is running for Congress to fight for people who must work for a living who are being forgotten in Washington today.
In his press release, Hopkins stated, “For the past 25 years, I stood up for people who have to work for a living,” said Bill Hopkins, a Democrat. “I took on pharmaceutical companies that were overcharging our state’s Medicaid and Health Plan programs and stood up against a multi-billion-dollar garbage company that was dumping out of state waste in my hometown, Bishopville. And I helped expose life insurance companies that were charging African Americans higher premiums simply based on race.”
Hopkins continued, “I am proud of my work on behalf of hard working people in South Carolina, but nothing is getting done for them in Washington. The only people who seem to be doing better are the wealthiest one percent, and Congressman Rice just voted to give them a tax break. I’ll work with anyone in Congress – Democrat or Republican – to get things done for the people of South Carolina.”
South Carolina’s Seventh Congressional District encompasses eight counties in the northeastern part of the state. In 2008, Democratic candidates for Congress won a combined 54% of the vote within the district’s current boundaries. In 2006, Democratic candidates for statewide office won a majority of the vote within the district’s current boundaries.
About Bill Hopkins
Bill was born and raised in Bishopville, South Carolina where he worked on his grandparents’ family farm and roadside produce stand as a youngster and on cotton farms in high school. He earned an academic scholarship to North Carolina State University and graduated with a B.S. degree in Textile Chemistry.
After college, Bill worked for three years at the Grace Bleachery Mill in Lancaster – eventually working his way up to third shift supervisor and earning enough to pay for law school.
Following his graduation from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1993, Bill has been an attorney here.
As the lead lawyer on behalf of the State of South Carolina in the Average Wholesale Price litigation case, Bill helped recover tens of millions of taxpayer dollars from several pharmaceutical companies that used inflated drug prices to overcharge the state’s Medicaid and Health Plan Programs.
Bill took on Republic Industries, an Arizona Waste Management corporation that was dumping terrible out-of-state waste, including human waste from New York and chemical sludge from Delaware, at the Bishopville Landfill in Lee County with no regard for the community. As a result of the successful litigation, Republic Industries has spent over $13 million cleaning up the site and making major improvements.
On behalf of over 400 African-American South Carolinians, Bill helped expose and stop life insurance companies from charging African Americans higher premiums simply because of race.
And Bill helped strengthen protections against sexual harassment in the workplace, making it easier to establish harassment based on gender when he argued the Ocheltree v Scollon Productions case before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Bill volunteers as the President and Chairman of St. Christopher’s Children, which provides clothes and orthodontic care to underserved children. St. Christopher’s was recognized by the South Carolina Secretary of State two years ago as one of the State’s top charities, devoting over 87% of all proceeds directly to beneficiaries. In addition, Bill is on the board of Outreach Farms, which provides high quality protein for those in need.
Bill is an avid quail, dove and duck hunter and golfer. He has two sons and a daughter and lives with his wife in Pawley’s island.
