District 38 Sen. Mike Rose appears headed for upset

Challenger Sean Bennett unseated longtime Sen. Mike Rose in Senate District 38 on Tuesday.

In unofficial results, Bennett, 44, a financial planner who has held no elected office previously, had 60 percent of the vote to Rose’s 40 percent with all 51 precincts reporting.

With volunteers reporting from all of the precincts, Bennett was able to declare himself the winner early in night. Bennett said he does not think the absentee votes will change the outcome.

“I think the number of the absentees, even if my opponent were to receive all of those, I don’t think the margins are there,” he said.

Rose spent about $60,000 to Bennett’s $17,000 on the race, which Bennett said got “a little ugly at the end... We stayed on point and stayed on message and I think ultimately people responded to that message.”

Rose, 64, is a lawyer who served in the Senate from 1988 to 1997 and 2008 to now.

In the race for Senate District 41, Republicans once expected to have a four-way primary for the seat previously held by Lt. Gov. Glenn McConnell. However, voters in the district saw a note at the polls today saying only former Charleston County Councilman Paul Thurmond is eligible in the wake of recent S.C. Supreme Court rulings. A recent lawsuit also challenges his eligibility, but a judge has yet to rule in the case.

In Senate District 32, the race was close. With 67 of 68 precincts reporting, incumbent John Yancey McGill had a slight lead over Cezar McKnight, 50.3 percent to 49.7 percent. A mandatory recount will be held if the results are within 1 percent.

Reach Brenda Rindge at 937-5713 or www.facebook.com/brindge.