Coronavirus presents new challenges for candidates in Horry County District 9 seat
There is going to be a contentious race for the District 9 seat on the Horry County Council as candidates navigate how to launch campaigns without public events due to COVID-19.
Filing has begun for Horry County local elections, and as of Tuesday four Republican men are running in District 9, which runs from Loris through Longs: Rome Prince, Marshal Russell, Mark Causey and Terry Fowler.
The Republican primary election, as of now, will be held on June 9.
While Fowler ran in 2016, all the candidates are relative political newcomers. And for the next few weeks, they will have to get creative with their marketing due to limitations on the size of public events.
On Monday, President Donald Trump advised people to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people. Causey, a Realtor who has served on the planning commission and other committees, said this is forcing him to change how he was going to run his election.
“Our plans of doing things in-person are going to have to change,” he said. “I planned on doing a door-to-door campaign, but I’m not sure that’s going to work now.”
Causey is currently looking for creative ways to campaign through social media or over the phone.
Fowler, who announced his campaign earlier in the year, said nothing is more important than keeping people safe during this outbreak.
His family is self-isolating as much as possible and he played a part in the decision to move his church to online services. He said politics has to play a backseat to public safety and health.
“The seriousness we are facing far outweighs campaigning,” he said.
Fowler has already been using Facebook as a primary way of communicating with voters. He is using his social media to also get out trusted information from Horry County public safety officials.
Rome Prince, son of current County Council Member Paul Prince, agreed that sharing quality information about the coronavirus is more important than campaigning right now. He doesn’t think restrictions on public gatherings will affect his campaign too much, he is more worried about recreational sports and libraries shutting down.
Prince said Facebook will be the best way to keep up with his campaign.
“I will probably do something in a day or two just about my thoughts. This is a time we can use for some reflection,” Prince said.
Russell, a disabled veteran of the Vietnam War, said God has taken care of him his whole life and he has faith he will get through coronavirus fine. He said he decided to run because he wanted to give something back to the community, so he hasn’t really thought out his campaigning strategy yet.
He may still try to hold in-person events because he needs to introduce himself to a lot of people.
“I’m not scared of talking to anybody because my trust is in God,” Russell said. “I am going to need some help getting elected.”
Candidates have until March 30 to file.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the date the South Carolina primary would be held. The story has been updated.
This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 1:22 PM.
