10/20/2026
Please take a look at this article and comment. No mention that candidate is NOT qualified to serve!!!
BCRP Press Release:
South Carolina Republican Party
Beaufort County Republican Party
Press Release – Thursday October 15, 2026
WHAT IS ALPHONSO SMALL JR. HIDING?
BEAUFORT COUNTY VOTERS DESERVE ANSWERS.
South Carolina Republican Party Demands Investigation into Democratic Sheriff Candidate’s Criminal Record and Candidate Qualification Affidavit
Columbia, S.C. — The South Carolina Republican Party is demanding immediate answers regarding whether Democratic candidate for sheriff Alphonso Small Jr. is legally qualified to seek the office — and whether he was truthful with voters and election officials about his criminal history.
The question is simple: Did Alphonso Small Jr. tell the truth when he certified that he met the legal qualifications to serve as sheriff?
According to court records cited by the Beaufort County Republican Party, Small entered a nolo contendere plea to a check-fraud charge in 1997, and records reportedly reflect a conviction for check fraud following a bench trial in 1998.
South Carolina law is clear about the qualifications required to serve as sheriff. Under S.C. Code Ann. § 23-11-110, candidates cannot have been convicted of or pleaded guilty to a felony or crime involving moral turpitude.
Furthermore, the South Carolina Supreme Court determined in State v. Harrison (1989) that a fraudulent-check conviction constitutes a crime involving moral turpitude.
Yet Small reportedly signed a candidate qualification affidavit attesting that he had no prior convictions for crimes involving moral turpitude.
That raises serious questions that cannot simply be brushed aside.
● Did Alphonso Small Jr. accurately disclose his criminal history when filing to run for sheriff?
● If the reported conviction is confirmed, why does his candidate qualification affidavit appear to tell a different story?
● Was Small legally qualified to file for the office in the first place?
● What did Small know about his eligibility, and when did he know it?
● Will Small release the relevant court records and qualification documents so Beaufort County voters can judge the facts for themselves?
A candidate seeking to become Beaufort County's chief law enforcement officer should be held to the highest standards of honesty, integrity, and accountability.
The people of Beaufort County should not have to wonder whether a candidate asking to enforce the law has complied with the law himself.
The Beaufort County Republican Party is calling on the appropriate election authorities to immediately examine Small's criminal history, sworn candidate qualification affidavit, and eligibility under South Carolina law.
This is not a minor paperwork question. This is about the integrity of the office of sheriff and the public's right to know whether a candidate has been truthful about his qualifications.
If the reported records are accurate, Small owes Beaufort County voters a direct explanation for the apparent discrepancy.
Beaufort County deserves a sheriff who will uphold the law, not a candidate whose own compliance with the law remains in question.
The South Carolina Republican Party demands a prompt, transparent determination of Small's eligibility — and answers from Small himself.
The voters deserve the truth. Alphonso Small Jr. needs to answer the questions.
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