Democrats Hodges, Bright Matthews advance to runoff in special election to replace slain Sen. Clementa Pinckney

State Rep. Kenneth Hodges and Walterboro attorney Margie Bright Matthews will advance to a Sept. 15 runoff in the Democratic race to replace slain state Sen. Clementa Pinckney.

The winner of that runoff will face lone Republican candidate Alberto Fernandez of Garnett in a special election on Oct. 20.

Bright Matthews, who has not held office before, led voting when unofficial results were released Tuesday night, with more than 37 percent of the vote, according to the S.C. State Election Commission.

"I'm very excited that against a sitting legislator that has been there 10 years that I've been able to distinguish myself and receive the votes I have," Bright Matthews said Tuesday night. "It shows the people of District 45 want a strong voice and a new perspective in Columbia."

Over the next two weeks, Bright Matthews plans to hold events in each of the six counties in the district that includes parts of Allendale, Beaufort, Charleston, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper counties.

Hodges finished a close second Tuesday with more than 34 percent of the vote, according to the election commission.

But the close race doesn't worry Hodges, who said late Tuesday that he is confident his experience in the S.C. General Assembly sets him apart -- a refrain he has stuck to throughout the campaign.

He hopes to follow in the footsteps of Pinckney, D-Ridgeland, who also was elected to the seat after serving in the S.C. House. Pinckney had held the seat for 15 years when he was gunned down at his Charleston church in June, along with eight of his parishioners.

"We'll go on. We'll keep on working," Hodges said. "I'll still keep focusing on the things that I see that are needed for this area."

The race was a dead heat between the two frontrunners as soon as results began to trickle in.

Hodges won handily in Beaufort County, where he is a pastor at Tabernacle Baptist Church, but Bright Matthews won decisively in Colleton County, where both are from.

They beat out nine other Democratic candidates to advance.

Hampton County attorney Korey Williams finished in a distant third, with about 9 percent of the vote. No other candidate received more than 5 percent of the vote.

At polls in Ridgeland, voters said reducing crime and honoring Pinckney's legacy were the most important challenges for the next senator. Others added as priorities improving public education, increasing access to healthcare and ensuring the planned Jasper Ocean Terminal comes to fruition.

This story was originally published September 2, 2015 at 8:37 AM with the headline "Democrats Hodges, Bright Matthews advance to runoff in special election to replace slain Sen. Clementa Pinckney."