By Stan Welch
The primary season will come to an end next Tuesday, June 14 as a plethora of local and state seats will be contested. Mike Gambrell, who was recently elected to the Senate District 4 seat, is currently serving the remaining term resulting from the untimely death of State Senator Billy O’Dell in January. He is being challenged for the seat again by Williamston Councilman Rockey Burgess. Voters will have the choice of both in the primary vote Tuesday. The winner of the primary will be unopposed in the November general election.
Senator Kevin Bryant will face former Pendleton Mayor Carole Burdette in the Republican primary. No Democrat has signed up to challenge the Republican winner in November. In the District Six House race, Chairman of the Ways and Means committee Brian White is running unopposed.
The District Seven seat, vacated by Senator Gambrell, is being contested by Jay West, Dennis Grindstaff, and Blake Parker.
In District Eight, tea party candidate and incumbent Jonathon Hill will face Albert Howard and Don Bowen, whom he unseated in 2014, in the Republican primary. The winner will then face Barbara Jo Mullis, a Democrat, in November.
Anne Thayer is unopposed in the primary for her District Nine House seat, but she has a Democratic opponent in November, Mary Geren. Joshua Putnam, the incumbent from District Ten, is unopposed in the primary but will face Democrat Anna Brown in the general election.
Regardless of the outcome of the election for the Tenth Circuit Solicitor, there will be a new face heading that office. Chrissy Adams’ decision not to seek reelection brought a trio of Republican candidates to the fore. They are Wilson Burr, Rame Campbell, and David Wagner.
A common theme among the three candidates is their determination to be more visible in the courtrooms. Wagner, who is a long time veteran of the Solicitor’s staff, has faced charges from his opponents based on Adams’ perceived preference for plea bargaining instead of aggressive prosecution.
Campbell, currently a deputy solicitor, faces some of the same questions, but both promise a more aggressive approach. Burr, a former public defender, challenges a number of aspects of the office’s current administration. All three support the death penalty, and promise greater cooperation with the various law enforcement agencies.
No Democrats filed for the office.
Anderson County Sheriff John Skipper faces two Republican challengers, Chad McBride and Jeremy Pickens.
McBride is a former deputy at the Sheriff’s Office. Pickens is a former member of the SCHP.
At debates around the area, both challengers have questioned Skipper about the way that his department handles property crimes, as well as the response times of his deputies.
Both men also described the department as top heavy administratively, and difficult to advance in, as a result.
Skipper, for his part, touted the experience of his staff, and explained that surrounding law enforcement agencies simply pay better, which causes deputies to leave the Anderson department for greener pastures.
The offices of Clerk of Court (Richard Shirley), Coroner (Greg Shore), Auditor (Jacky Hunter) and Treasurer (Jason Phillips) are all unopposed in either the primary or the general election.
U.S. Congressman Jeff Duncan of District Three will face Hosea Cleveland in the general election,while Congressman Trey Gowdy will face Democrat Chris Fedalei and a Constitution Party candidate in November.
Even closer to home, several Anderson county council races promise to be lively.
District One incumbent Francis Crowder declined another run for office, leaving Democrat Liz Carey and Republican Craig Wooten to face off in November.
Longtime stalwart from District Two, Gracie Floyd faces surprising opposition in the Democratic primary, as Maurice Martin and Frank Pressly will both attempt to unseat her. The winner of that tussle will face Republican Larry Bright in November.
In District Three, incumbent Mitchell Cole will face opposition in the primary from Eddie Moore, whom he defeated in 2014 to win the seat, and Ray Graham. The primary winner will face no opposition in the general election.
In Districts Four, Five, Six and Seven, the incumbents are unopposed in either the primary or the general election. They are, respectively, Tom Allen, Tommy Dunn, Ken Waters and Cindy Wilson. Ms. Wilson is the only member who can match Ms. Floyd in terms of longevity on the Council.
