Johnson, Brown win Columbia City Council seats in runoff election

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Columbia residents made their voices heard for a second time this month in Tuesday’s runoff election, choosing Sam Johnson and Peter Brown.

Johnson and Brown’s wins mean that City Council will only have one woman, Councilwoman Tina Herbert for District 1, on the council  in the near future.

Four candidates were vying for two City of Columbia council seats with Incumbent Councilwoman Aditi Bussells facing off against challenger Sam Johnson for the At-large seat, and Incumbent Councilman Peter Brown going up against challenger Julie Lumpkin for the District 4 seat.

With the election commission reporting 100% from precincts but still needing to officially verify the results, Johnson received 55.70%  of the votes, overtaking Incumbent Councilwoman Bussells — who brought in 44.30% of the votes.

Johnson celebrated his victory with friends, family, and supporters at what’s known as The Mansion on Blanding Street in downtown Columbia.

Bussells has served as Councilwoman At-large for Columbia for the past four years, first elected in 2021.

The SC Election Commission is also reporting that Peter Brown has received  54.35% of the votes, with challenger Julie Lumpkin receiving 45.65 % of the votes.

Brown, who was initially elected in 2023, celebrated his victory among loved ones at Backstreets Bar and Grill on Devine Street near Five Points.

ABC Columbia News will bring you the latest as we hear more from Councilwoman Aditi Bussells’ campaign and Julie Lumpkin’s campaign.