Runoff election results
By Stan Welch
Incumbency and experience offered absolutely no protection whatsoever during Tuesday’s runoff elections, as virtually every incumbent was unseated.
Perhaps the greatest upset was Greenville County Sheriff Steve Loftis’ close loss to former deputy Will Lewis. The margin of victory was just 362 votes out of almost twenty nine thousand cast. The upset continues the shakeup in law enforcement which began with Anderson County Sheriff John Skipper’s resounding loss in the first primary.
Three incumbent state Senators from the Upstate were also defeated, including District Two’s Larry Martin, who was defeated by Rex Rice; District Six’s Mike Fair, who lost to William Timmons; and District Twelve, where Lee Bright was defeated by Scott Talley.
Jay West, a political newcomer, won the District Seven House seat vacated by Mike Gambrell in his successful quest for the late Senator Billy O’Dell’s seat. West defeated Blake Parker, 1401 votes to 1017.
The Tenth Circuit Solicitor’s race was not as close as many had anticipated, as long time veteran of the office, David Wagner, defeated Rame Campbell, by a margin of more than thirty three hundred votes.
In the only County Council race to be run off, Art Graham handily defeated former council member Eddie Moore for the District Three seat by 1531 votes to 765.
