AP Decision Notes: What to expect in South Carolina’s state primary runoffs

WASHINGTON (AP) — South Carolina will hold runoff elections on Tuesday to decide a handful of races in which no candidate received a majority of the vote in the primary held just two weeks earlier.

In the 3rd Congressional District, a candidate backed by former President Donald Trump faces off against the preferred candidate of Republican Gov. Henry McMaster in a contest that will likely determine who will succeed retiring GOP U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan.

Voters in the June 11 primary winnowed the crowded Republican field down to pastor Mark Burns and nurse practitioner Sheryl Biggs. Burns has Trump’s endorsement and was the top vote-getter in the primary, with about 33% of the vote. Biggs placed second with about 29%.

Biggs has McMasters’ backing while also prominently featuring photos of herself with Trump on her campaign website. Biggs slightly outraised Burns for the cycle, but Burns had almost triple the campaign cash Biggs had available heading into the primary.

The winner will face Democratic nominee Byron Best, the manager of a paint store in Greenwood. Both Burns and Biggs would be heavily favored in November in the safe Republican district. Trump won the area with 68% of the vote in 2020 and 67% in 2016. Duncan ran unopposed in 2022.

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