2 face runoff for vacant House seat

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – Democrats will have a runoff in two weeks for a vacant South Carolina House seat.

Unofficial returns show Wendy Brawley of Hopkins led an eight-candidate field for the Democratic nomination Tuesday, getting 40 percent of the vote. Heath Hill of Eastover was second with 18 percent.

Brawley is a former chair of the Richland District One School Board and publishes a women’s magazine. Hill is a farmer who is president of the Tri-County Electric Cooperative board of trustees.

The runoff is May 16.

The winner of that race will take on Republican Bill Strickland of Sumter in the June 20 special election.

The District 70 seat is in Richland and a small part of Sumter County. It became vacant when Rep. Joe Neal of Hopkins died earlier this year.