Tribble, Lane end tied after Dist. 7 GOP Primary

Incumbent David Tribble and newcomer Justin Lane finished in a tie with 646 votes apiece for the GOP nomination for Laurens County Council District 7 in Clinton.

A recount will be ordered by the Laurens County Board of Elections, and election officials still have to see if any provisional ballots could or should be counted from District 7 precincts.

The election results will not be certified by the S.C. Election Commission until Thursday.

Lynne West, Laurens County Board of Elections executive director, said if the District 7 race is still tied after Thursday’s state certification, another election will be held.

“We will just do it again,” she said.

In other county council primary races, political newcomer Matthew Brownlee handily won the GOP nomination for County Council District 2, defeating Dale Stetz. Brownlee, who captured 88% of the vote, is expected to run unopposed in November.

In District 3, incumbent Shirley Clark won the Democratic Primary, defeating Lee McDaniel, who garnered 46.5% of the vote. Clark is expected to run unopposed for a second term this November.
Reynolds, Canupp victorious

 

Reynolds, Canupp victorious

Laurens County Sheriff Don Reynolds handily won the Republican nomination, paving the way for a likely third term in office Tuesday.

With the GOP nomination in hand, Reynolds will run unopposed in November, barring a write-in effort.
Reynolds defeated Republican challenger Chris Wilkes for the nomination with 72% of the vote.

“It’s pretty special,” Reynolds said of the victory. “We’ve alwyas worked hard through this office to have the people’s trust and work hard for them and to get justice for victims. I appreciate the opportunity to provide good, solid law enforcement for the people of this county.”

In the only other countywide Primary, Patti Canupp defeated Bill Seawright to win the Republican nomination for Laurens County Coroner. Canupp, who is currently on staff as chief deputy coroner, captured 61% of the vote.

Jones falls short of runoff

The bid of Laurens native Stewart Jones to succeed Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) in Congress fell short in a seven-person race for the Republican nomination.

With 55% of South Carolina District 3 precincts reporting, Mark Burns and Sheri Biggs, both of Anderson, appeared headed to a run-off for the GOP nomination. Burns had 31% of the vote and Biggs 29%.

Jones was well behind the two front-runners with 19.5% of the vote. He carried his home county of Laurens with 50.1% of the vote.

In the Democratic Primary for the Congressional seat, Bryon Best easily defeated Frances Guldner with over 60% of the vote.