Felder re-elected to S.C. House District 26 in landslide

Republican incumbent Raye Felder of Fort Mill won her third consecutive term as representative for S.C. House District 26. She handily defeated Democrat Jim Thompson, 56, also of Fort Mill, with 68 percent of the vote.

Felder received 12,202 votes to 5,682 for Thompson in a county that heavily favors Republicans, according to unofficial results. That doesn’t mean Felder was prepared to coast on Election Day.

“Anytime you have an opponent you’re concerned, and any time you have an election year like this one, that you’ve never seen before, you’re concerned,” Felder said, referencing Donald Trump’s insurgent march toward the GOP presidential nomination.

“I’m very encouraged by Fort Mill’s appreciation with the hard work I’ve done,” she said.

The first person to represent the district since it was created following the 2010 census, Felder, 54, owns a small insurance sales business and lives in Fort Mill with her husband, J. Wayne Felder. In her four years in the Statehouse, Felder has served on the Education and Public Works committees and was elevated to first vice chair of both during her second term.

Representing one of the fast-growing regions of the state, Felder said she can point to some solid accomplishments by the Legislature during the last session, but that there’s still a full plate of issues on the table when the next session begins in January.

“I’m very proud of the advances we made in ethics reform,” she said. “But I’m very concerned that we need permanent funding for infrastructure needs, especially in our high-growth areas like we have here in Fort Mill.”

Felder has said in the past that she’s not opposed to raising the state’s fuel tax, which hasn’t changed in decades and is among the lowest in the nation.

She also addressed Act. 388, which shifted the bulk of public education funding from property tax on owner-occupied homes, to sales tax and left many schools, including those in Fort Mill Township, underfunded.

“We need to find a more equitable way to fund education,” she said.

“I know primary residences are enjoying the lower taxes and I’m not saying we should take that away, but we have to readdress that subject and be more fair with tax dollars. There has to be a more equitable way to fund education it’s much different when you have a county where the population stays consistent and certainly hasn’t been the case here.”

Felder said she can see a grass-roots effort gaining momentum and putting more pressure on state lawmakers to find a solution.

“I think that’s definitely going to happen,” she said.

Even with a landslide victory, Felder said she wants constituents who voted for Thompson to know they can count on her.

“Whether they did or didn’t vote for me, once you’re elected and take that oath of office, you represent everyone, regardless of party,” she said.

Thompson, born and raised in Boston, has been a resident of Fort Mill for 13 years. He works in document management and ran for elected office for the first time after previously serving as a Democratic county chair and as a delegate for two national conventions.

District 26 covers most of Fort Mill and parts of Rock Hill, including Riverwalk and the Rock Hill Galleria area.

This story was originally published November 8, 2016 at 9:50 PM with the headline "Felder re-elected to S.C. House District 26 in landslide."