In an amazingly tight race, incumbent Maggie Glover won enough votes to stay alive in the Senate District 30 race but will have to face off once again against one of her Democratic opponents in a runoff two weeks from now.
It appeared early Thursday that Glover will be in a runoff in two weeks. with challenger Tim Norwood although he was just seven votes ahead of the third-place finisher, Kent Williams. Glover has served in the Senate since 1993 after four years in the House.
The District 30 race was one of the most contentious and watched primaries in the Pee Dee. Things began to get really heated a few weeks ago when a lawyer for Glover sent Norwood a letter accusing him of making defamatory statements about her.
In the letter sent by attorney Glenn Gray, Glover accused Norwood of saying she "had been arrested for driving under the influence, and further, the arrest record was expunged due to the fact that she is a State Senator."
Glover was never charged with driving under the influence. However, in a Sept. 15, 1995, incident, she was stopped for speeding in Hampton County and charged with driving with a suspended license. When stopped, Glover locked the doors to her van and refused to exit until hours later. Glover was never arrested.
Glover said Norwood made the statement at a recent political rally, but Norwood vehemently denied ever bringing up the incident or making any defamatory comments of any kind about Glover.
Glover, an educator, has served in the state Senate for 12 years. She first entered politics in 1983 when she was elected to the Florence School District 1 Board of Trustees.
She served on the school board until 1989 when she was elected to the S.C. House of Representatives. She served as a representative until 1992 when she was elected to the Senate.
Williams has been the deputy administrator of Marion County since 1999. He is on unpaid leave from the position to focus on his campaign. Williams also serves as chairman of the Marion County Board of Education.
In the past, Williams served as the Centenary Democratic Party Precinct president and was appointed to the South Carolina Agriculture Commission by former S.C. Gov. Carroll Campbell, a position he held for seven years.
A newcomer to politics, Norwood was a partner in SMS Management Systems, a payroll company specializing in tax incentives, until he and his partners sold the business to ADP last year. He is now a vice president in ADP's tax incentive division.
All three candidates in the District 30 race have campaigned on the need for job creation. In addition, they have focused extensively on such issues as the Interstate 73 project, infrastructure development, education funding and health care.
In Senate District 32, longtime Williamsburg County legislator John Yancey McGill Jr. of Kingstree held off a challenge by Theodore "Ted" Brown of Hemingway to retain his seat for another term.
McGill, who has served in the S.C. Senate since 1989, garnered 5,364 votes to Brown's 4,647. Brown also has legislative experience, serving in the S.C. House's District 103 seat from 1995 to 2000.
McGill said he is certainly pleased with Tuesday's results and looks forward to serving the citizens of District 32 for another term.
"We've always been appreciative of the citizens of District 32, and we're very appreciative that they've nominated us for another four years," McGill said after the votes were tallied Tuesday night. "We've always used the teamwork approach where everybody works together to make a difference both economically and socially."
McGill said the biggest issue facing District 32 continues to be economic development, and the senator said he will continue to work toward recruiting more jobs while also improving the overall quality of life in the district.
"The biggest issue, as always, is economic development, but we'll also be looking at education, health care and environmental issues," McGill said. "We're going to work very closely with NESA (North Eastern Strategic Alliance) and the 10 other counties that make up this region. I really see some great things coming to this region, and we're very proud."
The Republican primary for the District 29 Senate seat between 55-year-old stockbroker Warren Arthur and 34-year-old attorney Michael S. Holt was too close to call at press time Tuesday night.
With 54 of 56 precincts reporting, Arthur had 50.7 percent of the vote with Holt following close behind at 49.3 percent. The winner will face Democratic incumbent Sen. Gerald Malloy in the general election in November.
Arthur is no stranger to the Senate seat, having tried to obtain it almost two years ago when a special election was conducted to fill the position following the death of Sen. Edward Saleeby Sr. in July 2002. Malloy ultimately won the race the following November.