{{short description|American politician}}

{{Infobox officeholder | name= Ted Martin Vick | image= | state_house= South Carolina | district= 53rd | term_start= January 3, 2005 | term_end= November 2014 | preceded= Mary Beth Freeman | succeeded=Richie Yow | birth_date={{Birth date and age|1972|11|14}} | spouse= Melissa | profession= Businessman | party=Democrat | education=The Citadel (BS)<br>University of South Carolina }} '''Ted Vick''' (born November 14, 1972) is an American politician and a member of the Democratic Party. He served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2005 to 2014.

==Early life, education, and early career== Vick was born in 1972 in Cheraw, South Carolina to Julian Ted and Jan Sellers Vick. He got a B.S. from The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina in 1995 and a master's from the University of South Carolina in 1997. Since 1990, he has been a Major in the South Carolina National Guard.

Vick is a member of the American Legion Post 74, Lower Macedonia Baptist Church, Phi Kappa Phi society, and Sandhills Citadel Club. In recent years, he has owned a few companies such as V&B Properties, MTV Properties, and Ted Vick Motor Company.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/48249 |title=Representative Ted Vick - Biography - Project Vote Smart |publisher=Votesmart.org |date=1972-11-14 |accessdate=2012-05-25}}</ref>

==South Carolina House of Representatives==

===Elections=== In 2004, Vick ran for the South Carolina House of Representatives in the Chesterfield County based-53rd House District. James Sweeney and Vick both qualified for the run-off election as no candidate got 50% of the vote in the Democratic primary. Sweeney got 36% and Vick got 35%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=41532 |title=SC State House 053 - D Primary Race - Jun 08, 2004 |publisher=Our Campaigns |date= |accessdate=2012-05-25}}</ref> Vick defeated Sweeney in the run-off 54%-46%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=97872 |title=SC State House 053 - D Primary Runoff Race - Jun 22, 2004 |publisher=Our Campaigns |date= |accessdate=2012-05-25}}</ref> He won the general election unopposed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=41665 |title=SC State House 053 Race - Nov 02, 2004 |publisher=Our Campaigns |date= |accessdate=2012-05-25}}</ref> He won re-election in 2006, 2008, and 2010 without any opposition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=43123 |title=Candidate - Ted Martin Vick |publisher=Our Campaigns |date= |accessdate=2012-05-25}}</ref>

===Tenure=== In 2005, he was named Legislator of the Year by CIADA. Between 2006 and 2008, he was the Democratic House Whip. He is the Chairman of South Carolina Legislative Sportsmen's Caucus.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scstatehouse.gov/member.php?code=1875567957 |title=South Carolina Legislature Mobile |publisher=Scstatehouse.gov |date= |accessdate=2012-05-25}}</ref> He has called himself a "pro-life Baptist" who also supports gun rights. After U.S. Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was shot in January 2011, he sponsored an unsuccessful bill that would have allowed state lawmakers with concealed weapons permits to carry a handgun inside of the Statehouse.<ref>{{cite web|author=|url=http://www.southcarolinaradionetwork.com/2011/11/04/democratic-legislator-announces-run-for-congress/ |title=Democratic legislator announces run for Congress |publisher=Southcarolinaradionetwork.com |date=2011-11-04 |accessdate=2012-05-25}}</ref>

After 8 years as a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), Vick resigned from the organization.<ref>[http://topics.dallasnews.com/article/07Zd4yGe89bjN Unknown]{{dead link|date=January 2015 | fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

===Committee assignments=== *Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs (Secretary) *Interstate Cooperation (Chairman) **Subcommittee on Wildlife (Chairman)

==2012 congressional election== {{Main|United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 2012}} In November 2011, he announced he would run in the newly created South Carolina's 7th congressional district.<ref>{{cite web |author=Press Release |url=http://www2.scnow.com/news/pee-dee/2011/nov/04/vick-announces-candidacy-7th-district-congressiona-ar-2655384/ |title=Vick announces candidacy for 7th District Congressional seat |publisher=SCNOW |accessdate=2012-05-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415033817/http://www2.scnow.com/news/pee-dee/2011/nov/04/vick-announces-candidacy-7th-district-congressiona-ar-2655384/ |archive-date=2012-04-15 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Blue Dog Coalition endorsed him.<ref>{{cite web|last=Joseph |first=Cameron |url=https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/house-races/100319-blue-dog-pac-backs-five-challengers/ |title=Blue Dog PAC backs five challengers - The Hill's Ballot Box |publisher=Thehill.com |date=2011-12-14 |access-date=2012-05-25}}</ref>

===Arrest===

Vick was arrested May 14, 2012 after a state Bureau of Protective Services officer saw him stumbling in the State House parking garage before getting into his truck and running into a traffic cone.

That case was delayed in October after a judge ruled attorneys from the state Department of Public Safety had no authority to prosecute the case. Public Safety plans to appeal the ruling.

About 11 pm on the night of May 14, 2012, Vick was arrested in Columbia, SC by the Bureau of Protective Services on the Statehouse grounds and was charged with driving under the influence (DUI), speeding, and carrying a handgun without a permit. An officer saw Vick stumbling as he walked into a parking garage located in the Statehouse grounds in Columbia. Vick got into his car and hit a cone before the officer could catch up and ask him to stop. Vick smelled of alcohol but refused to take a breathalyzer test. Columbia Police Department officials indicated that Vick had been at a local bar prior to his arrest. A 21-year-old female USC student was in the car with Vick.<ref>{{cite web|last=Turnage |first=Jeremy |url=http://www.wistv.com/story/18616109/state-rep-congressional-candidate-charged-with-dui-speeding |title=Vick statement: "Politics will have to wait" - wistv.com - Columbia, South Carolina &#124; |publisher=wistv.com |date=2012-05-21 |accessdate=2012-05-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Kinnard|first=Meg|title=SC state Rep. Ted Vick arrested again for DUI|url=http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2013/05/15/3487891/sc-state-rep-red-vick-arrested.html#storylink=cpy|accessdate=15 May 2013|newspaper=The Sun News|date=15 May 2013}}{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=SC Rep. Ted Vick arrested for second DUI|date = 15 May 2013|url=http://www.carolinalive.com/news/story.aspx?id=898079#.UZPMgMpLqSo|publisher=Carolina Live WPDE|accessdate=15 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=SC lawmaker Ted Vick seen stumbling in statehouse parking lot, arrested for 2nd DUI|url=http://www.wbtw.com/story/22258473/sc-lawmaker-ted-vick-arrested-for-2nd-dui-this-last-year|publisher=WBTW|accessdate=15 May 2013|archive-date=21 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021043350/http://www.wbtw.com/story/22258473/sc-lawmaker-ted-vick-arrested-for-2nd-dui-this-last-year|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Lawmaker Ted Vick arrested for second DUI|url=http://www.wmbfnews.com/story/22258241/lawmaker-ted-vick-arrested-for-second-dui|publisher=WMBF-TV|accessdate=15 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130718195159/http://www.wmbfnews.com/story/22258241/lawmaker-ted-vick-arrested-for-second-dui|archive-date=18 July 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On May 16, Vick's attorney J. Todd Rutherford, who is also a state representative said that Vick had a pebble in his shoe and that is why he was walking funny. Vicks attorney went on to say that there are too many inconsistencies in the officer statement in regards to how the parking garage was laid out and to what the officer said what happened and also that the cone Vick is accused of hitting "Has a lot of black marks on it because people hit it all the time." Rutherford says that he can produce several people who can testify that Vick was perfectly sober when he left the restaurant.<ref>{{cite web|title=Vick's lawyer blames pebble in shoe for "stumbling" through State House grounds|url=http://www.wmbfnews.com/story/22258241/lawmaker-ted-vick-arrested-for-second-dui|publisher=WMBF-TV|accessdate=16 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130718195159/http://www.wmbfnews.com/story/22258241/lawmaker-ted-vick-arrested-for-second-dui|archive-date=18 July 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The charges were eventually dropped.<ref>{{cite web| title=DUI charge against SC legislator Ted Vick tossed on a technicality|first=ANDREW | last=SHAIN | date=2014-10-29 | url=http://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/the-buzz/article13905776.html}}</ref>

===Aftermath=== Vick dropped out of the race after his arrest.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.wbtw.com/story/21023126/rep-ted-vick-drops-out-of-7th-congressional-race | title=Rep. Ted Vick drops out of 7th Congressional race | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023055421/http://www.wbtw.com/story/21023126/rep-ted-vick-drops-out-of-7th-congressional-race | archive-date=2013-10-23}}</ref> However his name still appeared on the June Democratic ballot. Gloria Bromell Tinubu ended up winning the nomination, but lost the November general election to Republican Tom Rice.

==Personal life== Vick lives in the City of Chesterfield, South Carolina with his wife Melissa and their twin daughters Willow and Laurel.

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vick, Ted}} Category:1972 births Category:Living people Category:Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives Category:The Citadel alumni Category:People from Cheraw, South Carolina Category:People from Chesterfield, South Carolina Category:21st-century members of the South Carolina General Assembly