Lexington County pastor John Lastinger will join the South Carolina House after the Republican candidate easily won a special election on Tuesday to replace former Rep. RJ May.
And former Spartanburg GOP Sen. Lee Bright will rejoin the upper chamber after smoothly cruising to election in his special election race.
A third Republican candidate, Dianne Mitchell, won her race to serve next year in the S.C. House.
The S.C. Republican Party celebrated its wins Tuesday.
In a post on X, the state GOP said, "Tonight’s results send a clear message: South Carolina Republicans show up when it matters and we’re heading into 2026 organized, energized, and stronger than ever."
Turnout on Tuesday hovered about 7.4%, according to the State Election Commission.
Today, Republicans won all three special elections and that success belongs to the voters who showed up.
— South Carolina Republican Party (@SCGOP) December 24, 2025
While Democrats hoped low turnout would hand them a win, Republicans proved them wrong at the ballot box. We didn’t sit this one out. We showed up, voted, and protected… pic.twitter.com/ozIShR6HSo
The Legislature — Republicans hold supermajorities in the House and Senate — returns Jan. 13.
The House is up for reelection in November 2026.
The Senate is back up for reelection in 2028.
A breakdown of the Dec. 23 special election Statehouse results:
Senate District 12
Bright, the firebrand former Spartanburg County senator, will return to return to the upper chamber.
Bright only faced a write-in opponent.
He will serve the remainder of the unexpired term opened by 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 was unseated in 2016 by Scott Talley. When Talley retired last year, Bright ran for the seat again but lost in a runoff to Nutt.
"It's official! Thank you to every supporter. Looking forward to serving you in Columbia," Bright wrote on Facebook Tuesday.
Unofficial Results:
Lee Bright: 67.4% (3,536 votes)
Write-in: 32.6% (1,713 votes)
House District 21
Mitchell faced only a write-in challenger in her bid to fill the Greenville County House seat opened after Republican Rep. Bobby Cox resigned his seat in August.
Cox resigned his House seat to run for Nutt's Senate seat but soon suspended his campaign, saying work responsibilities and his travel schedule had "increased significantly."
Mitchell, a former teacher and president of the Greenville Republican Women’s Club won the GOP runoff last month against Steve Nail, the dean of Anderson University's College of Business and Economics.
"I can't thank you enough! I'm so grateful for the opportunity to serve District 21. Thank you to those who voted today, to my volunteers and to my family. To God be the Glory- I will work daily to serve Him and the citizens of District 21 to the best of my ability," Mitchell wrote on Facebook.
Unofficial Results:
Dianne Mitchell: 70.3% (1,494 votes)
Write-in: 29.7% (630 votes)
House District 88
The Lexington County House race was the sole partisan contested special election race Tuesday night.
Lastinger easily won the Republican-leaning district against U.S. Army veteran J. Chuck Hightower.
After months of campaigning, Lastinger said in a video posted on Facebook that "we finally made it," calling his win a "group effort."
"I am ready to get to work," he said.
Hightower said on X while the results were not what he hoped, he added, "I am so proud of our efforts and grateful to the people of District 88."
Lastinger will represent District 88 for the remainder of the seat's unexpired term, replacing former Rep. May, who currently remains jailed in Edgefield County after his conviction on five counts of distributing child pornography.
May is scheduled to be sentenced to federal prison Jan. 14.
Unofficial Results:
John Lastinger: 62.3% (1,672 votes))
J. Chuck Hightower: 37.6% (1,010 votes)
Write-in: .04% (1)
House District 98
Meanwhile, early voting is now underway in a special election to fill a Dorchester County seat in the S.C. House.
Once filled, it will be the first time in months that the lower chamber has full membership, or 124 members.
Early voting for House District 98 voters ends Jan. 2.
The special election between U.S. Air Force veterans Republican Greg Ford and Democrat Sonja Ogletree-Satani is Jan. 6.
The winner will finish the unexpired term of former Republican state Rep. Chris Murphy, who also announced his resignation back in August.
