Election Primer: What voters need to know for the 2024 primaries in Spartanburg County (2024)

SPARTANBURG — After a whirlwind primary campaign season that saw one of South Carolina's most expensive state Senate primaries and nearly unprecedented endorsem*nts of GOP challengers by a sitting governor, the final decision of who to nominate is in the hands of Spartanburg County voters.

In many of the 12 races on the primary ballot, this vote and not the one in November will decide who wins the seat. The high interest in this primary has already fueled voter turnout, with more than 7,000 people casting their ballots before June 10 — more than twice the number of votes cast early or absentee in the 2022 primaries.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. June 11.

From candidates to polling places, here's what you need to know:

Mainline GOP vs. SC Freedom Caucus

The S.C. House Republican Caucus wants to blunt the raucous S.C. Freedom Caucus after it derailed bills that seemed poised for passage, including legislation tied to broader changes in the state's health agencies.

Meanwhile, the Freedom Caucus wants to expand its influence in Columbia 17 months after its members were booted from the GOP caucus for supporting same-party challengers to incumbent Republican lawmakers.

The result is 32 contested S.C. House primaries that pit mainline Republicans against those allied with the far-right Freedom Caucus.

Five of those races are playing out in Spartanburg County, and the 4th Congressional District race— in which S.C. Freedom Caucus chair and state Rep. Adam Morgan is challenging U.S. Rep. William Timmons — is an extension of that intraparty rivalry.

These are the five S.C. House races:

• State Rep. Travis Moore, a GOP caucus member, faces anesthesiologist Bill DeVore, who is aligned with the Freedom Caucus, in District 33. It's a rematch of the 2022 Republican primary, which Moore won by 6 points. The winner of this year's primary faces Democrat Clemson Turregano in November.

• The open District 34 seat has drawn three candidates: Sarita Edgerton, who is seen as Freedom Caucus-aligned; JoAnne LaBounty, whom the House Republican Caucus endorses; and Henry Ross, who sits on the Spartanburg County School District 6 board. No Democrat filed for the seat.

• State Rep. Bill Chumley, District 35 incumbent and Freedom Caucus member, faces Republican Caucus-aligned challenger Kevin Dunn. No Democrat filed for the seat.

• State Rep. Rob Harris, a Freedom Caucus member who represents District 36, faces Gov. Henry McMaster-endorsed Adam Crisp, who serves on Lyman Town Council. No Democrat filed for the seat.

• State Rep. Josiah Magnuson, treasurer for the Freedom Caucus and District 38 incumbent, faces Campobello Mayor Jason Shamis, who was endorsed by McMaster. The winner faces Democrat J.R. Taylor in November.

Two contested SC Senate races

Sen. Scott Talley, R-Spartanburg, is retiring, and the race to replace him in the District 12 seat has attracted four Republicans. Their campaigns have already tallied more than $400,000 raised in the primary, making it among the most expensive in the state.

One candidate, former state Sen. Lee Bright held the seat for two terms, but Talley ousted him in a 2016 runoff. Another, state Rep. Roger Nutt, is seeking to change chambers after two terms representing S.C. House District 34. A third, Hope Blackley, is seeking to return to office after stepping down during her second term as clerk of court to work for a congressman. Rounding out the group is Skip Davenport, a Greer businessman who has loaned his campaign $150,000.

If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters will head to a runoff on June 25. The winner of the nomination will face Democrat Octavia Amaechi in November.

Meanwhile, District 11 has one of Spartanburg County's two Democratic primaries. Angela Geter and Sevi Alvarez are competing for their party's nomination in hopes one of them can flip the seat in November.

The district, which includes Spartanburg, Inman, Boiling Springs and part of Chesnee, was long represented by Democrats. Republican state Sen. Josh Kimbrell flipped the district in 2020. He faced no same-party opposition, and his campaign has about $100,000 on hand.

Race for sheriff, County Council

The sheriff and all three County Council members up for reelection face same-party challengers in the June 11 primary. Unless a successful write-in or petition candidate emerges — both rarities in South Carolina — each race will be decided in the primary.

Sheriff Chuck Wright, a Republican in his 20th year in office, faces 45-year-old Nick Duncan, who stepped down as corporal after nearly a decade in the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office to run against his former boss.

This is the first time Wright, 60, has faced a GOP challenger since ousting longtime Sheriff Bill Coffey in the 2004 Republican primary.

In District 1, the lone Democrat on County Council, attorney Monier Abusaft, faces two challengers: real estate agent and sales manager Ricky Fields Jr., and veteran and former business owner Mike Fowler. The district centers on Spartanburg.

Longtime District 3 Councilman David Britt, vice president of Tindall Corp. and County Council vice chairman, faces Republican challenger Bryan Alverson, a transportation coordinator at Contec. District 3 covers the northeastern portion of the county, stretching from Pacolet to Cowpens, as well as Spartanburg's Eastside.

Justin McCorkle, a musician, businessman and volunteer firefighter who represents District 4, has attracted two opponents: DG Construction Services owner and founder Grant DeShields, and Frank Tiller, owner of Frank Tiller Realty. The district stretches from Greer to Woodruff along the southern edge of the county, as well as the eastern edge of the county.

Precinct changes and other reminders

A number of precinct changes happened in 2023. These precincts moved:

• 031 — Drayton, Drayton Mills Elementary School, 1500 Skylyn Drive, Spartanburg
• 033 — Wade Hampton, Victor Mill Methodist Church, 1 Wilson Ave., Greer
• 041 — Hayne, Summit Church, 622 Alamo St., Spartanburg
• 075 — Beacon, Mount Moriah Baptist Church, 445 S. Church St., Spartanburg
• 084 — Converse, Drayton Mills Elementary School, 1500 Skylyn Drive, Spartanburg
• 088 — Old Bridge, T K Gregg Community Center, 650 Howard St., Spartanburg
• 106 — Airport, Silverhill United Methodist Church, 778 John B. White Sr. Blvd., Spartanburg
• 108 — Southport, Croft Baptist Church, 4190 E. Croft Circle, Spartanburg
• 114 — Palmetto, Timken Community Center, 180 Foster St., Cowpens
• 134 — Powell Saxon Una, Arcadia Elementary School, 375 Spring St., Spartanburg

These are new precincts:

• 145 — Shoally, Shoally Creek Elementary, 3777 Parris Bridge Road, Boiling Springs
• 146 — Rainbow, Rainbow Lake Middle School, 1951 River Oak Road, Chesnee
• 147 — Spartangreen, Florence Chapel Middle School, 290 Shoals Road, Duncan
• 148 — Holly Springs-Motlow, Holly Springs-Motlow Elementary, 325 Motlow School Road, Campobello
• 149 — Landrum, Landrum Middle School, 104 Redland Road, Landrum
• 150 — New Prospect, New Prospect Elementary, 9251 Highway 9, Inman
• 151 — Willow Creek, Reidville Fire-Willow Creek Station, 3380 Highway 417, Woodruff
• 152 — Tyger River, Tyger River Park Clubhouse, 285 Gano Road, Reidville
• 153 — Inman, Inman Intermediate School, 10 W. Miller St., Inman
• 154 — Lake Cooley, Lake Cooley Outdoor Ed Center, 100 Cooley Dock Road, Inman
• 155 — Middle Tyger, Middle Tyger YMCA, 720 Shoals Road, Duncan
• 156 — Valley Falls, Northbrook Baptist Church, 1881 Boiling Springs Rd, Boiling Springs
• 157 — Moore-Duncan, Grace Bible Church, 107 West Road, Moore
• 158 — Chestnut Lake, First Baptist North Spartanburg, 8740 Asheville Highway, Spartanburg

If you are unsure which precinct you vote at or want to see your sample ballot, visit mySCVotes. And don't forget to bring a valid photo ID to the polls.