2 Democratic challengers, Scarborough in House race
Anne Peterson-Hutto has filed as a Democratic candidate for the S.C. House District 115 seat, which covers all of Folly Beach and 95 percent of James Island.
An election for the seat, held by Rep. Wallace Scarborough, will be in November. Scarborough recently announced that he is seeking re-election. He is the only Republican candidate who has filed at this time.
James Island Public Service District Commissioner Eugene Platt also has filed as a Democratic candidate. He announced his candidacy in December. Filing continues until noon Sunday.
According to the Charleston County Voter Registration Board, a primary election will be held June 10 between Platt and Peterson-Hutto. If no other Republican candidate files, Scarborough will face the winning Democratic candidate in November.
Peterson-Hutto is a local attorney who has lived on James Island for more than a decade. She is married to David Hutto and has two children, Matthew, 7, and Adrianne, 5. Peterson-Hutto is active with their schools and serves as a Cub Scout den mother. She is a member of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Charleston.
Peterson-Hutto says that she plans to run a grass-roots campaign and will take her message directly to the voters.
"My goal is to talk with voters on a one-on-one basis and actually listen to people. Too many people go up to Columbia and spend their time hobnobbing with lobbyists, other politicians and special-interest groups, but not me. I want to work for people right here on James Island and Folly Beach.
"This is such a beautiful area, and I want to make sure it stays that way," she said.
Peterson-Hutto says she will work to preserve and improve the quality of life of the district by improving traffic congestion, enforcing environmental regulations and slowing out-of-control growth.
"Nobody will have to worry about me forgetting who I represent. I'll be back on the island every night possible with my husband and kids," she said.
Scarborough, who has held the seat for eight years, said he is running again mainly because he is being considered for chairman of the state's Labor and Commerce Committee. He said businesses that operate in the state go through the committee.
"If I get this chairmanship, I will be in a position to do a whole lot for James Island and Folly Beach," Scarborough said. "I have accomplished a lot of things, and I am moving up in the structure of the House."
Platt said he will work hard to beat Peterson-Hutto in the Democratic primary election. "I have met Ms. Peterson-Hutto on several occasions, and she impresses me as a genuinely nice person," he said. "Add the fact that, nationwide, voters are embracing the notion of change this year, and it becomes a good bet either Ms. Peterson-Hutto or Eugene Platt will be elected in November."
E-mail this story 
Printer-friendly version
Notice about comments:
The Post and Courier is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. The Post and Courier does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not postandcourier.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "suggest removal" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our Web site.
Full terms and conditions can be read here.
Comments
This article has 0 comment(s)
