Kelly wins special GOP primary for Horry County Council District 3 seat

Bob Kelly will represent the Republicans in next month’s Horry County Council election.

The 59-year-old retired police officer defeated Bubba Owens in Tuesday’s runoff. Kelly will face Democrat Jimmy Washington in the general election for the District 3 seat on Dec. 22.

“I’m very ecstatic,” Kelly said of the runoff result. “It’s quite humbling.”

In an election that saw fewer than 500 people go to the polls, Kelly garnered nearly 68 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results. Tuesday’s outcome was a repeat of the Nov. 3 primary, in which Kelly earned the most votes of the four candidates in that race.

The victor said he’s going to spend the next few weeks trying to find financial backing for his campaign.

“Most importantly, we’ve got to get the Republican GOP to come together and support me completely,” he said. “It’s going to be difficult to go up against Jimmy with the amount of money that I’ve heard that’s going to be backing him up. So we’ve got to get out there and get together so we can grab this seat.”

The race grew intense in recent weeks. Kelly criticized Owens’ criminal record, pointing out his convictions for criminal domestic violence and harassment.

Kelly then came under fire when his political consultant asked Owens to drop out of the race in exchange for Kelly committing to a “shopping list” of projects for downtown Myrtle Beach. Owens’ campaign said the offer amounted to bribery and he refused to bow out.

Other issues also emerged as factors in the campaign. The district includes much of the city of Myrtle Beach and part of Carolina Forest. A Myrtle Beach native, Owens campaigned on his local ties. He said the district didn’t need an outsider representing the community. Kelly is a New Jersey transplant.

Kelly ran on his background as a police officer, saying he best understood how to address the community’s public safety needs.

Once Tuesday’s results were posted, Kelly said they showed the community supported his approach and disapproved of his opponent’s.

“I wasn’t surprised at all,” he said. “I knew those tactics wouldn’t work.… We’re tired of it and the people have spoken and said they’re tired of it.”

The special election is being held to fill the seat vacated by Marion Foxworth, who stepped down in August to become the county’s register of deeds. Foxworth had held the post for nearly 14 years.

The winner of the general election will serve for the remainder of the term, which runs through next year.

This story was originally published November 17, 2015 at 8:48 PM with the headline "Kelly wins special GOP primary for Horry County Council District 3 seat."