Clarendon County voters joined South Carolinians across the state Tuesday in selecting party nominees for governor, U.S. Senate, Congress and several statewide offices, while setting the stage for a key local legislative race this fall.
Clarendon County's only contested legislative primary produced the night's most significant local result, as Michelle Demery defeated Jack Spann in the Democratic primary for South Carolina House District 64 and advanced to a November showdown with incumbent Rep. Fawn Pedalino.
Demery carried both counties that make up the district. In Clarendon County, she won 68.62% of the vote with 2,294 ballots cast in her favor, compared to 1,049 votes for Spann. She also prevailed in Sumter County, earning 56.92% of the vote.
The race between Demery and Pedalino is expected to be one of Clarendon County's most closely watched contests this fall.
Another race drawing significant local interest was the Republican primary for commissioner of agriculture.
Cody Simpson of Clarendon County finished first both locally and statewide in the race to succeed retiring Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers, who is stepping down after 22 years in office.
Simpson captured 55.82% of the local vote, while fellow county candidate Jeremy Cannon finished second with 27.62%.
Statewide, however, Simpson narrowly edged Danny Ford for the top spot, receiving 38.14% of the vote to Ford's 37.25%. Because no candidate secured a majority, Simpson and Ford will advance to a June 23 runoff election.
The winner will face Manning Democrat DeShawn Blanding, ensuring a local candidate will appear on the November ballot regardless of who emerges from the Republican runoff.
The race marked the first open contest for agriculture commissioner in more than two decades. Simpson, a fifth-generation farmer and former agriculture policy advisor to Gov. Henry McMaster, also received endorsements from McMaster and President Donald Trump during the campaign.
While Simpson advanced to the runoff, Cannon's strongest support came from voters in his home county. Combined, Simpson and Cannon received more than 83% of the county's vote in the four-candidate race.
At the top of the ticket, Clarendon County Democrats backed former state Rep. Jermaine Johnson for governor. Johnson carried the county and went on to secure the Democratic nomination statewide with nearly 60% of the vote.
On the Republican side, Clarendon County voters favored Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in a crowded field seeking to succeed term-limited Gov. Henry McMaster. Evette finished first locally and statewide but fell short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff.
She will face Attorney General Alan Wilson in a June 23 Republican runoff election.
In the race for U.S. Senate, Democratic voters selected Annie Andrews as their nominee, while Republicans backed incumbent U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham for another term.
Republicans in Clarendon County joined voters statewide in delivering a decisive victory to Graham, who secured enough support to avoid a runoff despite a challenge from conservative activist Mark Lynch.
Trump endorsed Graham's reelection bid and participated in a tele-rally on the eve of the election supporting both Graham and Evette.
South Carolina's 6th Congressional District remained firmly in Democratic hands during the primary.
Longtime Congressman James Clyburn cruised to renomination, receiving 94.64% of the vote in Clarendon County and 93.53% in neighboring Sumter County. Clyburn has represented the district since 1993 and is seeking another term in Congress.
On the Republican side, John Peterson defeated Maurice Washington in the race for the GOP nomination. Peterson carried Clarendon County with 84.77% of the vote and won the districtwide contest by a similar margin.
Voters also weighed in on races for attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer, comptroller general and superintendent of education. The Republican attorney general contest will advance to a June 23 runoff between Stephen Goldfinch and David Stumbo after no candidate secured a majority of the statewide vote.
With the primary complete, attention now turns to runoff elections for governor, attorney general and commissioner of agriculture before voters return to the polls in November.
