South Carolina Republicans Sweep Special Elections
South Carolina Republicans won all three special elections to the state legislature on Tuesday, with the party saying the results “send a clear message.”
Incumbent Reps. John Lastinger, Dianne Mitchell and Sen. Lee Bright all won their races with 8,729 votes. ballot papers casting.
Mitchell and Bright received more than 70 and 67 percent, respectively, with no one else on either ballot. The rest of the votes went to various write-in candidates.
Lastinger, a pastor, defeated retired Democratic Col. Joseph “Chuck” Hightower 62-37, with less than 1 percent of registered candidates.
Voter turnout was low, with only about seven percent of registered voters in State House Districts 21 and 88 and State Senate District 12 casting ballots.
“Republicans won all three special elections and that success belongs to the voters who showed up,” the South Carolina Republican Party wrote on X:
“While Democrats hoped low turnout would give them victory, Republicans proved them wrong at the ballot box. We didn’t let this election go to waste. We showed up, voted, and protected conservative leaders across South Carolina,” SCGOP continued. “Thank you to all the voters who took time from family reunions, travel and vacation plans to make their voices heard. This commitment is why we win.”
“Tonight’s results send a clear message: South Carolina Republicans show up when it matters and we head into 2026 organized, energized and stronger than ever.”
Olivia Rondeau is a political reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find it on X/Twitter And Instagram.
