Nancy Mace wins 1st Congressional District primary election; Timmons wins race
Incumbent U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace won Tuesday’s 1st Congressional District Republican primary. The Associated Press called the race at 8:40 p.m. Tuesday
Mace had 57% of the vote. Catherine Templeton had 29%, and Bill Young had 14%.
Mace was one of eight hard-liners who voted to oust former U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. She received a challenge after she made the unlikely vote by teaming up with Democrats in October.
Former President Donald Trump endorsed Mace in March.
“President Trump, South Carolina will have your back in November. Thank you all for standing by me and sticking with me, and many of you for sticking up for me,” Mace said during her celebration speech in the Charleston area, according to ABC News.
The New York Times reported that she said “I hope to embarrass him tonight,” about McCarthy earlier Tuesday over lunch at a Waffle House in Beaufort, between stops at polling locations. “I want to send him back to the rock he’s living under right now. He’s not part of America. He doesn’t know what hard-working Americans go through every single day. I hope I drive Kevin McCarthy crazy.”
On the Democratic side of the 1st District, Michael B. Moore beat Mac Deford, according to the Associated Press, who called the race at 9:06 p.m. Moore had 53% of the vote.
Even though the 1st Congressional District was drawn to have a Republican lean in general elections, the Lowcountry district is expected to be the closest Congressional race in the state in November.
Runoff in Republican 3rd Congressional District
Pastor Mark Burns and Sheri Biggs will headed to a runoff for the Republican bid for the 3rd Congressional District. With 90% of the votes counted, Burns has 33% of the vote, while Sheri Biggs has 29%.
State Rep. Stewart Jones, a member of the hard-line Freedom Caucus, came in third place with 19% of votes.
The winner of the June 25 runoff will face Democrat Bryon Best. Best had 63% of the vote against Frances Guldner.
Burns and Biggs were part of a seven-person contest on the Republican side, vying to be the nominee after U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-Laurens, who announced he would not seek reelection.
The Upstate district includes all or parts of Abbeville, Anderson, Edgefield, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Pickens and Saluda counties.
Incumbent Timmons wins in 4th District
The Associated Press declared U.S. Rep. William Timmons, R-Greenville, winner of the election at midnight. Timmons held a small lead over primary challenger state Rep. Adam Morgan, who is the outgoing chairman of the state House Freedom Caucus.
Timmons, who received Donald Trump’s endorsement in the race, had 52% of the vote. Morgan had 48%.
Wilson cruises to GOP nomination
U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-Springdale, cruised to the Republican nomination in 2nd Congressional District by defeating Hamp Redmond.
Wilson won 74% of the vote, compared to Redmond who received 26%
The congressional district includes all or parts of Aiken, Barnwell, Lexington, Orangeburg and Richland counties.
Wilson will now face Democratic nominee David Robinson II in the reliably Republican district.
Clyburn, Fry learn who their opponents are
U.S. Reps. Jim Clyburn, D-Santee, and Russell Fry, R-Surfside Beach, found out Tuesday who they’ll be running against in November elections, even though both incumbents are in relatively safe general election seats.
In the heavily Democratic 6th Congressional District, Clyburn will face off against Republican Duke Buckner, who won the nomination Tuesday. Also on the ballot in the district will be United Citizens nominee Gregg Marcel Dixon, Alliance Party nominee Joseph Oddo, and Libertarian Michael Simpson.
In the heavily ruby red Republican 7th Congressional District, Fry will face off against the winner of the Mal Hyman-Daryl Scott primary. With 89% of the vote counted, Hyman held a 400 vote lead at 10 p.m. Tuesday night.
In the 5th Congressional District, Republican U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman will have a rematch against Democratic challenger Evangeline Hundley. Neither faced any competition in the primaries.
