Democrats pick nominee to complete John Scott’s unfinished SC Senate term. Here’s who
Former Columbia City Councilmember Tameika Isaac Devine is now in the driver’s seat to complete the late John Scott’s state Senate term after winning Tuesday’s Democratic special primary election.
Devine, who is a highly capable fundraiser, used her more than two-to-one cash advantage to receive 2,288 votes, or 52.65% of the vote, to avoid a runoff with state Rep. Kambrell Garvin, D-Richland, who received 1,921 votes (44.2%), according to Tuesday’s unofficial results, with 36 of 39 precincts reporting.
Johnnie Cordero, a former S.C. Democratic Party Black caucus chairman and Javar Juarez, the senior director of the Broad River Business Alliance, each received about 1.6% of the vote.
Scott, who died in August, was elected to the seat in 2008 when he carried 91% of the vote in the general election. In Scott’s three other Senate elections, he only faced a primary challenger in 2016, but he carried 61% of the vote in the primary. He was unopposed in the 2012, 2016 and 2020 general elections.
Winning the Democratic nomination makes Devine the favorite to win the election to finish the final year of Scott’s term in the heavily Democratic district.
Devine goes on to face Republican Kizzie Smalls, Independence Party member Michael Addison and United Citizens Party member Chris Nelums in the Jan. 2 general election for the seat.
Devine, who raised $500,000 for an unsuccessful 2021 Columbia mayoral run, had the cash advantage in the state senate election, raising $107,000 and spending $80,000 through Oct. 4. Garvin raised $50,000 and spent $43,000.
Neither Cordero nor Juarez submitted campaign finance reports ahead of the primary, according to the State Ethics Commission website.
Devine’s campaign cash advantage allowed her to go on television, spending at least $7,500 on three local broadcast television ads during the last two weeks of the primary race, according to Federal Communications Commission records. Devine also had advertising on WIS TV, but spending figures for the local NBC affiliate were not immediately available.
Garvin was only able to advertise on television in the last few days ahead of the primary, spending at least $8,500.
During the campaign, Garvin received endorsements from Richland County Councilwoman Gretchen Barron, former Columbia City Councilman Sam Davis, and Joan Scott, who is John Scott’s widow.
Devine was endorsed by Vote Mama, a political action committee focused on electing Democratic moms.
Whoever wins the Jan. 2 election for the Senate 19 seat will enter a chamber that highly prioritizes seniority. The next senator for Senate District 19 will rank 46th out of 46 senators.
