Spartanburg Republican Lee Bright appears headed back to the South Carolina Statehouse after the former firebrand senator won a three-way GOP primary Tuesday night, according to unofficial election results.
And two GOP-leaning S.C. House races — one in Greenville County and the other in Lexington County — are headed to runoffs after candidates failed to win a majority of the vote.
The candidates will face off in a Nov. 4 runoff.
Early voting will run from Oct. 29-31.
The official special election for all three seats is Dec. 23.
Here's what to know about all three Statehouse races
Senate District 12
The Senate District 12 election will fill the vacancy opened by Spartanburg County Republican Sen. Roger Nutt, who in August resigned his seat that covers parts of Greenville and Spartanburg counties after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
Bright, a former state senator, won the primary Tuesday with more than 50% of the vote — necessary to avoid a runoff.
Bright formerly represented the district but was unseated in 2016 by now-former state Sen. Scott Talley. When Talley retired, Bright ran for the seat again but was beat in a runoff by Nutt.
"We cannot thank you enough for the absolutely outpouring of support. I am honored to have your trust," Bright wrote on Facebook after the race results were in.
There is no Democrat in the race.
State Election Commission unofficial results:
Hope Blackley: 27.2%
Justin Bradley: 21.9%
Lee Bright: 50.9%
House District 21
The special election for House District 21 will fill the vacancy left open by Greenville Republican Rep. Bobby Cox. Cox resigned his seat to run for Nutt's seat but later announced he would not run for the Senate.
Republicans Dianne Mitchell, a former teacher and former president of the Greenville Republican Women’s Club, will run against Steve Nail, the dean of Anderson University's College of Business and Economics, in the runoff.
There is no Democrat in the race.
State Election Commission unofficial results:
Reggy Batson: 20.5%
Dianne Mitchell: 37%
Steve Nail: 39%
Jack Stott: 3.6%
House District 88
The special election for Lexington County's House District 88 will fill the seat formerly represented by Lexington Republican Rep. RJ May, who resigned his seat in August before pleading guilty to five counts of distributing child pornography. May will be sentenced to federal prison in January.
Republicans Brian Duncan, a veteran and small business owner who unsuccessfully sought a write-in campaign against May in 2024, will challenge John Lastinger, a pastor, in the Nov. 4 runoff.
Whoever wins the Republican primary runoff will face Democrat J. Chuck Hightower, a U.S. Army veteran, in the Dec. 23 special election.
Good schools and better roads were in part what brought voter William Shriner, 42, out to cast his ballot Tuesday.
Shriner, who voted for Lastinger, said he was looking for a candidate focused on the community, not so much nationally.
"Hometown issues affect you more than national elections," Shriner said. "... Focusing statewide is more what people need to focus on."
Mark Rosenberger, 63, said he also voted for Lastinger.
Rosenberger, who described himself as a "middle of the road" voter, said family and "moral values" were factors he prioritized in this primary election.
State Election Commission unofficial results:
Brian Duncan: 38%
Lorelei Graye: 15.1%
John Lastinger: 40%
Darren Rogers Sr.: 6.9%
What about House District 98?
There is one more special election for the S.C. House — but not until January.
The special election for House District 98 — of the four special elections it is the most competitive district — will fill the vacancy opened by Dorchester Republican Rep. Chris Murphy, a former chairman of the House Judiciary Committee who resigned in August.
There are three Democrats and three Republicans in the race:
- Damian Daly (Democrat)
- Greg Ford (Republican)
- Brian Hill (Republican)
- David Johnson (Republican)
- Stephen Kohn (Democrat)
- Sonja Ogletree Satani (Democrat)
The primary is Nov. 4.
Early voting started Oct. 20 and ends Oct. 31.
A runoff for either race, if needed, is Nov. 18.
The special election is Jan. 6.
Reporter Luis-Alfredo Garcia contributed to this report.
