Who did Myrtle Beach and Conway residents pick in the 33rd State Senate District primary?
Conway and Myrtle Beach voters voted in the 2024 primary and have elected their presumptive state senator.
With 35 of 35 Horry County precincts reporting, according to unofficial results from the South Carolina Election Commission, Incumbent State Senator Luke Rankin, since 1993, received 3,829 votes while challenger Autry Benton received 3,248.
Rankin thanked voters for re-electing him, adding was humble to be serving Conway and Myrtle Beach residents in Columbia once more.
“It’s a great honor to be representing a place where so many people want to call this home,” Rankin said. “We’ve got to keep a good thing going.”
Conway and Myrtle Beach area voters are represented in the state senate in the 33rd State Senate District, and candidates only filed to run in the Republican Primary. Barring a write-in candidate, the winner will most likely represent the 33rd district for the next term.
Before election day, Rankin cited his chairmanship of the judiciary committee, his ability to get things done in the statehouse, and his work killing the sale of Santee Cooper.
Benton, a City of Conway council member, advocated for voters electing judges instead of the legislature, changing civil liability laws and infrastructure spending. In a post-election interview, Benton said he called Rankin to concede the election and congratulate him.
In a Facebook post on his campaign page, Benton again congratulated Rankin.
“We truly believe in our message. Horry County is in desperate need of roads and infrastructure, judicial and tort reform,” Autry wrote. “Again, words could never convey our hearts gratitude to all of our family, friends and by the evidence tonight, nearly half of our district.”
With another term in Columbia, Rankin said he is now focused on efforts to build up Horry County’s electrical infrastructure, ensuring the area is durable for storms and that the growing county doesn’t overstretch the power grid’s capacity.
“We as a state are proactive in how we plan for our growth and have the capacity to keep the lights on when the sun is shining and when it’s cold and when the sun’s not shining,” Rankin said. “So, that is a very key thing that is kind of not that sexy but is an actual life or death need.”
As for how he plans to celebrate, Rankin said part of the process involves removing yard signs calling for his re-election.
“Trust me, I am ready to have my mail, my face, and my voice out of the public scream of consciousness here as quickly as I can and get on to making decisions and doing the real work that is involved here,” he added.
