Duvall squeaks out win over Middleton in Columbia runoff vote
Two weeks after Columbia’s city election went into overtime, voters now know who their representative on city council will be.
On Tuesday, Howard Duvall defeated Sara Middleton to win a citywide runoff for an at-large city council seat. The vote was decided by less than 150 votes.
With all precincts reporting Tuesday night, the 76-year-old Duvall, an experienced figure in municipal government serving his first term on city council, had 51 percent of the vote to 49 percent for Middleton, a 27-year-old attorney and businesswoman seeking her first elected office.
On Nov. 5, Duvall won 44 percent of the vote in his race for a second term on Columbia City Council, while Middleton won 36 percent. Since neither candidate won a majority, the city had to hold a runoff to decide who holds the seat for the next four years.
There were two other candidates in the Nov. 5 election. Dylan Gunnels, a former refugee services coordinator, won 12 percent of the vote, while Amadeo Geere, a former victim’s advocate, won 8 percent.
Both former candidates then endorsed Duvall in Tuesday’s runoff. Coming into Tuesday’s vote, Middleton boasted endorsements from former District 2 candidate Catherine Fleming Bruce, current Councilman Daniel Rickenmann and former S.C. state Rep. Bakari Sellers.
Tuesday’s result is the second runoff win for Duvall, who finished first in a crowded field in his 2015 race, but faced a run-off against Nickelodeon theater director Andy Smith. He ended up winning that contest by a 2-to-1 margin.
Duvall was a former mayor and city council member in the town of Cheraw before he retired in Columbia after serving as executive director at the Municipal Association of South Carolina. He touted that experience in his work to improve public services in the capital city.
Middleton ran on a platform of attracting more business into the city. Her company has worked to redevelop several Main Street properties in Columbia, including The Grand on Main, Topgolf and Michael’s Cafe.
Middleton was the campaign’s top spender late in the race. Through late October, Middleton had spent $77,973 on this year’s election, out of $78,485 raised. Duvall had spent $25,795, out of $45,510 raised, through mid-October.
Middleton had criticized Duvall for suggesting the city could move some money from its water and sewer fund to cover some of the city’s other needs. Columbia stopped transferring money out of the fund in 2016 amid legal pressure and reached a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency to fix the city’s aging water infrastructure.
Duvall, who notes he supported preserving the water and sewer fund at the time, had suggested the change as a way of better funding the city’s police and fire services, which he has made a campaign priority.
The at-large seat was one of three up for grabs in this year’s election. In District 3, challenger Will Brennan unseated two-term incumbent Moe Baddourah. In District 2, Councilman Ed McDowell prevailed against two challengers to win a second term.
This story was originally published November 19, 2019 at 9:12 PM.
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