Southern Charm alum Thomas Ravenel has announced his bid for political office once again, just six years after pleading guilty to third-degree sexual assault and battery, stemming from a 2018 rape case.

The former South Carolina state treasurer, who starred on the first five seasons of the popular Bravo reality series, stated in an X post on Thursday that he intends to run for governor of South Carolina in 2026. 

“I’m running for Governor of South Carolina and none of the lightweights currently in the race are going to stop me,” Ravenel, 62, wrote. “I have a message that’s going to change not just South Carolina but the entire country.”

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Ravenel’s political career has been impacted by his repeated run-ins with the law over the last two decades. The Charleston native previously ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate in 2004, but was later fined $19,500 by the Federal Election Commission for failing to file reports detailing his personal campaign spending in a timely manner, according to local news outlet WIS News 10.  

Ravenel was then elected state treasurer in 2006, but only served in the role for five months before resigning after he was indicted on federal cocaine charges in the following year. After completing a 30-day rehabilitation program in Arizona, he pleaded guilty to “conspiring to buy and distribute less than 100 grams of cocaine” and was subsequently sentenced to 10 months in prison, PEOPLE reported.

While starring on Southern Charm in 2014, Ravenel attempted to run for a Senate seat once again — this time going up against longtime Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. He ended up losing the seat to Graham in the end, earning less than four percent of the total vote. That same year, Ravenel was also accused of assaulting his ex-partner Kathryn Dennis’ hairdresser Lauren Moser at his Charleston home, though he was never formally charged in the incident, according to PEOPLE. 

In 2018, he was accused of rape by a woman who worked as his children’s former nanny in 2018. That same year, Bravo announced that he would not be returning to Southern Charm after he was arrested and charged with second-degree assault and battery in relation to the incident. 

Ravenel ultimately pleaded guilty to third-degree assault and battery in 2019 as part of a plea deal and was sentenced to 30 days in jail, which was suspended into a $500 fine and probation. As part of the agreement, he also paid $80,000 to a nonprofit organization called People Against Rape. 

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.