Two-week sprint: Rickenmann, Devine push into final stage of Columbia mayoral race
After nine months of campaigning, it comes down to two weeks.
District 4 Columbia City Councilman Daniel Rickenmann and at-large Councilwoman Tameika Isaac Devine are headed to a runoff election to determine which of them will be Columbia’s 37th mayor. The runoff will be on Nov. 16.
On Tuesday, Rickenmann finished atop the mayoral voting, taking in 43.5% of the vote, according to unofficial results from Richland County. Devine finished second with 30.2%, while former mayoral aide Sam Johnson got 24.3%. Former City Councilman Moe Baddourah got 1.9%. The totals are set to be certified by the city’s election commission on Thursday morning. Voter turnout Tuesday was 22.7%.
Because no candidate got more than 50% of the vote Tuesday, the runoff was triggered for Nov. 16.
While Rickenmann was pleased with topping the first round of voting, he said Wednesday morning he was quickly refocusing on the runoff.
“It’s a new game day,” Rickenmann said. “We’ve got a team together, we are strategizing, putting a plan together to execute like we did before. We’ll do what we need to do to make sure our voters get out and vote.”
Rickenmann, who has been a city councilman for 12 years across two different stints, said he will continue to talk with voters about issues like public safety, addressing the Columbia area’s taxes, and finishing high-profile projects like the BullStreet development and a Finlay Park renovation.
“As I’ve knocked on all these doors and talked to people on their front porches, those are the kinds of things I learned they are concerned about,” Rickenmann told The State.
Meanwhile, Devine said Wednesday morning that she also is gearing up for another two weeks, and wants to connect with as many voters as possible in that time.
“I’m excited about continuing to engage with the voters, and looking at the wide and diverse support we have, I think we certainly can be successful,” Devine said. “We just have to keep connecting with voters and making sure we are explaining the solutions I bring to the table.”
She said one area she will stress in the next two weeks is public safety, and taking steps to improve officer recruitment and retention in the Columbia Police Department, where there are dozens of frontline officer vacancies.
Devine, who has been an at-large councilwoman for 19 years, said she would explore ways to strengthen recruitment, including considering a program that would create a hiring bridge between the city and criminal justice graduates at local historically Black colleges such as Benedict College and Allen University. She said part of improved retention at the police department includes cultivating officers who are familiar with and invested in the community.
“We have got to recruit young officers who actually want to make this a career so that they can be here and stay here,” Devine said.
This year’s mayoral race effectively started in February, when Mayor Steve Benjamin, Columbia’s first Black mayor, announced he would not be seeking re-election after three terms. Almost immediately, Johnson, Devine and Rickenmann announced their intention to run for the seat. Baddourah came into the fray much later, announcing his campaign in late August.
The last mayoral runoff in Columbia happened in 2010. Seven people were in that race initially, and Benjamin and then-City Councilman Kirkman Finlay ended up in the runoff. Benjamin got 55 percent of the vote in the runoff, while Finlay nabbed 45 percent. Benjamin went on to three terms as mayor, and the Republican Finlay was later elected to the State House.
Rickenmann and Devine raised significant campaign cash in the run-up to Nov. 2, and will now have two more weeks to use it to push their messages to voters. State Ethics Commission records show that, as of the Oct. 19 reporting period, Rickenmann had raised $404,000 for the election cycle, and had about $179,000 in cash on hand. Devine had brought in $368,000 for the election cycle and had about $97,000 in cash on hand. The hopefuls have continued to raise money since that most recent reporting period.
If Rickenmann carries the momentum and wins in two weeks, his election would mark a change in Columbia politics. While city races are nonpartisan, the capital city has been led for three terms by Benjamin, who is a Democrat. Rickenmann, meanwhile, is a conservative, and has been supported strongly by the state Republican Party, which has sent out mailers on his behalf in the city race.
Meanwhile, Devine and Johnson split Democratic support ahead of Tuesday’s race, with U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn of Columbia and Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford endorsing Devine, while Benjamin and City Councilman Sam Davis endorsed Johnson.
Devine said she will work to connect with voters across the city in the next two weeks, but particularly those who may have voted for Johnson on Tuesday.
“I’m going to be reaching out to all voters,” Devine said. “Now that you have two candidates to focus in on, voters have an opportunity to see us side-by-side. ... Yes, I am very hopeful that I will get (Johnson’s) supporters supporting me.”
But Rickenmann said he would also welcome Johnson voters to his campaign.
“I hope so,” Rickenmann said. “I think folks who voted for Mr. Johnson will hopefully vote for me, and see that we have a vision and pathway to move Columbia ahead and keep us competitive.”
