Poole Wins District 4 Runoff for Laurens County Council
June 24, 2026
Jimmy Poole won the Republican nomination for the District 4 seat on Laurens County Council in Tuesday’s primary runoff election.
A lifelong Laurens County resident, Poole defeated Lonnie Wilson 779 to 677, taking 53.5% of the vote to Wilson’s 46.5%, according to the Laurens County canvass of unofficial returns. The results remain unofficial until certified by the South Carolina Election Commission.
The runoff followed a three-way primary on June 9, in which Poole was the top vote-getter with 879 votes, or 48.09%. Wilson finished with 752 votes, or 41.14%, and Libby Pinson received 197 votes, or 10.78%. Because no candidate reached the 50% plus one threshold needed to win outright, Poole and Wilson advanced to the June 23 runoff.
Poole, a combat veteran, community leader and coach, campaigned on a platform centered on infrastructure. He said his priorities include resurfacing county roads and improving drainage to prevent recurring flooding. He also said he intends to pursue state and federal funding opportunities to reduce costs to local taxpayers.
In the runoff, Poole carried six of the district’s precincts to Wilson’s three, with the two tied at Bailey. Countywide turnout was 13.8%, with 5,707 ballots cast out of 41,369 registered voters.
The winner will fill the seat currently held by Councilman Brown Patterson. As of now, Poole faces no opponent in the November general election.
