Sabb likely to be in runoff for Kingstree Senate seat

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A Williamsburg County attorney who currently represents a sliver of Clarendon County in the South Carolina General Assembly will likely face-off in a runoff Sept. 16 to replace former Sen. Yancey McGill. Rep. Ronnie Sabb, D-Greeleyvile, received 24.7 percent of the vote in a special election held Tuesday to fill McGill's seat. McGill resigned from the post earlier this summer after being voted by fellow senators to be lieutenant governor. Christopher McKagen of the Florence Morning News reported Tuesday that Lake City attorney Cezar McKnight's 24.4 percent made the race too close to call for who will face Sam Floyd in the two-candidate run-off in two weeks. Sabb and McKnight were ultimately separated by 40 votes. There are 20 provisional ballots to be counted in Williamsburg County, nine for Georgetown County, and the provisional ballots for the other three counties in the district had not been totaled late Tuesday. A total of 14,126 voters cast ballots in the election. Precincts reported high and low voter turnouts in no specific pattern. The county election commissions will certify their votes, adding in provisional ballots, Thursday morning. Sabb represents District 101 in the State House of Representatives. The district includes two small precincts from Clarendon County.