Democrats are currently leading in races and potentially flipping two Charleston County seats in the S.C. House of Representatives tied to West Ashley and the barrier islands, including Folly Beach, Kiawah and James and Johns Islands.
Of these four seats, three had the chance of being flipped while the incumbent tried to get reelected. Two of the incumbents are Republicans, and one is a Democrat. One seat was open with the current representative retiring.
Democrat Kelly Hough led Republican incumbent Gary Brewer with 53.6 percent of the vote for District 114 as of 9:15 p.m. This district covers West Ashley and southern parts of Dorchester County.
“I’m feeling good,” Hough said. “I’m excited to see what Democrats can do right now.”
She previously told The Post and Courier that some of her priorities include increasing transparency on how tax dollars are spent, developing pollution policies amid data center construction and increasing the minimum wage.
Democrat Nick Uricchio led Republican Johnnie Garmon with 62 percent of the vote for District 115 as of 9:15 p.m. This district encompasses Folly Beach, Kiawah, Seabrook and parts of Johns and James islands.
With current Democratic Rep. Spencer Wetmore not running for reelection, this seat was up for grabs.
“I feel good about the campaign we ran,” Uricchio said. “If we are lucky tonight and all that hard work worked out, great. But we’ll see how it goes when the rest of the vote comes in.”
He previously told The Post and Courier that the four major issues he wanted to tackle are lack of infrastructure funding, high living costs, the growing unattainability of home ownership and making sure the public school education system prepares future generations. He said that he will collaborate with leaders from both parties, at all levels, to develop improvement plans to secure more funding for infrastructure improvements.
Democrat Clay Middleton led Republican incumbent James Teeple with 57.7 percent of the vote for District 116 as of 9:15 p.m. This district covers parts of West Ashley, Johns Island, Wadmalaw Island, Hollywood, Ravenel, Meggett, Adams Run and Edisto Island.
“I feel confident,” Middleton told The Post and Courier. “I feel good about our plan and being able to execute it. I got faith in 116.”
Many of his priorities fall under the umbrella of infrastructure, housing and education. Regarding infrastructure, Middleton previously told The Post and Courier that he wants to focus on more than just roads and transportation; water, power and broadband shape whether communities are affordable, accessible and able to grow responsibly, he wrote.
Democrat incumbent Leon Stavrinakis led Republican Lee Edwards with 68.3 percent of the vote for District 119 as of 9 p.m. This district includes parts of West Ashley, Johns Island and James Island.
Stavrinakis previously told The Post and Courier if reelected, he will continue to focus on addressing out-of-control local growth, blocking energy bill increases and looking for opportunities to reduce tax burdens. He wants to expand access to affordable housing and affordable healthcare.
Stavrinakis did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
Results are unofficial until certified by election officials later this week.
