Watchdog Report – March 5, 2026 – Western Upstate Association of REALTORS

Hello REALTORS®,

It’s election year. Well, every year is an election year. 2026 is often called the mid-terms because the President is not on the ballot. But in South Carolina, 2026 is important because key statewide offices are on the ballot including Governor, Attorney General, and our members of Congress including the seat currently held by US Senator Lindsay Graham. Also on the ballot are seats on the three county councils and eight boards of education in the Western Upstate, among others.

Below I provide a list of the various offices that will be on the ballot, along with who currently holds that office. But first, a little about elections in South Carolina.

Why Party Primaries are Important

It’s no secret that South Carolina politics are dominated by one party: Republican. In fact, Republicans have held all of the statewide offices and controlled the General Assembly for more than 20 years. The Democratic Party is important as well, but the Republican Party dominates politics in South Carolina.

Because parties play an outsized role in our elections, their primary elections often decide who ultimately wins each election. That’s especially true in the Western Upstate, where Republicans are the dominant party. That’s why it’s important for your Realtor advocacy program to pay attention to, and sometimes engage in, the party primaries.

Filing for partisan offices opens at 12 noon on March 16, and closes at 12 noon on March 30. The primary elections are on Tuesday, June 9. Runoffs, if any, will be held Tuesday, June 23. The general elections are on Tuesday, November 3.

Are all races partisan?

The short answer is no, but most are. Most city council races are non-partisan, as well as school board races. The filing for those races depends on the office, but generally occur over a two-week period between mid-July and mid-August.

What Offices will be on the Ballot?

Even before June 9, the City of Anderson will hold elections on April 7 for Mayor and four members of city council:

Anderson City Council (April 7)

Mayor—Mayor Terence Roberts was elected in 2006.
District 1—Councilman Kyle Newton was elected in 2016.
District 3—Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Roberts was elected in 2018.
District 5—Councilwoman Beatrice Thompson is not running for reelection. She was elected in 1976.

Anderson also will hold a special election to fill the unexpired term of Louis Martinez, who resigned in December.

Anderson School District 3 Bond Referendum (March 10)

Anderson 3 will hold a special election on March 10 on the question of issuing general obligation bonds to pay for extensive remodeling to Crescent Middle School, among other purposes. The bonds, totaling about $65 million, if approved, will increase property taxes on homes by about $100 per year.

Offices on the June 9 Primary Ballot

Below are the partisan offices that will be on the primary ballot on June 9:

Governor and Lt. Governor—Governor Henry McMaster is term limited. Lt. Governor Pamela Evette is running for Governor. Both are Republicans.
Secretary of State—Mark Hammond, a Republican, was elected in 2006.
Treasurer—Curtis Loftis, a Republican, was elected in 2010.
Attorney General—Alan Wilson, a Republican, is running for Governor after 16 years as Attorney General.
Comptroller General—Brian Gaines was appointed after Richard Eckstrom resigned. Gaines is not running for election.
Superintendent of Education—Ellen Weaver, a Republican, was elected in 2022.
Commissioner of Agriculture—Hugh Weathers, a Republican, was elected in 2004. He is not running for reelection.

In addition, voters will elect:

US Senate—Senator Lindsay Graham, a Republican, was elected in 2002. He is running for reelection.
US House District 3—Congresswoman Sheri Biggs, a Republican, was elected in 2024. She is running for reelection.
Solicitor, District 10 (Anderson and Oconee counties)—Micah Black, a Republican, was elected in 2024. He is running for reelection.
Solicitor, District 13 (Greenville and Pickens counties)—Cindy Crick, a Republican, was appointed in 2025. She is running for election.

SC House Seats:

SC House District 1 (Oconee County)—Bill Whitmire, a Republican, was elected in 2002.
SC House District 2 (Oconee County)—Adam Duncan, a Republican, was elected in 2024.
SC House District 3 (Pickens County)—Phillip Bowers, a Republican, was elected in 2024.
SC House District 4 (Pickens County)—David Hiott, the Republican Leader in the SC House, is not running for reelection.
SC House District 5 (Pickens County)—Neal Collins, a Republican, was elected in 2014.
SC House District 6 (Anderson County)—April Cromer, a Republican, was elected in 2022.
SC House District 7 (Anderson County)—Lee Gilreath, a Republican, was elected in 2024.
SC House District 8 (Anderson County)—Don Chapman, a Republican, was elected in 2022.
SC House District 9 (Anderson County)—Blake Sanders, a Republican, was elected in 2024.
SC House District 10 (Anderson/Greenville/Pickens counties)—Thomas Beach, a Republican and a Realtor, was elected in 2022.
SC House District 11 (Anderson/Abbeville counties)—Craig Gagnon, a Republican, was elected in 2012.

Anderson County partisan races (all 7 members of Anderson County Council are elected every two years):

Anderson County Council District 1—Chris Sullivan, a Republican, was elected in 2024.
Anderson County Council District 2—Glenn Davis, a Democrat, was elected in 2021.
Anderson County Council District 3—Greg Elgin, a Republican, was elected in 2022.
Anderson County Council District 4—Vice Chairman Brett Sanders, a Republican, was elected in 2018.
Anderson County Council District 5—Chairman Tommy Dunn, a Republican, was elected in 2008.
Anderson County Council District 6—Jimmy Davis, a Republican, was elected in 2018.
Anderson County Council District 7—Cindy Wilson, a Republican and a Realtor, was elected in 2000.
Anderson County Probate Judge—Judge JT Foster is a Republican.

Oconee County Partisan Races (two of the five council seats are on the ballot):

Oconee County Council District 1—John Elliott, a Republican, was elected in 2018.
Oconee County Council District 3—Vice Chairman Don Mize, a Republican, was elected in 2022.
Oconee County Probate Judge—Judge Danny Singleton is a Republican.

Pickens County Partisan Races (two of the six council seats are on the ballot):

Pickens County Council District 1—Claiborne Linvill, a Democrat, is running for SC House District 3.
Pickens County Council District 2—Vice Chairman Chris Lollis, a Republican, was elected in 2022.
Pickens County Probate Judge—Judge David Allison is a Republican.

These non-partisan Anderson County school board races will be on the ballot in November (Anderson County has five school districts plus a countywide board of education):

Anderson County Board of Education:

District 1—Gary Burgess was elected in 2010.
District 3—Doug Atkins was elected in 2022.
District 4—Vice Chairman Greg Balog was elected in 2022.
District 5—Jason Dorriety was elected in 2022.
District 6—Secretary Nakia Davis was elected in 2014.

Anderson School District 1 Trustees:

Area 1—Secretary Melissa Hood was elected in 2010.
Area 4—Chris Karr was elected in 2025.
Area 5—Wendy Burgess was elected in 2018.
Area 7—Nancy Upton was elected in 1990.

Anderson School District 2 Trustees:

At-Large—Jimmy Ouzts was elected in 2022.
Area 1—Kevin Craft was elected in 2014.
Area 3—Kurt Tavernier was elected in 2022.
Area 5—Chairman Greg Tysi was elected in 2010.

Anderson School District 3 Trustees:

At-Large—Secretary Hannah Arnold was elected in 2022.
Area 1—Larry Holbrook was elected in 1998.
Area 5—Chairman Marty Watt was elected in 1998

Anderson School District 4 Trustees:

Area 2—Chairwoman Paulette Grate was elected in 2010.
Area 4—Diana Mullikin was elected in 2010.
Area 5—Brad Mock was elected in 2022.

Anderson School District 5 Trustees:

Area 2—Chairwoman Sandra LeVerette was elected in 2022.
Area 5—Harold Kay II was elected in 2014.
Area 6—Secretary Rick Bradshaw was elected in 2006.
At-Large—Cindy Burriss was elected in 2022.

The Oconee County school board has two seats on the ballot, mirroring the county council districts that also are on the ballot:

District 1—Vice Chairwoman Amanda Holder was elected in 2022.
District 3—Sandra Sloan Clerk was elected in 2018.

The Pickens County school board has four seats on the ballot:

District 2—Chairman Randy Robinson was elected in 2022.
District 4—Brad Dover was elected in 2022.
District 6—Vice Chairwoman Karla Kelley was elected in 2018.
District 7—Secretary Amy Williams was elected in 2021.

In addition, some residents in Anderson and Pickens counties will vote in November on city council races Williamston, Clemson, and Starr. We’ll report on those races in more detail in the fall. Your Western Upstate Association of REALTORS® also will provide a voter guide before each election.

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Michael Dey, Director of Government Affairs