SC’s State Senate seats are up for grabs. Who’s running in Lexington, Richland?
Every South Carolina State Senate seat will be up for grabs during Tuesday’s election.
Several Lexington and Richland county senators are facing challenges to their reelection.
Here’s what Midlands voters need to know before heading to the polls.
Online at thestate.com/voter-guide: Check out The State’s 2020 Voter Guide to read an exclusive Q&A with candidates in each of the following races. Enter your address to see which candidates will appear on your ballot.
S.C. Senate District 18
Republican S.C. Sen. Ronnie Cromer is facing Democratic challenger Christopher Thibault. His district includes parts of Lexington County north of Lake Murray and parts of Newberry and Union counties.
To get to the general election, Cromer had to face fellow Republican Charles Bumgardner in the primary, who he bested by about 25 percentage points.
Cromer ran unopposed in the 2012 and 2016 general election.
The bills Cromer sponsored last legislative session included legislation extending the energy efficient manufactured homes incentive program and tax credits for the use geothermal machinery or equipment. Cromer also served as the chairman of the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee. Cromer did not respond to a questionnaire on his stances sent by The State.
Thibault, a software engineer and business owner, has never run for office before. He believes that South Carolina should expand Medicaid and women should have the right to chose to have an abortion. Thibault also believes the governor, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, should have instituted a statewide stay at home order earlier and left it in place for longer.
In all, Cromer has raised more than $132,000 during this election cycle, according to the State Ethics Commission. Thibault reported raising no funds.
S.C. Senate District 20
S.C. Sen. Dick Harpootlian is facing a rematch with Republican Benjamin Dunn Tuesday. Harpootlian’s district includes a swath of downtown Columbia and parts of Irmo.
Dunn and Harpootlian faced off during a special election in 2018 to fill the seat formerly held by Republican John Courson. Harpootlian bested Dunn by about 5 percentage points or about 1,900 votes. Harpootlian was the first Democrat to represent the district in at least 30 years.
During his two years in the Legislature, Harpootlian has become known for his dogged pursuit of corruption. Harpootlian called out a Richland County election official for failing to complete required training. He also accused the Columbia Metropolitian Airport board of misspending money on luxury suites at University of South Carolina sporting events.
Harpootlian has been criticized, though, for swearing at a staffer, and after questioning why former presidential candidate Tom Steyer had hired Black Legislative Caucus Chairman Jerry Govan on his campaign, Harpootlian was accused of racism.
Dunn, a partner at Ormund Dunn law firm, won the right to go up against Harpootlian after he dominated during the June primary, besting his challenger by 43 percentage points.
Dunn said he chose to run against Harpootlian again for ideological reasons. While he agreed with the Richland Democrat on some moves — like his push for transparency when it comes to budget earmarks — he disagreed with him in other areas.
While Harpootlian has been in support of raising the cap on tort claims, adding tolls on I-95 and prohibiting DHEC from issuing permits to companies who want to explore or build infrastructure to facilitate drilling off of South Carolina’s coast, Dunn is against those measures.
Throughout the election cycle, Harpootlian has pulled in more than $365,000, while Dunn reported raising nearly $30,000.
S.C. Senate District 22
S.C. Sen. Mia McLeod, a Democrat, will face off against Republican Lee Blatt. The district includes parts of Forrest Acres, Dentsville and northern Blythewood.
McLeod was first elected to the Senate after winning her 2016 election. Her seat was formerly held by Democrat Joel Lourie. During the 2016 election, McLeod bested Republican Susan Brill by about 10 percentage points.
McLeod did not face a challenger in the primary this year, but Blatt faced off against David Larsen, beating him by about 50 percentage points.
During the most recent legislative session, McLeod sponsored bills on legislative term limits and a bill that would prohibit direct family members of lawmakers from being elected or appointed to a judicial office. She believes the state should expand Medicaid and she believes that women should be able to choose when it comes to abortion.
Blatt, a former Richland County deputy sheriff, has never run for office before. Blatt is anti-abortion, in favor of passing hate crime laws and for repealing the Heritage Act. He is also in favor of selling state-owned utility Santee Cooper.
This election cycle, McLeod raised nearly $112,000. Blatt raised about $70,000.
S.C. Senate District 23
S.C. Sen. Katrina Shealy, a Lexington Republican, is facing a challenge from Democrat Bill Brown. The district includes parts of Lexington County south of Lake Murray stretching from Springdale to Leesville.
Shealy won her seat in 2012 as a petition candidate, defeating incumbent John Knotts by about 2,500 votes. She handily defeated primary challengers in 2016 and ran unopposed in the general election. Both she and Brown did not face primary challengers this year.
During this legislative session, Shealy, the chairman of the Senate Family and Veterans’ Services Committee, passed four bills she was the primary sponsor on, including legislation to require employees at residential facilities where foster kids are placed to take background checks and a bill repealing part of state law that allowed minors to get married if the girl is pregnant or has had a child. She opposes abortion and believes the state should pass hate crime laws.
Brown’s stances on issues include allowing women to have an abortion during the first trimester and being in favor of repealing the Heritage Act. He is also in favor of selling state-owned utility Santee Cooper and banning off-shore drilling within 12 miles of the coastline.
Brown has raised about $1,500. Shealy brought in more than $117,000.
S.C. Senate District 25
Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey will face a challenge during the general election from Democrat Shirley Green Frayson. The district includes parts of Aiken, Edgefield, Lexington, McCormick and Saluda counties.
Massey, one of the most powerful Republicans in the Senate, was first elected in 2007. He was elected as the majority leader in 2016. He is also the chairman of the Senate Rules Committee.
Massey was among lawmakers who called on S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster to come up with a more comprehensive plan for handling the coronavirus. Massey said that should include examining laws that allow the governor to declare a state of emergency.
Massey did not respond to a questionnaire on his stances from The State.
Frayson has never run for office. She believes that the state should expand Medicaid and that women should be allowed to choose whether they want an abortion. She is also against adopting hate crime laws.
Massey raised nearly $243,000 this election cycles. Frayson did not file an October fundraising report.
S.C. Senate District 26
Sentate Minority Leader Nikki Setzler, D-Lexington, will face opponent Chris Smith, a Republican, on Election Day. Setzler’s district falls just below Shealy’s, and includes Cayce and the lower parts of Lexington County, along with portions of Aiken, Calhoun, Lexington and Saluda counties.
Setzler, a Democrat who’s campaign slogan is “A caring conservative,” represents a more red district, which contains large parts of Lexington County. Setzler is in favor of expanding Medicaid. He also believes that three exceptions should be provided in abortion legislation: for the life of the mother, incest, or rape.
Lexington County resoundingly voted for President Donald Trump in 2016, but the district resoundingly chose to re-elect Setzler that same year. Setzler bested Republican opponent Brad Lindsey by about 17 percentage points.
Setzler has served in the S.C. Senate since 1977.
This year, he made headlines after disagreeing with McMaster after the governor called for schools to reopen for five-day a week in-person instructing in the middle of the pandemic. Setzler said schools were not prepared to safely accept students, staff and teachers. He urged State Superintendent Molly Spearman to take the transition back to in-person classes slowly.
Setzler’s opponent, Smith, opposes abortion and against repealing the Heritage Act. He is also in favor of selling state-owned utility Santee Cooper.
During this election cycle, Setzler brought in more than $211,000, while Smith brought in $3,770.
Noncompetitive races
S.C. Senate District 19: John Scott (D)
S.C. House District 21: Darrell Jackson (D)
S.C. House District 35: Thomas McElveen (D)
This story was originally published October 30, 2020 at 5:32 PM.
