Field set for June ’22 Primary Elections
Rep. Stewart Jones
Cole Kazmarski
Local state Reps. Stewart Jones and Doug Gilliam will be on the ballot when the Republican Primary Election is held on June 14.
The two incumbents received primary challenges from within their party. Jones, who represents District 14, will face GOP challenges from Cole Kazmarski of Waterloo and Joe Benson of Cross Hill. (Benson’s photo was unavailable.)
In District 42, which covers a portion of Clinton and southern Laurens County along with
Rep. Doug Gilliam
Melinda Butler
Union County, incumbent Doug Gilliam of Buffalo is being challenged by attorney Melinda Butler of Union. The winner of the GOP Primary is expected to run unopposed in the General Election.
The deadline for candidates to file for the upcoming election cycle was March 30. The winners of the June 14 Primary Elections for Democrats and Republicans will move on to the Nov. 8 General Election.
Democrat Daniel Duncan of Laurens will challenge the winner of the District 14 GOP Primary in the General Election.
While Jones and Gilliam received challenges for their statehouse seats, U.S. District 3 Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-Laurens) went unchallenged for his congressional seat and is expected to serve a seventh term.
Rep. Jeff Duncan
“I’m deeply humbled by the faith you have placed in me, and thank you for the opportunity to be your voice in Washington,” Duncan wrote in a social media post after the filing deadline passed. “I will proudly work on behalf of all the people of South Carolina while I fight for limited government, free markets, individual liberties, and common sense South Carolina values.”
Incumbent U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) did not receive a GOP Primary challenge, but will face off against one of three Democrats – Catherine Fleming Bruce of Columbia, Angela Geter of Spartanburg or State Rep. Krystle Matthews of Ladson – in November. Voters will decide among those three candidates in the Democratic Primary on June 14.
State District 16 Rep. Mark Willis (R-Fountain Inn) will also go unchallenged in both the GOP Primary and General elections.
Other local Republicans are also running unopposed this cycle, including Laurens County Councilman Brown Patterson (District 1), County Councilman Jeff Carroll (District 5), Kemp Younts (District 1), County Auditor Jim Coleman, Probate Judge Kaye Fridy and Treasurer Cynthia Burke.
Barring successful write-in campaigns, unopposed candidates are expected to win in the General Election in November.
