Democratic primary foe Frank endorses Parnell in S.C. 5th District Congress race

Democratic candidate for Congress Archie Parnell picked up an endorsement Wednesday from one of the candidates he defeated in April.

Parnell faces Republican Ralph Norman, who won a runoff May 16, and three third-party candidates in the June 20 election for South Carolina’s 5th Congressional District seat.

Alexis Frank of Rock Hill, a military veteran who garnered 22 percent of the vote April’s Democratic primary, said Parnell can win.

“We can’t allow Trump’s agenda in this state,” said Frank, who spoke at a news conference Wednesday at Parnell’s Rock Hill headquarters. “We must stand together.”

Parnell, of Sumter, said Frank’s endorsement shows a “united single vision for change.”

Polls and political experts have shown Norman, A Rock Hill developer and former legislator, with a double-digit lead in the district that was Democratic for decades until 2010. But Parnell said Wednesday polls show the gap has narrowed.

The seat became vacant when Mick Mulvaney left Congress to become President Donald Trump’s budget director. The election is June. 20.

This story was originally published May 31, 2017 at 1:47 PM with the headline "Democratic primary foe Frank endorses Parnell in S.C. 5th District Congress race."