Democrat Sen. Fanning concedes, leaving 1 recount in state Senate
Sen. Mike Fanning officially conceded his bid for a third term, narrowly losing his seat to Republican Everett Stubbs.
The Great Falls Democrat waived late on Friday a recount of votes cast in the race, said state Election Commission spokesman John Catalano, leaving just one recount for a state Senate seat remaining.
Stubbs led Fanning by just a few dozen votes on election night, a margin of less than 1 percentage point, which triggers an automatic recount under state law.
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As counties held hearings in the days that followed to review and approve provisional ballots — these are ballots that may be cast for a number of reasons, such as when a person forgets their photo identification while voting and later has to show proof — Fanning was unable to make any gains and opted to bow out.
He ultimately lost by less than 30 votes.
Fanning’s concession confirms that Republicans flipped a third seat in the state Senate. Democrats Kevin Johnson of Manning and Vernon Stephens of Bowman lost by margins that were slim but not narrow enough to trigger an automatic recount.
The remaining recount will determine whether the GOP flipped four seats, leaving just 12 Democrats in the chamber of 46 senators.
In the Pee Dee area race between incumbent Sen. Gerald Malloy and Republican JD Chaplin, the automatic recount is scheduled take place Thursday, when the Election Commission meets to certify results and order recounts.
Chaplin leads the Hartsville Democrat, a 22-year veteran of the Senate, by 278 votes. Provisional ballots had little impact.
Malloy did not immediately respond to a message from the SC Daily Gazette about whether he plans to continue with the recount or waive it.
If the recount is held, Catalano said all of the ballots will be rescanned and the results certified Thursday.