Kuhn now faces a June 22 runoff in which he hopes third-place finisher Henry Fishburne's supporters will return to the polls to back their fellow downtown resident.

In a day that saw an abysmal turnout, with 84 percent of the vote counted. Campsen had about 41 percent of the vote; Kuhn, about 37; and Fishburne, a Charleston city councilman, about 22.

"I'm delighted," Campsen said. "It's an indication when you do this against an incumbent that there's a feeling among District 43 voters that there needs to be a change."

Kuhn supporters, however, noted that the freshman senator was running in a newly drawn district where he was not technically an incumbent and that he was fighting a legislative veteran with close ties to the Charleston County Republican Party and the governor.

The senator said he hoped Fishburne's voters would come to him rather than Campsen, an Isle of Palms resident.

"We expected this," Kuhn said. "I'm the downtown senator, and Fishburne's district is downtown, so a lot of my friends are going to come back to me in the runoff. He (Campsen) didn't have anyone siphoning votes off his area east of the Cooper."

Fishburne said he knew he faced an uphill battle against two legislative incumbents but had hoped that with hard work -- and a better turnout -- he could have made it into the runoff. He has not decided whether to endorse one of his opponents.

"I hadn't planned to lose, so I didn't give that any thought," Fishburne said. "I'm as disappointed in the turnout as I am the apparent third-place finish."

The Senate District 43 race has been one of the more hotly contested in the state this year, pulling the governor and his family into the middle of it. Campsen is a lifelong friend of Gov. Mark Sanford and served in his Cabinet last year. When First Lady Jenny Sanford made a contribution to Campsen's campaign, it prompted a shouting match between Kuhn and her at the Statehouse.

It was only the latest episode to draw attention to Kuhn, who has been an outspoken -- and sometimes controversial -- freshman.

Tensions among the delegation have run so high that some members have publicly endorsed Campsen over Kuhn -- a rare occurrence.

Kuhn says he has been among the more successful and prolific freshmen senators in years and that the voters realize he stands up for what he believes in. Campsen says there is little to Kuhn's record, and it pales behind Campsen's own legislative record.

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