Dickerson Earns Bid for Senate Race
WINNSBORO – In unofficial results reporting in late Tuesday night, incumbent State Rep. MaryGail Douglas (D-41) successfully held off a primary challenge from Chester City Councilman William “Budda” Killian, 1,696 votes to 968. Douglas swept away Killian in her home county of Fairfield 1,182 votes (72.96 percent) to 438 (27.04 percent). In the Richland County areas of District 41, Douglas also carried the day, 126 votes (82.89 percent) to 26 (17.11 percent). Killian carried his home county 504 votes (56.5 percent) to 388 (43.5 percent), but it wasn’t enough to overcome Douglas, who will be unchallenged in November.
“I am elated and glad I made it through for another 730 days,” Douglas said. “I’m glad folks have that much confidence in me. I have enjoyed my first term and I am looking forward to serving again.”
Douglas said that in her upcoming second term in the General Assembly, two key issues top her agenda – ethics reform and roads and bridges.
“(Ethics reform) has got to be resolved,” Douglas said. “We have got to do a better job of reclaiming some semblance of integrity among ourselves. We have some good people there, but we are branded by people who think we’re all crooks.”
Roads and bridges, Douglas said, “are the foundation of our state and we wouldn’t allow our houses that we live in to get into the shape that our roads and bridges are in. We have got to address that.”
U.S. Senate
With 43 of 46 counties reporting at press time, Richland County Councilwoman Joyce Dickerson (District 2) earned one of the two Democratic nominations in the race for U.S. Senate. Dickerson beat out Sidney Moore and Harry Pavilack with nearly 66 percent of the vote Tuesday. Dickerson carried Fairfield County with 843 votes (61.99 percent), and Richland County with 14,602 votes (82.66 percent). She will face Republican incumbent Tim Scott in November. Scott handily earned his party’s nomination with more than 90 percent of the vote over Randall Young.
Orangeburg Democrat and S.C. State Sen. Brad Hutto (D-40) earned his party’s second nomination in the U.S. Senate race, besting Jay Stamper with 76.64 percent of the vote. Hutto will face Republican incumbent Lindsey Graham in November. Graham fought off a slew of challengers in the Republican primary with 56.49 percent of the vote. His closest rival, Greer conservative State Sen. Lee Bright (R-12), mustered just under 16 percent of the vote.
Sixth Circuit Solicitor
In the race for the Republican nomination for the Sixth Circuit Solicitor’s Office being vacated by retiring Doug Barfield, Randy Newman Jr. earned the bid, beating out Tom Holland 3,157 (55.02 percent) to 2,581 (44.98 percent). Holland carried Fairfield County, 452-385, but strong showings by Newman in Lancaster, where Newman won 2,393-1,840, and Chester, where he won 379-289, lifted Newman to victory. Newman will face Fairfield County public defender William Frick in November.
Results from Tuesday’s primary remain unofficial until certified later this week.