Voters on Tuesday will choose the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor and both the GOP and the Democratic nominees for state education superintendent. Here are the candidates who made the runoff.
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
Mike Campbell
Age: 45
Residence: Columbia
Education: Attended the University of South Carolina.
Career: CEO of South Stone LLC, which sells tools to stone fabricators. Advisory board member to PositiveID, which develops biological detection and testing systems. A former co-owner of 19 Wendy's fast-food restaurants.
Political experience: State chairman of Jon Huntsman's 2012 presidential bid. Worked on Newt Gingrich's campaign after Huntsman withdrew. State chairman of Mike Huckabee's 2008 presidential bid. Ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2006. Younger son of the late Gov. Carroll Campbell.
Ties to Gov. Nikki Haley: She often cites the two-term Gov. Campbell as her role model. She asked Mike Campbell to speak at the ceremonial signing in February of a government restructuring law after recognizing the late governor as starting the effort 21 years earlier.
Henry McMaster
Age: 67
Residence: Columbia
Education: History and law degrees, University of South Carolina.
Career: Private attorney. Fundraiser for the University of South Carolina Law School. U.S. attorney for South Carolina, 1981-1985.
Political experience: Lost gubernatorial bid in 2010 GOP primary. State Attorney general, January 2003-2011. Chairman, state Republican Party 1993-2002. Ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 1990. Lost bid to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings in 1986.
Ties to Gov. Nikki Haley: McMaster endorsed Haley after losing to her in the 2010 primary and campaigned with her for the runoff and general elections. He served on her transition team. She appointed him to the State Ports Authority. She appointed him co-chairman of an ethics committee she created to make reform recommendations.
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EDUCATION SUPERINTENDENT-REPUBLICANS
Sally Atwater
Age: 63
Residence: Charleston
Education: Bachelor's and master's degrees in special education, Winthrop University
Career: Taught special education for 9 1/2 years in South Carolina schools before moving to Washington in 1982, where she worked under the director of special education programs at the U.S. Department of Education during Ronald Reagan's administration. Later appointed to various governmental education boards and committees. She returned to the classroom when she moved back to South Carolina in 2012 before resigning in February to campaign full-time.
Political experience: Widow of legendary GOP strategist Lee Atwater, who engineered wins for Ronald Reagan and the elder George Bush, and was then promoted to the chairmanship of the Republican Party. Her husband died in 1991. This is her first run for elected office.
Molly Spearman
Age: 60
Residence: Saluda
Education: Bachelor's in music education, Lander University; masters of education supervision, George Washington University; education specialist degree, University of South Carolina
Career: 18 years as a music teacher, two years as an assistant elementary school principal. She resigned her House seat in February 1999 to be the state Education Department's legislative liaison. She remained deputy superintendent of government relations for six years and became then-Education Superintendent Inez Tenanbaum's chief of staff for one year. Director of the state Association of School Administrators for the last decade.
Political experience: First elected to the South Carolina House in 1992 and re-elected in 1994, 1996 and 1998. She switched parties from Democrat to Republican in 1995 and was assigned to the House Ways and Means Committee, which writes the budget, in 1997.
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EDUCATION SUPERINTENDENT-DEMOCRATS
Sheila Gallagher
Age: 61
Residence: Florence
Education: Bachelor's in education, Winthrop College; master's degrees in education from the University of South Carolina, University of North Carolina Greensboro and Winthrop University.
Career: Retired teacher of McClenaghan Junior, Wilson High, and Williams Middle, all in Florence District 1. Former president of the South Carolina Education Association.
Political experience. Ran unsuccessfully for the state House in 2010.
Tom Thompson
Age: 65
Residence: Columbia
Education: Bachelor's degree in math, master's in secondary education and a doctorate in education administration, all from the University of Illinois.
Career: The Chicago native started his career in 1970 as an inner-city high school math teacher. He came to South Carolina in 1982 from Wisconsin, where he was an assistant high school principal, to be the first black principal of Winnsboro High School in Fairfield County. From 1984-88, he was a training coordinator at the state Education Department. From 1988-2004, he was a University of South Carolina professor. From 2004-2010, he was dean of a graduate education program at South Carolina State University. Currently, he's a consultant and coordinator of online doctoral programs for Walden University.
Political experience: Ran unsuccessfully for superintendent in 2010.
