Voters should study all the candidates

With its crowded field of candidates, the Republican primary for the special election for South Carolina’s 5th Congressional District is starting to resemble last year’s Republican presidential primary. We hope voters will be ready to make an informed decision when primary day rolls around May 2.

The race for the 5th District has not reached the proportions of the GOP presidential primary, which at one point featured 17 candidates. That was the largest presidential primary for any political party in U.S. history.

But the Republican race to fill the seat of U.S. Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-Indian Land, who left to become director of the federal Office of Management and Budget, now has seven candidates, and other prospective candidates still have until noon Monday to file. By any measure, that’s a full slate.

So far, one Democratic candidate has filed to run. And a third-party candidate threw his hat into the ring this week to run as the American Party candidate.

If no candidate wins outright on May 2, a runoff will be held May 16. Election Day is June 20.

District 5 covers all of eight counties, including York, Chester and Lancaster counties, and parts of three others. Candidates in this race hail from all parts of the district.

Voters will have a chance to listen to a majority of those candidates at a forum in Lake Wylie at the River Hills Community Church life center, 7 p.m. tonight. The forum will be moderated by Winthrop University’s Scott Huffmon, a professor of political science.

Another event is planned in Fort Mill this month. The Fort Mill Oak Initiative will hold a forum, 7 p.m. March 20, at Heritage International Ministries.

We suspect candidates will be appearing at other functions between now and the primary, and we hope voters will avail themselves of the chance to learn where the candidates stand on issues that affect the district, state and nation. With all those candidates, that will be a tall order.

But making an informed choice is vital. Some would say this large slate of candidates is an embarrassment of riches.

Let’s make sure that, in the end, it’s not just an embarrassment.

This story was originally published March 7, 2017 at 5:24 PM with the headline "Voters should study all the candidates."