Columbia, SC (WLTX) - Democrat Dick Harpootlian has won the special election for South Carolina Senate District 20, flipping a seat that’s been in the hands of Republicans for decades.
Harpootlian defeated Republican Benjamin Dunn 52 to 48 percent in results from Tuesday’s contest.
Harpootlian is a former state Democratic party chairman and local prosecutor, and currently works as a private attorney. Dunn is a real estate attorney and member of the Army National Guard.
The race was of enough importance for the two candidates that tv commercials were run in support of the candidates, a relatively uncommon occurrence for a seat in the General Assembly.
District 20 covers a stretch of the center of the Midlands in Richland and Lexington Counties. Its boundaries run from the Rosewood community in south Columbia through downtown and out over into Irmo and the surrounding area.
That seat was formerly held by Republican John Courson. The 73-year-old lawmaker had been in the senate representing the area since 1984.
But in March of 2017, Courson was suspended from office after being indicted on a charge related to the ongoing corruption probe at the South Carolina State House. That meant the district had not direct representation in the Senate. He resigned his seat in June after pleading guilty to a charge of misconduct in office, which made the special election necessary to fill his seat.
Harpootlian won his primary in June with 80 percent of the vote.
