Wendy Brawley Sworn In As District 70 Representative

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)-  a ceremony surrounded by friends, family and other lawmakers, Wendy Brawley officially became a representative of S.C. House District 70.

Wendy Brawley represents parts of Lower Richland and Sumter counties in the statehouse.
Brawley’s new position comes after longtime representative Joe Neal passed away in February.  Neal’s family endorsed Brawley during her campaign.

“I had a lot of respect for Joe, he was a friend of mine. He lived not very far from where I live. A lot of our community battles, we fought together, trying to make things better in Lower Richland,” said Brawley.  To have his family say, ‘We have researched the candidates and you are the one we think can best continue his legacy meant a lot to me personally.”
Those who knew Neal best say he would approve of Brawley taking his seat in his absence.
“I think he would be smiling from Heaven today to see all the Lower Richland community come together and get behind one person for the same cause and to work for the betterment of the community. You are going to see Lower Richland flourish, you will see a lot of great things happening in Lower Richland as a result of Ms. Brawley’s leadership,” said  Richland Representative Leon Howard.

Some say Brawley’s achievement  is not only a win for district 70 but also a victory for democrats in the palmetto state.

“We have come up with excellent candidates but being that it’s a red state, we’ve got a lot more challenges. So to see her come in here today and be inaugurated in this chamber, it’s marvelous,” said campaign volunteer Jerry Emanuel.

Joe Neal held this seat for over 20 years but Brawley says she’s not intimidated by being the newest kid in the house. She says she looks forward to coming back to work at the statehouse in January

Categories: Local News, News, Politics, Richland, Sumter