'Underdog' Lt. Gov. Bryant picks up gov's race endorsement of Lexington senator

Lt. Gov. Kevin Bryant won the endorsement of a popular Lexington County state senator Monday night, support that might help him win swing votes in the governor's race in a conservative stronghold.

State Sen. Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington, announced Monday she is supporting Bryant, an Anderson Republican, in June's five-way GOP gubernatorial primary.

Bryant is the top choice of only 6 percent of Republican voters, according to a recent poll. But Shealy said Bryant's pro-life, pro-family and pro-Second Amendment views closely align with her own and that of many Lexington County voters.

“Everybody says he’s the underdog, and he is, but Lexington County is great for supporting underdogs,” said Shealy, who defeated longtime state Sen. Jake Knotts as a petition candidate in 2012.

GOP candidates are eager to win the support of Lexington Republicans — one of the state’s largest conservative voting blocs. Lexington Republicans helped elect one of their own, then little-known state Rep. Nikki Haley, to the Governor’s Mansion in 2010 and, again, in 2014.

“Sen. Shealy epitomizes the underdog who took on the establishment and won after they kicked her off the ballot,” Bryant said. “I’m very thankful to have her support as we build momentum across South Carolina for Election Day.”

This story was originally published April 9, 2018 at 6:44 PM with the headline "'Underdog' Lt. Gov. Bryant picks up gov's race endorsement of Lexington senator."