The victory of Dr. Annie Andrews, a Democrat, in the U.S. Senate race from South Carolina - a victory fueled in part by her demand for a 2-year moratorium on fast-growing Data Centers - opened the way for Democrat Jessie Gooding to spring an apparent upset.
Gooding apparently has unseat incumbent, chairman, and at-large Colleton County Council Member Scott Biering, in a county that has been roiled by data center controversy for months now.
Biering, as council chairman, presided over a process that, at first, declared a moratorium on new data centers permitting, then switched a few weeks later to approving a way for at least one Data Center to be built in Colleton County.
Opponents had apparently beaten back an attempt to locate a data center in the ACE Basin, only to have the council adopt a Digital Infrastructure Overlay District that could locate one of the massive data-processing campuses north of I-95. That project has not yet applied officially for an Overlay designation.
Gooding spoke before Andrews when the Senate candidate — who has won election to a 6-year term — came to Walterboro to kick off the Data Centers Opposition part of her campaign.
Andrews also hammered Republican U.S. Senator Darline Graham on affordability, ties to the Chinese, and “legacy politics” as Andrews became part of a “Blue Tsunami” that has swept Democratic candidates into the U.S. Senate and House, from coast to coast. Statewide, Andrews earned 51% of a record-setting amounts of votes cast for South Carolina — turnout in the race for governor was measured at 56% of registered voters, the most ever recorded.
Andrews carried Colleton County, 6,969 votes to 6,388 for Graham. The total voter turnout in Colleton County was 56.390%.
Tuesday’s vote has not yet been certified; however, Gooding has 6,521 countywide votes to Biering’s 6,484 countywide votes in the at-large Colleton County Council race. Local voters never got to hear from the candidates head-to-head as a campaign forum was cancelled, after being agreed to by both parties.
Elsewhere, Republicans kept a solid hold on South Carolina Constitutional offices: statewide, Alan Wilson, Governor, 51%; Mark Hammond, Secretary of State, 52%; Curtis Loftis, Treasurer, 52%; David Stumbo, Attorney General, 52%; Mike Burkhold, 52%; Ellen Weaver, Secretary of Education, 50%; and Cody Simpson, Secretary of Agriculture, 51%.
Affecting parts of Colleton County, Jim Clyburn, Democrat, held his U.S. House District 6 seat by 69%, and Nancy Lecore, Democrat, was the top vote-getter in the U.S. House District 1 race at 49.7%.
Running unopposed in Colleton County were Republicans Ceth Utsey, Probate Judge; Jeffrey Slocum, Auditor; and Becky Steele Hill, Treasurer.
In State House races that affect parts of Colleton County, Justin Bamberg, Democrat, was unopposed in District 90; Robby Robbins, Republican, won with 58% in District 97; Clay Middleton, Democrat, led with 55% in the District 116 race; and Shannon DeLoach, Democrat, earned 62% of the vote in District 121.
The other Colleton County Council races went to: Art Williams, Democrat, with 56% in District 23; and Bubba Trippe, Republican, was unopposed in District 45.
Soil & Water top vote-getter was Gary S. Herndon, and Watershed top vote-getter was Doug Mixon.
For Colleton County School Board, Craig Stivender won the District 4 seat; Sheri Stone won the District 2 seat; and Donna Lynn Carter Stroble was ahead with 46% in District 6, with 529 votes compared to Rachel J. Williams’ 476 votes.
