Senate Incumbents Hold onto Seats in Primaries

Longtime Myrtle Beach senator faces difficult runoff

 

Several senators faced tough contests in the statewide primaries and all but one moved on to the November general election. The most hotly-contested race in the state was in Senate District 33, where Republican Senate Judiciary Chairman Luke Rankin was kept to 40% of the vote in a three-way contest. He will face off with businessman John Gallman, who received 34%. Carter Smith rounded out the totals with 25%. Both Gallman and Smith ran well to the right of Rankin, who was just ranked as the most liberal member of the state senate by the American Conservative Union. The consensus is that Gallman and Smith’s voters will coalesce, making the June 23rd runoff a race of turning out their supporters. No Democrats filed in the heavily Republican Horry County district.

 

In Anderson County’s third district, conservative Sen. Richard Cash pulled out a comfortable win over County Councilman Craig Wooten by a margin of 57% to 43%. Cash, who is serving after winning a special election to replace former Senator-turned-Lt. Gov. Kevin Bryant, is seeking his first full term. Wooten spent heavily to unseat the senator but was turned back in conservative Anderson County. Cash is a safe bet to defeat Democrat Judith Polson in November.

 

District 12 Sen. Scott Talley secured re-election after a tough challenge from Mark Lynch. Talley won the district that includes portions of Greenville and Spartanburg but a 53% to 47% margin. Lynch opposed the incumbent by painting him as insufficiently conservative. Talley should cruise to re-election in his matchup with Democrat Dawn Bingham.

Four-term Democratic Sen. Floyd Nicholson of District 10 now knows his opponent as attorney Billy Garrett knocked off 2016 nominee Bryan Hope, 53.5% to 46.5% in the GOP Primary. Hope made an unexpected charge at Nicholson in 2016, making the margin close even though he was underfunded. Funds should not be a problem for Garrett as he has shown a willingness to spend his own money and he should be able to raise plenty. The district – which strongly favors Republicans – contains all or portions of Abbeville, Greenwood, McCormick and Saluda and is a top target for Republicans this cycle.

 

Nichols / Johnson
In Suburban Charlotte District 16, there will be a runoff for the open seat of retiring Sen. Chauncey Gregory. Trump-touting Tom Nichols topped the ballot in a four-way race and will face York County Councilman Michael Johnson on June 23rd. Nichols picked up 32% to Johnson’s 27% in the four-way race. The winner of the runoff is a strong favorite over Democrat candidate Ram Mammadov.

 

Democrat Sen. Mike Fanning of rural District 17 easily dismissed former State Rep. Mary Gail Douglas. Many consider the 68-32 percent margin of victory to be one of the biggest surprises of primary night. The district, which includes all of Fairfield County and Chester and part of York, is a Democrat-favored district but has moved more in the direction of Republicans as many rural districts across America have done. Chester County Republican Chairwoman Erin Mosley is waiting in the general election in a race that could enter the Republican Party’s radar.

 

Sam Skardon cruised in the Democratic Primary over Jason Mills to advance to November against first-term Republican Sen. Sandy Senn. Skardon prevailed by a 64% to 36% margin. The centrist Senn won her first term without Democrat opposition but the Charleston-based district only went slightly for President Trump in 2016. The race will most likely be the Democrats’ best opportunity to pick up a Republican-held seat with Skardon, well-known in Democratic circles and an adept fundraiser.

The races going forward could bring an idealogical shift to the senate, as conservatives often fall a few votes short of passing favored legislation, including legislation to restrict abortion.

 

Preston Baines is a political analyst and can be reached at @prestonbaines on Twitter and prestonbaines@gmail.com.

 

 

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