Myrtle Beach is headed for a runoff election. What does that mean for voters?

Two Myrtle Beach City Council seats are headed to a runoff election.

On Tuesday night, Myrtle Beach elected Mark Kruea as its next mayor and incumbent councilman Mike Lowder to serve four more years on the city council.

But none of the nine other council candidates garnered enough votes to automatically win the remaining council positions. That means Myrtle Beach voters will cast ballots in the runoff election on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025.

The three candidates with the highest vote tallies after Lowder will square off in the runoff. Incumbent councilwoman Jackie Hatley, who received 15.44% of votes, newcomer Nick Vaugh, who received 13.76% of votes, and former councilman Phil Render, who received 13.41% of the vote, will be on the runoff ballot.

“I just really want to encourage people to get out and vote, and that’s going to be the hardest part, is getting people out the second time,” said Hatley. “But it is so important that we get out and vote and put people in there that care, and that’s what I do.”

If reelected, Hatley will serve her third term on Myrtle Beach City Council. Heading into the runoff, she cited addressing crime, improving government transparency, controlling growth and making the process of starting a business in the city easier as priorities for her next term.

“The whole process of opening a business or starting a business in Myrtle Beach shouldn’t take as long and shouldn’t be full of as much red tape as there is,” Hatley said. “It should be streamlined a lot more, so I think that’s very important, also.”

As the only runoff candidate without council experience, Vaugh approached his campaign as a conservative businessman. Vaugh co-founded the Vaugh Spadaccini Hospitality Group, with restaurants like Sol y Luna Cantina and Crave Italian Oven and Bar, before venturing into politics.

“There’s an appetite for conservative, common sense leadership, and the people of Myrtle Beach, they want increased public safety, they want fiscal responsibility and accountability,” Vaugh said. “There’s no question that Myrtle Beach and the voters want new leadership, and I offer that.”

Former councilman Phil Render served five terms in Myrtle Beach City Council before stepping away in 2023. His top issue this election cycle is city budgeting, which Render said spurred him to reenter local politics. In a sixth council term, Render said he would address the city’s long-term debt and begin discussions about city budgeting discussions earlier.

“The reason I stepped aside was, indeed, to give some others a chance to serve, but at this juncture, [I’m] just uncomfortable with some of the budgeting process and hope to improve and elevate that debate,” said Render. “I will keep an ever mindful eye on city borrowing and operating expenditures.”

Myrtle Beach voters will determine the remaining two council seats in the runoff election on Tuesday, Nov. 18. Those who want to get a head start can cast a ballot early at Chapin Memorial Library or the Horry County Voter Registration and Election Office from Wednesday, Nov. 12, through Friday, Nov. 14.