Election officials set runoffs, recounts

COLUMBIA – A recount is set for Democrat challengers vying to take on Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham in November, the South Carolina Election Commission said Friday.

Meeting here, the commission certified the results of Tuesday's primary elections, setting in motion plans to begin recounts next week in three state and federal races and to hold a runoff June 24 for 11 federal and state offices.

The closest is the Democratic Party's Senate primary battle for the right to face Graham in the fall. Friday's certified results show 1,049 of 147,287 votes cast separated vote leader Bob Conley, an engineer from North Myrtle Beach, and Michael Cone, a Mount Pleasant lawyer.

That contest is headed to a mandatory recount under state election law because the winning margin was less than 1 percent.

Recounts will be held Monday.

Cone has said he won't appeal the result of the recount. With major swings in electronic voting rare, that likely means Conley will advance to take on Graham, who's seeking his second term. Graham easily defeated GOP challenger Buddy Witherspoon Tuesday with 67 percent of the vote.

Graham drew a challenger largely for his stances on illegal immigration. With Conley as his likely challenger in the fall, the issue will emerge because tougher immigration laws are central to his campaign.

In other contests, Vince Ford and John Scott will be in a recount in the Democratic Primary for an open Senate seat in Richland County. Scott leads that race by 77 of the 8,045 votes cast.

So will Republicans Joey Millwood and state Rep. Bob Walker for an Upstate House seat. Millwood leads the House's Education Committee chairman by 19 of the 3,059 votes cast.

In the 4th U.S. House District, Democrats Ted Christian and Paul Corden will meet in the June 24 primary runoff.

The GOP has four state Senate and two House runoffs. Democrats have runoffs for one Senate seat and three House seats.

A recount also is in the works Monday in the Florence mayor's race where challenger Stephen J. Wukela had 1,469 votes, one more than Mayor Frank Willis.

An attorney for Willis filed a protest late Friday afternoon, requesting a new primary, alleging the Florence County Election Commission counted an illegal vote, the Morning News of Florence reported.

Joe Werner, the state Democratic Party's executive director, expected the results to be challenged in a process the party handles.