Every congressional race to be contested in SC
Monday, March 31, 2008COLUMBIA (AP) -- All six of South Carolina's congressmen are running for re-election this year, and all six will face challengers.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham also is up for re-election and will face challengers in both the Republican primary and the general election.
Filing for this year's elections ended Sunday.
Graham is seeking his second term. He will face Buddy Witherspoon in the June 10 Republican primary. Democrats Michael Cone and Bob Conley also are running. The general election is Nov. 4
While all six of the state's congressmen face challengers, none of the races will be repeats as all the major party losers in the general election of 2006 did not file to run for Congress again.
Fifth District Congressman John Spratt went the longest without a challenger. Republican Albert F. Spencer didn't file to run against the 13-term Democrat until Saturday.
Spencer and Spratt have met before. In 2004, Spencer got 37 percent of the vote. A much better financed and supported Republican challenger in 2006, Ralph Norman, received about 43 percent of the vote against Spratt.
The 5th District stretches along the state's northern border and rural Pee Dee areas -- from Newberry and Cherokee counties more than 130 miles east to Dillon County.
The most crowded race is in the 1st District, which stretches from the Grand Strand to Charleston. Four-term incumbent Henry Brown will face Katherine Jenerette and Paul V. Norris in the Republican primary, while Linda Ketner and Ben Frasier compete for the Democratic nomination.
In the 2nd District, incumbent Joe Wilson will go for his fourth full term. He faces Phil Black in the Republican primary, while Rob Miller and Blaine Lotz are running for the Democratic nomination. That district runs from Beaufort County north into the northern and western suburbs of Columbia.
Gresham Barrett is seeking a fourth term in the 3rd District in the northwest part of the state. He will face Democrat Jane Dyer in the general election.
Fourth District incumbent Bob Inglis is trying for a third term since returning to Congress in 2004. He will face Charles Jeter in the Republican primary, while Bryan McCanless, Paul H. Corden and Ted Christian face off in the Democratic primary.
House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn will run for a ninth term in the majority-black 6th District. He will take on Republican Nancy Harrelson in the general election.
There was one famous name on the list of candidates released by the GOP on Sunday. Strom Thurmond Jr., son of the late U.S. senator, is the only Republican running for the open solicitor's seat in the 2nd Judicial Circuit, which covers Aiken, Barnwell and Bamberg counties. The Democrats did not announce a candidate for that race.
