Republican state Rep. Roger Nutt at peace with decision to run for state Senate seat

Republican State Rep. Roger Nutt of Moore announced Tuesday he will seek the District 12 state Senate seat currently held by Scott Talley.

Although the filing period doesn't open until next March, Nutt became the first to announce. Several others are also considering running for the seat, according to Curt Smith, chairman of the Spartanburg County GOP.

Nutt made the announcement during a county GOP event at the Spartanburg County Headquarters Library where the featured speaker was Republican 4th District Congressman William Timmons.

"I did a lot of praying before I talked to Tracy (his wife) about it," Nutt said of his decision. "There's something about the feeling you get when you feel at peace. You think God has a plan for your life, and then all the doors start opening for some reason. A lot of things have just fallen into place."

Last May, Talley announced on his Facebook page he would not seek re-election in 2024.

Talley, a Spartanburg attorney who lives in Moore, first won the District 12 Senate seat in 2016, defeating incumbent Republican Lee Bright in the primary and then ran unopposed in the general election.

In 2020, Talley was re-elected, defeating Mark Lynch in the GOP primary and Democrat Dawn Bingham in the general election.

He previously served in the state House of Representatives from 2001-2008.

Talley, 46, said Wednesday he still plans to leave the Senate after this term. He added that he has no plans to run for any other public office.

"I was privileged and honored to serve eight years in the House and eight years in the Senate – 16 years total," he said. "It's time to move on to something else, whatever that might be. I never wanted to be a lifelong politician. I've always had a love for our community. Right now, I'm looking forward to finishing up this legislative session."

Smith praised Talley for his longevity in representing Spartanburg County.

"He has been a great leader," Smith said. "He represented the people fabulously. He is a good Christian conservative and has done a fantastic job."

Nutt, 57, who served on Spartanburg County Council from 2010 to 2020, resigned his seat in 2020 to run for the District 34 seat after Republican state Rep. Mike Forrester did not seek re-election.

Nutt has since served as state representative for District 34. Jessica Coker was elected to succeed Nutt on County Council, representing District 6.

"I know my constituents, they know me," Nutt told roughly 50 Republicans at Tuesday's event. "I think we have a relationship where they can call me and get some answers, and we're kind of on the same page."

Smith said county GOP leaders encouraged Nutt to run for Talley's seat.

"He's a good Christian conservative," he said. "His standards are the same as the constituents in his district. He's probably the best one to lead Spartanburg County in that district."

Others may run for Talley's seat as well

Smith also said others are considering running for the seat, including former District 12 state Sen. Lee Bright, who lost his seat to Tally in 2016.

Bright said Wednesday he might run.

"I'm trying to see where I'm the most effective," he said. "People have been calling me. It's over a year away, and I'm definitely considering it."

Bright, 53, represented District 12 from 2008 to 2016. In 2018, he ran for the 4th District congressional seat of former U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy, and lost to Timmons in the primary runoff. Timmons went on to defeat Democrat Brandon Brown in the general election that year. The 4th District covers Spartanburg and Greenville counties.

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Roger Nutt to seek SC Senate seat held by Scott Talley of Spartanburg