An Anderson County Republican stayed in the race for the state House during the runoff election Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (File photo by Skylar Laird/SC Daily Gazette)
COLUMBIA — An Anderson County legislator stayed in the race for the Statehouse following Tuesday’s runoff election, leaving the tally of incumbents ousted in the primaries at two.
Rep. Don Chapman, first elected in 2022, defeated challenger Sherry Hodges, an executive member of Anderson County Republican Party, with 54% of the vote as of 10:40 p.m., according to unofficial state Election Commission results.
There were two other GOP runoffs for state House seats.
In Berkeley County, Councilman Jarrod Brooks received the Republican nod to replace Rep. Mark Smith, who was defeated in Tuesday’s runoff for the 1st Congressional District.
As of Tuesday evening, Brooks had 65% of the vote, defeating Hanahan real estate agent Kristy Gore.
And in Lexington County, 25-year-old maintenance worker Hunter Hackett advanced to the November election to replace Freedom Caucus Rep. Ryan McCabe. Hackett defeated former Lexington County Councilman Scotty Whetstone with 67% of the vote Tuesday night, according to unofficial results.
All three Republicans will face Democratic challengers in the November general election.
This year’s primary elections brought little change for the state House, where all 124 seats are on the ballot. Six seats were up for grabs after four Republicans and two Democrats opted not to run for reelection.
About a quarter of the chamber, or 34 legislators, faced primary challengers.
Two of them, one Republican and one Democrat, lost the primary election two weeks ago.
Another, GOP Rep. Rob Harris, won by just 34 votes in a race so narrow it triggered an automatic recount.
Courtesy of South Carolina Daily Gazette
