Shealy Wins District 14 Nomination; County Council District 4 Race Goes to June 23 Runoff
June 10, 2026
Laurens County voters delivered an upset in the race for South Carolina House District 14 on Tuesday and sent two candidates to a runoff for County Council District 4, capping a busy primary day at polling places across the county.
A total of 10,666 Laurens County voters cast ballots, putting local turnout at 23 percent. That figure includes the 2,704 residents who voted during the early voting period ahead of primary day. The results as reported now are unofficial until the certification process can be completed.
Shealy Defeats Rankin in House District 14
In the night’s most closely watched local contest, Rick Shealy of Cross Hill, who farms and previously built and sold his own company, won the Republican nomination in House District 14, defeating incumbent Rep. Luke Rankin with roughly 60 percent of the vote in unofficial returns. Rankin, who previously served on Laurens County Council and led the county’s Republican Party before heading to the Statehouse in 2024, finished with close to 40 percent.
Shealy now moves on to the November 3 General Election, where he will face Democrat Michanna Tate of Laurens.
Poole, Wilson Head to Runoff for County Council District 4
The three-way Republican race for Laurens County Council District 4 will continue for two more weeks. Jimmy Poole finished first Tuesday night with 879 votes, just short of the majority required to win the nomination outright at 48.09 percent. Lonnie Wilson took 41.14 percent with 752 votes, and Libby Pinson finished with 197 votes, or 10.78 percent.
Because no candidate cleared the 50 percent threshold, Poole and Wilson will square off again in a runoff on Tuesday, June 23. Each showed distinct geographic strength on primary night — Poole ran well in and around the City of Laurens, while Wilson posted big numbers in his home community of Cross Hill and in Waterloo. The seat is open this cycle, as current District 4 representative Brown Patterson chose not to run again.
A Smooth Day at the Polls
Laurens County’s polling locations operated from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, and election officials reported no significant issues across the county’s precincts.
“We have a great team of poll workers and managers, and everything went really smoothly,” said Lynne West, Director of Voter Registration and Elections for Laurens County. “I’m proud of our efforts.”
Runoff Set for June 23
The runoff election for statewide and local races will be held Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at voters’ regular polling places. Early voting for the runoff will take place June 17 and 18 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Voter Registration and Elections office at 105 Bolt Drive in Laurens.
Laurens County voters will return to the polls to decide the County Council District 4 runoff along with the Republican runoffs for governor and attorney general, settling the local races that began taking shape this week before attention turns to the General Election on November 3.
