Special election to replace Rick Quinn is going to a runoff

Voters in Lexington County’s S.C. House District 69 will go back to the polls in two weeks to decide who will replace former Rep. Rick Quinn in the State House

Fitness center owner Chris Wooten will face Lexington 1 school board member Anne Marie Eckstorm Green in a runoff on March 13, according to unofficial results from Tuesday’s five-way Republican primary.

Wooten, a former state trooper and Marine who owns BodyShop Athletics, had a hefty lead Tuesday night but fell short of an outright majority. Green held on to second place and a spot in the runoff, ahead of attorneys Joel Deason and Michael Weaver and business owner Alan Ray.

“Thank everybody for all your support, all your help, (but) we’re not done yet,” Wooten said in a Facebook video on election night. “We got a lot more work to do, so you tell your friends and make sure they know we’ve got to vote again.”

Wooten raised the most money of any candidate in the race, with $68,660.18. Green was fourth in fundraising totals, with $17,751.

“I’m going to keep working hard and focus on grassroots campaigning,” Green said. “Chris Wooten has raised a lot of money and spent a lot of money, and I’ve relied on hard work, talking to people and focusing on the issues.”

Turnout in the district was around 11 percent.

Former House Majority Leader Rick Quinn resigned the seat in December after being indicted and pleading guilty to misconduct in office after receiving money from clients of his father’s lobbying firm. Quinn was later sentenced to probation and community service.

In the aftermath of Quinn’s resignation, State House ethics became an issue that hung over the special election.

District 69 covers the northeastern section of Lexington County between Interstate 26 and Lake Murray, running from north of the Saluda River to Augusta Road and including eastern portions of the town of Lexington.

The general election is set for May 1. The eventual nominee will not face any opposition in that race, after a Libertarian candidate was denied his party’s nomination after he was sentenced to jail for threatening high school students.

This story was originally published February 27, 2018 at 9:15 PM with the headline "Special election to replace Rick Quinn is going to a runoff."