Date Published: January 4, 2006   

Harvin wins House seat

Late lawmaker's widow elected in landslide

Chris Moore / The Item Cathy Harvin, left, greets Mitchell Ellerby at the Clarendon County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday.

By SHARRON HALEY
Item Staff Writer
shaley@theitem.com

MANNING — Cathy B. Harvin was elected Tuesday to fill the remaining year of her late husband's term in the state House of Representatives.

Harvin, 52, swept through the special Democratic primary, outpolling her opponent, 59-year-old Mitchell Ellerby, 3,893 to 806 in Clarendon County and 106 to 24 in Williamsburg County.

All vote totals are unofficial until the county election commission meets Thursday to certify the results.

"It's overwhelming, unofficially," Harvin said after learning of her victory. "I know someone up above is watching."

By someone, Harvin said she was referring to her late husband, state Rep. Alex Harvin, who held the District 64 seat for 29 years before his death Oct. 11.

"He knows," she said with tears in her eyes. "He knows."

George Wilson, a longtime friend of the Harvins, congratulated Harvin on receiving 83 percent of the vote in Clarendon County.

"Last time we got 84 percent of the vote," Wilson said. "This time we got 83 percent of the vote. Bubba knows we won. Bubba knows."

In the 2000 Democratic primary, Alex Harvin received 84 percent of the vote in a win over Ellerby.

With the stress of the election taking its toll, Harvin said she retired to her husband's office Monday night.

"Alex was a big fan of the Daily Word," she said. "It said, 'You will never run another race in life alone. With God all things are possible.' That one verse brought me peace and the strength to carry on."

Harvin said with the primary behind her, she's looking forward to the Feb. 14 General Election, in which she will run unopposed. The Clarendon County Republican Party has announced that it will not field a candidate out of respect for Alex Harvin.

"I'm ready," she said. "I'll be right here Valentine's Day."

After the totals were announced, Ellerby said he was proud of the way he and Harvin conducted themselves prior to the election but was not happy with her "helpers."

"My opponent's helpers were not dignified," Ellerby said. "They had a lot of negative things to say about me. They lied on me.

"I was never invited to participate in anything to do with the Black Caucus or the Democratic Caucus," Ellerby said. "It's a faceless individual."

Ellerby vowed to run again.

"I will continue and I will be back," he said. "I'm planning my campaign as we speak."

Bobbie Reaves, chairman of the Clarendon County Election Commission, said the polls ran smoothly Tuesday, the first time the county has used its new touch-screen electronic voting machines.

"It was fantastic," Reaves said. "We had one battery die about 6:30 (p.m.) and that was it. Everyone kept saying how simple it was to vote."

Joe Coker of the election commission said he was impressed with how easy it was to vote.

"It was simple ... simple," he said. "I was really impressed. I walked in and voted and in no time at all I was finished."

"Everything worked well," Reaves said. "The poll managers and workers did a fantastic job."


Contact Staff Writer Sharron Haley at shaley@theitem.com or 803-435-8511.