It will be Tom Rice vs. Gloria Bromell-Tinubu in the inaugual election for South Carolina’s newest seat in Congress.
Tom Rice
Rice made a late surge to take the Republican nomination for November’s election. Rice, the Horry County Council Chairman, won with 56 percent of the vote over former Lt. Governor Andre Bauer’s 44 percent. Rice won despite only receiving 27 percent of the vote during the June 12 primary to Bauer’s 32 percent.
Rice spent Monday campaigning with Gov. Nikki Haley. He was one of the few candidates she actively endorsed in the past election cycle. Rice won after taking more votes in each of the district’s most populated counties– Horry, Florence, and Georgetown.
Tinubu, a Coastal Carolina University economist, clinched the Democratic nomination with an overwhelming win over Myrtle Beach attorney (and Democratic Party establishment favorite) Preston Brittain. Tinubu took 73 percent of the vote to Brittain’s 27 percent.
Gloria Bromell-Tinubu
Tinubu’s win comes only four days after a state circuit judge ordered a runoff in the race. Tinubu originally believed she had secured the win with 52 percent of the vote, enough to avoid a runoff. However, that was only because the South Carolina State Election Commission dismissed 2,300 votes for Ted Vick– who had dropped out of the race only two weeks beforehand. The judge ruled the commission acted improperly and restored the votes, giving Tinubu slightly less than the 50 percent necessary to win outright.
Tinubu is a native of Georgetown County who grew up in the Plantersville community. She is a former Georgia state legislator who moved back to the Pee Dee earlier this year.
In legislative runoffs, the GOP race for a Greenville State Senate seat will head to a recount. According to the State Election Commission, insurance salesman Ross Turner led Clemson University trustee Joe Swann by only 36 votes in Senate District 8. That’s within the one-percent margin needed to trigger a recount. Both Turner and Swann finished ahead of incumbent Sen. David Thomas in the June 12 primary. The winner will face Jeff Dishner– who’s running as a petition candidate in November.
Meanwhile, Sumter real estate broker Tony Barwick defeated former Third Circuit Solicitor Wade Kolb for the Republican nomination in Senate District 35. Barwick will face Thomas McElveen in the November general election. They will run to replace retiring Sen. Phil Leventis (D-Sumter) in the district that consists of mostly western Sumter County.
Executive Director of Fairfield County Council on Aging MaryGail Douglas defeated Fairfield County School Board member Annie McDaniel for the House District 41 Democratic nomination. Both are running for the seat currently held by Rep. Boyd Brown (D-Winnsboro), who is leaving the House next year. There is no listed Republican opposition in that race.
