Area voters will choose between a 10-year incumbent and a newcomer challenger for the S.C. Senate seat in District 33.

Luke Rankin, who first began his Senate career in 1993, hopes to retain his position for another term, but Myrtle Beach resident and local contractor Jara Uzenda wants to unseat the 42-year-old.

Uzenda, 58, is challenging Rankin, also a Myrtle Beach resident, as a Democrat. Rankin switched parties earlier in the year to become a Republican.

Both candidates have high hopes and big plans for the district and how to handle the explosion of growth, economic struggles and other challenges faced by residents in the area.

Rankin hopes to retain his reform-oriented ideas to give residents results.

"On the one hand, we are working to change the system; while on the other hand, we must work within the system to make sure Horry County gets its fair share," Rankin said.

A challenge Uzenda plans to tackle if elected is to provide better opportunities for residents to start their own businesses.

"District 33 has a per capita income of $24,000. An amount well below the national and state average," she said. "We cannot afford to wait for the jobs to come to us. We must create our own jobs. I will formulate a plan to have local businesses assist others in starting their own small business. It is not enough to just create jobs; we must create an environment which is conducive to the entrepreneurial spirit."

Not only are jobs needed, but infrastructure to handle the growing population along the Grand Strand, Rankin said.

"We will continue to face the challenges of rapid population growth in the foreseeable future, and the traffic congestion it causes," Rankin said. "I will continue to work to find funding sources for needed transportation improvements new and expanded roads and highways without overburdening local taxpayers."