POWDERSVILLE — Seven of the eight candidates for the recently vacated S.C. Senate District 3 met with area business owners and community leaders for a moderated question and answer forum.

The seat, which was abruptly opened when Sen. Kevin Bryant was sworn in as S.C. lieutenant governor, covers the Northern part of Anderson County.

But with a wide field intent on running, the likelihood the issue will be resolved during the primary on April 11 seems a long shot.

More likely, voters will be looking at a run off between the two candidates with the most votes at a later date, assuming no one candidate can gather the required 51 percent.

Dean Allen, Corey Bott, Don Bowen, Richard Cash, James Galyean, Brad Johnson and John Tucker are all vying to garner the most votes at the polls along with Carol Burdette — who narrowly lost the 2016 primary against Bryant by a mere 370 votes.

The forum itself was almost a friendly affair as the candidates — rather than distinguishing themselves — spent most of the time agreeing with each other and expressing similar viewpoints on the questions asked, often going as far as to cite the answer of the person who went before them.

For example, when asked what particular skill the candidates possessed that made them particularly qualified for the job, all seven replied with “leadership.”

With Bott absent, the remaining aspiring senators all agreed government regulations needed to be rolled back, public schools should be supported and money needed to be more efficiently funneled and accounted for within the Department of Transportation before additional gas taxes were implemented to fix S.C. roads.

None, however, offered specific plans on how to accomplish such goals.

When it came to Powdersville itself, again, the candidates all agreed it was a senator’s job not to dictate how the community developed, but to respond to voters wishes and support legislation accordingly.

Republican candidates for the S.C. Senate District 3 met for a question and answer forum at a recent Powdersville business luncheon.
https://www.theeasleyprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_015-3.jpgRepublican candidates for the S.C. Senate District 3 met for a question and answer forum at a recent Powdersville business luncheon. Kasie Strickland | The Sentinel-Progress

By Kasie Strickland

kstrickland@civitasmedia.com

Reach Kasie Strickland at 864-855-0355.