Election night found South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture – and Bowman resident – Hugh Weathers at the Adluh Flour mill in Columbia.

“It’s a great agricultural venue,” Weathers said in a telephone interview. “It’s appropriate for the commissioner of agriculture to be here.”

And on Tuesday, most voters said it was appropriate for Weathers to stay as the leader of the S.C. Department of Agriculture.

Weathers, a Republican who was appointed to the position two years ago, won a full four-year term of his own by turning back a challenge by Democrat Emile DeFelice of Calhoun County.

With nearly three-quarters of the vote counted, Weathers had 59 percent of the vote to DeFelice’s 41 percent.

Weathers said he stayed busy right up until Tuesday, visiting precincts, making phone calls and being interviewed on a radio show in the campaign’s final hours.

“I see my job as twofold, to be an efficient manager and to be an effective leader for a critical industry,” the second largest industry in South Carolina, Weathers said. “And that’s what we’ve tried to do, as aggressively as we could.”

“I’m obviously pleased I have the support of the voters,” he said. “I think they’re recognizing what we’ve done in two years in the office. I’m taking it as a mandate to continue to do what we’ve been doing.”

Weathers is a third-generation dairy farmer from Bowman who co-owns Weathers Farm Inc. and Weathers Trucking Inc.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from the University of South Carolina.

DeFelice has earned a national reputation producing rare-breed gourmet pork on a 40-acre organic farm known as Caw Caw Farms in Calhoun County.

His slogan, “Put Your State On Your Plate,” summarized his belief that the Agriculture Department can do more to support farmers and promote South Carolina farm products.

DeFelice holds a bachelor’s degree in French and philosophy from Emory University and a master’s degree in international studies from the University of South Carolina.

n T&D Staff Writer Lee Hendren can be reached by e-mail at lhendren@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5552. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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