Horry County voters headed to the ballot box Tuesday, Nov. 5, and there was much more than the Presidential race on the ballot.
On voters鈥 ballots were choices for President and Vice President of the United States; U.S. House representation; South Carolina House and Senate representation; Horry County School Board; Horry County Council; and a local question on whether to continue a penny sales tax for transportation infrastructure.
Voters support 25-year RIDE IV referendum
A consequential local question on the ballot for Horry County voters on whether to continue a penny sales tax to fund transportation projects in the county was approved by voters, unofficial results show.
The transportation tax is a one cent sales tax that will continue for 25 years and is expected to bring in $5.5 billion over its term. Voters supported the referendum which will fund major projects like the Southern Connector which will connect Aynor to Surfside Beach, a Conway-area 糖心vlog官方入口 River crossing, the widening of River Oaks Drive and an I-73 Interstate connector.
Advocates for RIDE IV say that, being a sales tax in a tourist-dependent economy, visitors would foot much of the bill. Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce chief advocacy officer Jimmy Gray said visitors would pay 66% of the total revenue.
Kerri Sakalo, who voted at the Jetport 4 precinct in Myrtle Beach on election day, said 鈥淚'm for it. I want our roads fixed.鈥 And fellow Jetport 4 voter Jason Evans also said he would vote in support of the tax before heading into the polls.
鈥淚'll vote for it,鈥 Evans said. 鈥淚'm from New Jersey and they have tolls but they never use the money to fix the roads. As long as the money is used strictly for roads, I think we need it.鈥
For Shane Perry, Nov. 5 is a day circled on his calendar.
鈥淚 just turned 38 today,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a good way to spend my birthday. Why not go ahead and put my ballot out on my birthday and make me feel like I鈥檓 giving to the country?鈥
Perry, who voted at Ocean Bay Elementary, said he has lived in Carolina Forest since 2008 and one of the issues he was worried about was the RIDE IV local ballot question. He said with interest rates skyrocketing and many in a financial crunch, he thought a tax break was in order and that more roads is not what the area needs.
鈥淚n regards to RIDE IV, it wasn鈥檛 about going against the transportation department, but there鈥檚 just too much construction going on in this area right now in Carolina Forest,鈥 Perry said. 鈥淲ith the penny tax, I know it would go to something big like the construction of roads, but there鈥檚 just way too many roads that are being put in place right now and we're knocking down all the trees over here and all that. I鈥檓 one for the green. It's more the conservation for the area.鈥
With RIDE approved by voters, major projects are on the horizon for Horry County, which has experienced a massive population growth. For a full list of RIDE IV projects, visit .
Fry headed back to Washington
Republican Congressman Russell Fry has been re-elected to represent District 7 in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The incumbent beat out Democratic challenger Mal Hyman, with the Associated Press calling the race a little before 9 p.m. With 2.5 million statewide votes counted by 9 a.m. the day after the election, Fry had a 45-percentage-point margin over Hyman. Fry held a watch party at The Boathouse in Myrtle Beach on election night as results rolled in.
U.S. House of Representatives 7th District Congressman Russell Fry is congratulated by former Myrtle Beach city councilman Randal Wallace at Fry's watch party at The Boathouse Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. Fry easily won re-election in the 2024 general election.
Fry said he was pleased and humbled by the win Tuesday night.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 take these votes lightly,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 plan to continue to offer constituent service to all, whether they鈥檙e on the red or blue team.鈥
Fry said he had seen a lot of energy among voters recently. He said the economy and the border situation were contributing factors for Republican success this time.
His biggest goal in returning to the Capitol is to get the federal government to live within its means, he said. Locally, Fry said the federal government response to local issues has been lacking and he wants to correct that.
Former Myrtle Beach city councilman Randal Wallace said he supported Fry because 鈥渉e鈥檚 done an outstanding job on the national and local level. He鈥檚 worked hard for the district and to take care of his constituents.鈥
Jeri Himmelsbach and Rob Windels from Pine Lakes聽said they both voted for Russell Fry for U.S. House District 7.
鈥淚 think he's done a lot. He's been around and I think they know the area and know the people,鈥 Himmelsbach said when speaking about Luke Rankin and Fry. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e familiar with us and know the area and the growth, and I think they know what鈥檚 right for us.鈥
Republicans coast to victory
For President of the United States, Horry County voters supported former President Donald Trump convincingly, with 69% of the vote. Statewide, Trump earned 58%.
Down the page, voters filling out their ballots in Horry County likely noticed that a majority of their choices were mere formalities.
That鈥檚 because 22 Republicans running had no Democratic opposition in the November election, with most races essentially decided in the June primaries.
Horry County is a Republican stronghold, and even the contested races in the general election had predictable results. The only Horry-representing Democrats elected are in districts that are primarily in other counties and who faced no opposition in November: Carl L Anderson for State House District 103, Jackie E Hayes for State House District 55 and Ronnie A Sabb for State Senate District 32.
In races that featured a Democratic challenger, Republicans went 3 for 3 in the State Senate and House. Republican incumbent Luke Rankin beat out Democrat John Bember by 36 percentage points, notching 68% of the win. In State Senate District 30, Rodney Berry beat Democratic challenger Kent M Williams with 72% of the vote. And in State House of Representatives District 57, Taylor Coleridge beat Lucas Atkinson with 74% of the vote.
Republicans Greg Hembree (State Senate District 28), Stephen Goldfinch (State Senate District 34), Tim McGinnis (State House District 56), Jeff Johnson (State House District 58), Carla Schuessler (State House District 61), Heather Ammons Crawford (State House District 68), William Bailey (State House District 104), Kevin Hardee (State House District 105), Val Guest (State House District 106) and Case Brittain (State House District 107) all won with 99% or more of the vote in uncontested statehouse races.
Incumbents win in County Council races
In the two contested races for County Council, incumbent Republicans prevailed.
Republican District 6 county councilman Cam Crawford beat Libertarian challenger Steve Witt by nearly 70 percentage points. Crawford, who has been on county council since 2015, ran on improving infrastructure and advocating for a local option sales tax to hire public safety personnel.
Crawford said he tries to direct as many resources to his district that he can.
鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to continue working for the Socastee and Burgess areas,鈥 Crawford said after his victory. 鈥淚 want to continue to improve the quality of life for the residents of District 6 such as improving public safety and infrastructure.鈥
For County Council District 10, republican incumbent Danny Hardee fended off democrat challenger Brian Palmer. Hardee said he ran to continue the work he has done while on council with highlights he mentioned including the opening of the new Emergency Operations Center. Hardee, who says he aims to be a true representative for the people in District 10, won 77% of the vote, according to unofficial results.
Edwards keeps Board of Education spot
James Edwards, a Republican incumbent candidate, handily won his Board of Education District 9 race over Democratic challenger Michelle Green.
District 9 serves areas in Green Sea Floyds, Loris and North Myrtle Beach.
鈥淚 just want to say thank you to each person who voted for me,鈥 Edwards said in a statement to MyHorry糖心vlog官方入口. 鈥淚 am very humbled and honored that the people of District 9 have reelected me to serve on the Horry County School Board for another four-year term. I will continue my commitment to work and serve all of our stakeholders, with the primary focus on student success.鈥
Edwards currently serves on the facilities committee and is the chairman of the finance committee. He is the president of a real estate services firm, Inland Associates, Inc.
In 2020, Edwards won his spot on the board against Edward Robinson Jr. with a margin of 62 percent to 37 percent.
Edwards is the current president of the Loris Historical Society.
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