In showdown between 2 sitting SC House members, Johnson narrowly wins District 70 race
In a rare battle of S.C. House incumbents, it appears Jermaine Jonhnson narrowly won the Democratic nomination for House District 70.
Johnson unofficially grabbed 50.19% of the vote in Tuesday’s Democratic primary in District 70, which is mostly in Lower Richland. Meanwhile, Wendy Brawley was second with 47.75% of the vote, while political newcomer Bridgette Larry was third with 2.06%.
The results of the primary are set to be certified Thursday. Assuming the result holds up, Johnson will face Republican Vincent Wilson and Green Party candidate Charla Henson-Simons in the general election on Nov. 8.
On Wednesday morning, Brawley said she intends to challenge the results of the District 70 election, saying she believed there were discrepancies in the votes counted at two Lower Richland precincts versus the final tally reported by the county. County elections director Alexandria Stephens said Wednesday that her office is reviewing the vote counts but that the differences Brawley cited could be explained by absentee and provisional ballot counts.
The primary matchup between House incumbents came about because, after the 2020 census, the Republican-dominated General Assembly redrew all 124 House districts, which resulted in Johnson and Brawley being placed in District 70. Johnson, who currently represents District 80, is in his first term in the House. Brawley has represented District 70 since 2017.
The new House District 70 is mainly in the Lower Richland area and stretches from Interstate 77 to the Sumter County line. It includes Eastover, Hopkins, Gadsden, Horrell Hill and Lower Richland High School.
In the 2024 elections, though, the House districts likely will resemble their previous versions after a federal court settlement. A lawsuit filed on behalf of the South Carolina NAACP said that the state’s new House district map was purposely discriminatory against African American voters.
Meanwhile, there were several other competitive S.C. House primaries in Richland County on Tuesday.
In House District 71, incumbent state Rep. Nathan Ballentine turned back challenger Paul Erickson. Ballentine got 75% of the vote, while Erickson got 25%.
Over in House District 73, incumbent Rep. Chris Hart defeated challenger Touami Pride. Hart claimed 82% of the vote to Pride’s 18%.
And in House District 77, Kizzie Smalls narrowly downed William Treadway Jr. in a Republican primary. Smalls got 50.26% of the vote, while Treadway got 49.74%. Assuming that result holds up in certification, Smalls would face Democratic incumbent Kambrell Garvin in November.
This story was originally published June 15, 2022 at 12:55 AM.
