Lane wins county council Dist. 7 runoff in landslide

Laurens County Council will have a different look after November’s General Election.

Newcomer Justin Lane of Joanna defeated incumbent David Tribble in a Republican Primary runoff landslide Tuesday to represent District 7 on council. Lane won with 67% of the vote (721-355) when all votes were tallied.

With the GOP nomination in hand, Lane will run unopposed in the General Election.

“I’m definitely surprised by this margin,” Lane said Tuesday night. “I’m not as surprised by the victory because I put in the work. I’ve knocked on countless doors and had countless conversations – meaningful ones at that – and I’m just eager to serve my district.”

Lane carried four of the six precincts that make up District 7, winning Clinton 3 by a 228-86 margin and Joanna 267-30.

Tribble, a former Clinton mayor and County Council chairman who was seeking a second term in his second stint on council, carried Clinton by a tally of 181-130 and Clinton Mill 2-0.

The runoff election was necessitated with the June 11 GOP Primary ended in a tie with each candidate receiving 647 votes.

County EMS coverage in Joanna and the surrounding rural areas has been a point of contention in the recent past and was on the minds of voters in that area.

Lane said improving that coverage is a priority when he takes his seat in November.

“When I noticed the immediate needs of my community, that’s what really got me into (running for office),” said Lane, who is currently employed by the conservative Americans for Prosperity organization. “There were issues that needed to be addressed in my community.”

Lane is expected to join another 20-something on county council when he takes office in November. Matthew Brownlee, 23, was elected to succeed Luke Rankin in District 2. Rankin is the GOP nominee for the S.C. House of Representatives District 14 seat. He is running unopposed and expected to succeed Stewart Jones, whose bid for the Republican nomination for U.S. House District 3 failed.

With all 11 counties reporting Tuesday night, Sheri Biggs held off Donald Trump-endorsed Mark Burns with 50.99% of the vote for the GOP nomination in the Dist. 3 Congressional District. Burns had 49.01% of the vote. Biggs’ unofficial margin of victory was by less than 1,100 votes (28,130-27,043).

That seat is currently held by Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) of Laurens. Duncan did not seek a seventh term in office.

Both runoffs are expected to be certified by the South Carolina Board of Elections later this week.