Fanning Surges to Runoff Victory

Mike Fanning

WINNSBORO (June 29, 2016) – In a dramatic swing from the June 14 Democratic Primary numbers, challenger Mike Fanning ousted two-term District 17 State Sen. Creighton Coleman from the ticket in Tuesday night’s runoff by nearly 13 percentage points. Fanning will face Republican Mark Palmer of York in the Nov. 8 general election.

The swing came largely in Coleman’s home county of Fairfield.

On June 14, Coleman edged Fanning 2,281 votes (49.01 percent) to 2,066 (44.39 percent) in a three-man race that included Morgan Bruce Reeves, who picked up 307 votes. Tuesday night, however, Fanning upped his game for 2,583 votes (57.64 percent) to Coleman’s 1,898 (42.36 percent).

And the bleeding didn’t stop there.

Both candidates lost votes in Chester County, where on June 14 Coleman topped Fanning 2,097 (52.24 percent) to 1,681 (41.88 percent), and where Reeves accounted for 236 votes, but Coleman experienced the biggest drop-off. Fanning squeaked by in Chester Tuesday night 1,447 (51.11 percent) to 1,384 (48.89 percent).

Coleman also dropped votes in York County. On June 14, Fanning trounced Coleman 583 (56.66 percent) to 379 (36.83 percent), while Reeves picked up 67 votes. Tuesday night, Fanning increased his margin, 644 votes (64.59 percent) while Coleman’s totals fell to 353 (35.41 percent).

District-wide, Fanning outpaced Coleman 4,674 (56.25 percent) to 3,635 (43.75 percent).

Between the June 14 Primary and Tuesday’s runoff, Coleman dropped 940 votes, while Fanning picked up 344 votes.

Voter turnout was also lower Tuesday than in the June 14 Primary, which traditionally favors the incumbent. Tuesday, that tradition was turned on its head.

Turnout in Fairfield County Tuesday was 29.02 percent, down from 31.44 percent two weeks ago. In Chester County, turnout was down to 13.87 percent from 21.61 percent on June 14. In York, turnout was a dismal 3.11 percent, down from 10.62 percent two weeks ago.

The Voice reached out to both candidates after Tuesday’s results, but neither returned phone calls before press time.