Sen. Dick Elliott, D-North Myrtle Beach, has represented northern Horry County and several Pee Dee counties in the Senate since the early 1990s and served in the S.C. House for several terms before that. This time around, he has a smart young opponent in Republican Katherine Jenerette, who shows the potential to become a good senator while bringing a fresh outlook to representing the district. She deserves the chance to develop that potential - not least because she shows greater interest than Elliott in working with the Horry County delegation on the issues, especially Interstate 73, that concern this part of the state.

Elliott has been strong on highways during his Senate tenure but shows little interest in other issues that concern district residents. Jenerette, an anti-abortion conservative, also would work to improve education accountability, streamlining the state budget, veterans issues and property-tax relief. She receives The Sun News' recommendation.