Democrats lead in three Richland County Council races. Here are the latest results
Three Democrats led Wednesday at midday in three contested races for Richland County Council. All precincts had reported but around 6,500 to 10,000 mail-in absentee ballots were being counted.
All winners will serve four-year terms.
District 3
Incumbent Democrat Yvonne McBride led Republican Tony Spain with nearly 80% of the votes.
McBride is a retired educator who worked for many years in public safety administration in Georgia and for the S.C. Department of Education. Spain is a small-business owner and a combat Army veteran who has lived in Richland County for 10 years.
District 3 spans 14 square miles and includes the urban areas of Forest Acres, Arcadia Lakes and Dentsville.
District 8
Democrat Overture Walker led Republican Gary Dennis with almost 73% of the votes.
Dennis is a Realtor who retired from the United States Air Force. Walker is a lawyer who formerly worked as a public defender for Richland County.
District 8 covers parts of northeast Richland County, including the Decker Boulevard corridor and the Spring Valley area.
District 9
Democrat Jesica Mackey led the race with almost 79% of the votes. She was being challenged by independent candidate Navisala Navi Smalls.
Mackey is a strategic communications professional who has worked for public and private firms. She has served on several non-profit boards in South Carolina. Smalls is an entrepreneur who formerly worked in constituent services for Richland County. She leads recycling efforts along Summit Parkway.
District 9 covers parts of northeastern Richland County often called northeast Columbia. It includes most of the Two Notch Road corridor past Brickyard Road. That includes parts of Sandhills as well as the Bookman Road and Spears Creek Church Road areas. Parts of the Summit and Lake Carolina neighborhoods as well as a small portion of the Blythewood area are in District 9.
This story was originally published November 4, 2020 at 12:09 AM.