What SC voters had to say about the midterm election

Ahead of the vote-counting for Tuesday’s historic election in South Carolina, SC Daily Gazette reporters headed to the polls to hear what mattered most to voters.

The election brought record-high turnout for a year without a presidential race on the ballot. Democrat Annie Andrews achieved a major upset by turning a U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina blue, while Republican Alan Wilson clinched his bid for the Governor’s Mansion. In the Lowcountry, Democrat Nancy Lacore declared victory in the 1st District, while other congressional incumbents held onto their seats.

Here’s what some of the voters told the Daily Gazette about their decisions.

In Columbia

Among the more prominent vote-casters Tuesday was outgoing South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, who cast his ballot Tuesday morning at the Lourie Center in Columbia.

Asked about the state’s tight U.S Senate race between Andrews and Darline Graham, the younger sister of the late U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, the GOP governor predicted Darline Graham would win.

The night’s events proved McMaster wrong.

“You never know how the voters are going to react, but South Carolina traditionally is a conservative state,” McMaster told reporters early in the day. “Ms. Andrews, according to what I’ve read, is quite far from the conservative side. That’s a big plus for Senator Graham. I think she will prevail.”

South Carolina’s longest-serving governor in state history will depart in January after a 10-year tenure. McMaster said the transition will be smooth, as “that’s the easiest thing in the world to do.” The governor said he still has work to do in his remaining days, but his office will help the winning candidate learn the role.

“We will cooperate with whomever wins in any of these offices, whatever they want to know from us, we’ll give you,” McMaster, the former state attorney general, said about all of the statewide offices on the ballot.

Also in Columbia, the price of groceries and gas drove a lot of voters to the polls.

“Prices are way too high, and it has to change,” said Nyquobi Ross, a 22-year-old freelance writer in Columbia. “My pockets cannot handle this.”

Throughout the early afternoon, a steady stream of people voted at the county election office, a barrier-free voting location for people throughout the county.

Deanthony Franklin, a 19-year-old musician, voted for the first time Tuesday. He usually doesn’t pay much attention to politics, but when he noticed his grocery bill and gas bill rising, he felt he needed to participate, he said.

Franklin wants President Donald Trump out of office, he said. Without the president on the ballot, he voted for every Democrat.

“You’ve got to do something,” Franklin said. “You can’t just sit around and expect change to come overnight.”

For Zai Shiver, education was the biggest issue. A former educator, the nearly-60-year-old wants to see more funding go toward the state’s public schools.

Shiver declined to say who she voted for but noted she did want to see change in the state Department of Education.

In that election, Superintendent Ellen Weaver won re-election over Democrat Sylvia Wright.

“Definitely there need to be some major changes to better educate the children, to give them supplies that they need, to deal with their home lives and issues that they may have with their home lives,” Shiver said about her vote.

Richland County, which includes the state capital, is a blue county in a red state.

In Lexington

Across the river in Lexington County, which is Graham’s home and a Republican stronghold, the Gazette expected responses to be different. But the only voters who would talk to Gazette reporters also expressed frustrations with Graham.

Griffin Archer said his top priority while voting in West Columbia was to keep Graham from winning.

“She’s completely unfit for office,” the 23-year-old civil engineer said. “She has no qualifications. And I don’t think her deceased brother was doing a very good job, anyway.”

At the Saxe Gotha Presbyterian Church in Lexington, voters had no line around 3 p.m.

Kelly Council, a College of Charleston student, said she travelled back home to vote for Andrews.

“I saw what was happening with Darline Graham, and she just seemed like she was put into a position rather than actually working to fight for it,” Council said.

David Terry, also from Lexington, said his main voting priority was for local school board elections. For the Senate race, he said he could not in good conscience vote for any of the candidates. In the governor’s race, he said he “unfortunately” voted for Wilson.

“I wish the Wilsons would quit running, too,” Terry said. “We need a lot of new people all over the place.”

Khalil Smith, a 24-year-old security guard, said he voted for all Democrats because he wanted to vote for change.

“I’m not going try to sway people in one direction. I think if you have the right to vote, you should vote. It does count,” Smith said. “You might not think it does, but it most definitely does.”

Charleston area

Keisha Pinckney, 39, cast her ballot at West Ashley High School on Tuesday for Andrews, though she had some reservations about the former pediatrician.

“She wasn’t my first choice, but she became my only choice,” said the stay-at-home mom and substitute teacher.

Pinckney said she was more excited about Democratic Rep. Jermaine Johnson’s bid for the Governor’s Mansion. She said his message, advocating for improvements to the state’s schools and roads, rang true for her.

Lori Spillers, who moved to West Ashley from Michigan more than 30 years ago, said she felt a bit uninformed about the statewide candidates.

“All I heard in the news was about Darline Graham and Annie Andrews, and I thought they were both horrible candidates,” the 56-year-old nurse said.

Even the candidates for governor, she said, she hadn’t heard much about, though she ultimately voted for Attorney General Alan Wilson.

“I guess because I feel like South Carolina has done really well with the Republican governor, so I just voted for the Republican,” she said. “Hopefully that’ll continue South Carolina on the track it’s been on.”

In particular, she pointed to South Carolina’s economic strength as a positive.

John and Mari Shine, of North Charleston, both voted straight Democratic tickets.

But it was the Senate race they were watching most closely.

“Polls have been wrong, but if everything aligns like they’re predicting, then we’re hoping to have a celebration tonight,” said John Shine, a 45-year-old screenwriter.

“We need change. Something needs to happen,” his wife added.

The 49-year-old accountant said she saw the ads against Andrews calling “radically left.”

“And I was like, oh, that sounds good to me,” Mari Shine said. “I just want a strong middle class and for everyone to be treated fairly.”

“The demonization of everything that is even moderate at this point has pushed middle America so far to the right that it’s no longer accurate anymore,” he husband added.

Thomas Maltese cast his ballot at the North Charleston Sports Complex for Andrews too.

“I’m really hoping to see if we can turn South Carolina blue,” the 43-year-old software engineer said.

Hoping, he said, but not getting his hopes too high in the ruby red Palmetto State. For Andrews, anyway, he got his wish.

Maltese, who grew up in New York but has lived in South Carolina for the last 14 years, calls himself an independent. He said Andrews’ policies align more with his political beliefs.

“I feel like Annie has battled harder for it instead of just being given it,” he said of Andrews vs. Graham.

At the watch parties

At Johnson’s watch party, at Brookland Baptist Church in West Columbia, spirits stayed high throughout the night, even when Johnson trailed Wilson.

Musical group John Lakin and Friends sang to a crowd of more than 100, sometimes passing the microphone around the room. People stood and clapped along to songs, and dancing broke out later in the evening.

Johnson briefly pulled ahead of Wilson after a large drop of Democratic votes from Richland County. Shouts interrupted a speech by Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, an Orangeburg Democrat, and the crowd erupted into cheers.

Tre Tailor, the event’s emcee; Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter; Roshanda Pratt, who works for Johnson’s campaign; and Tawana Allen embraced at the front of the room, watching the results on a large screen at the front of the room.

“I feel confident. I feel positive,” said Allen, a 66-year-old retiree who has lived in Columbia for about 30 years. “The whole day, I’ve felt positive, and I just think, hey, South Carolina needs to change.”

Allen remembers when Jim Hodges, the last Democrat to be governor, was in office. She’s spent the two decades since then hoping another Democrat might win, she said.

Similar celebrations took place across the state, at Andrews’ party at the Charleston Marriott downtown in Charleston. People sang along to “Carolina on My Mind” and cheered when results showed Andrews ahead.

Bill and Susan Taylor, of Chapin, made the drive down to celebrate.

“We love Annie,” Susan Taylor said. “She’s amazing.”

People mingled and chatted at the State Fairgrounds, where most of the statewide Republican candidates gathered to watch results come in. But the mood there was more somber than celebratory for most of the night.

As the results came in, Dawn Pierce of Lexington County said she was “a little nervous,” but added that it was great to be at the event to see people and celebrate.