Primary Election Results: Tie in County Council Seat District 7 and Other Key Races in Laurens County
June 12, 2024
The voter turnout for the primary election in Laurens County was recorded at 22.64%, with a total of 8,836 ballots cast out of 39,036 registered voters.
In a dramatic turn of events, the primary election for County Council Seat in District 7 ended in a dead heat between incumbent Councilman David Tribble and challenger Justin Lane, both receiving 646 votes each for the Republican nomination. This tie has set the stage for a closely watched decision to determine the future representative for the communities of Clinton and Joanna
The Laurens County Board of Elections is scheduled to convene on Thursday at 10:00 AM to review provisional ballots. The outcome of this review will be crucial as any approved provisional ballots could sway the final vote count, potentially breaking the tie. Should no additional ballots be validated, a runoff election will be required to determine the ultimate winner.
In District 2, Matthew Brownlee secured the Republican nomination by defeating Dale Stetz with an overwhelming 87.92% of the vote. Brownlee is now slated to run unopposed in the November general election. Meanwhile, in District 3, incumbent Shirley Clark prevailed in the Democratic Primary against Lee McDaniel, capturing 53.45% of the vote. Clark is set to face Republican candidate Britton Wolf in the upcoming November election.
In other key races, including the highly contested 3rd Congressional District, local candidate Stewart Jones competed in a crowded Republican primary but missed advancing to the runoff. Mark Burns emerged as the frontrunner with 33.19% of the vote, followed by Sheri Biggs with 28.83%. On the Democratic side, Bryon Best secured a decisive victory over Frances Guldner with over 60% of the vote, setting the stage for a runoff election scheduled for Tuesday, June 25th.
In the race for Laurens County Sheriff, incumbent Don Reynolds clinched a commanding victory in the Republican primary, garnering 72.43% of the votes against challenger Chris Wilkes. Similarly, in the contest for County Coroner, Chief Deputy Coroner Patti Canupp triumphed over Bill Seawright with 61.40% of the vote, securing the Republican nomination.
