Who will face Wes Climer? Dittmer has early lead in SC 5th Congressional District
Mallory Dittmer held an early lead Tuesday night in South Carolina’s Democratic primary for the 5th Congressional District, where voters are choosing a nominee to face Republican Wes Climer in November for the seat being vacated by Rep. Ralph Norman.
With early votes reported in seven out of 10 counties in the district Tuesday night, Dittmer led Andrew Clough with 56.91% of the vote compared to 43.09% for Clough.
Norman, a Rock Hill Republican who has represented the district since 2017, is leaving Congress to run for governor. His departure created the first open-seat race in the district in nearly a decade.
The 5th Congressional District stretches across much of northern South Carolina along the North Carolina border, including all of York, Lancaster, Chester, Fairfield, Cherokee, Union, Lee and Kershaw counties. It also includes portions of Spartanburg and Sumter counties.
Dittmer, a York County activist and political organizer, campaigned on affordability issues including rising utility bills, health care costs, child care expenses and grocery prices. Throughout the campaign, she argued Democrats have a greater opportunity in the district than conventional political wisdom suggests.
“The myth of the fifth” was a phrase Dittmer uses to argue the district is more politically competitive than many observers believe.
Clough, who works loading cargo aircraft, also centered his campaign on economic concerns facing working-class voters, including inflation, housing affordability and health care costs.
Tuesday’s winner will compete in the general election in a district that political observers continue to view as strongly Republican.
Scott Huffmon, a political science professor at Winthrop University and director of the university’s Center for Public Opinion & Policy Research, told the Observer before the election that Democrats face a “massive disadvantage” in the district despite population growth in York County and surrounding communities.
The district was represented for decades by Democratic Congressman John Spratt before Republican Mick Mulvaney won the seat in 2010. Norman succeeded Mulvaney after winning a 2017 special election and has held the seat ever since.
Climer, a York County Republican who has served in the South Carolina Senate since 2016, launched his congressional campaign shortly after Norman announced his gubernatorial bid and advanced to the general election without facing a Republican primary challenger.
At his campaign launch last year, Climer positioned himself as a supporter of President Donald Trump and pledged to advance an “America First” agenda in Washington. He has highlighted tax cuts, school choice, constitutional carry legislation and government spending reductions as key priorities.
Election results remain unofficial until certified by state election officials.
