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by MARK POWELL
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In politics, they say, name identification (i.e. “name ID”) is the name of the game. If that’s true, one name in next month’s special election for South Carolina Senate District 12 (.pdf) stands out from the pack. But detractors say that name also comes with a lot of political baggage.
This Upstate district straddles the boundary between Greenville and Spartanburg counties. Politically, at least on the GOP side, it ranges from conservative to very conservative. It’s also been hotly contested in several recent election cycles – and this year’s special election figures to be no different.
First, the back story on why we’re having a special election to begin with…
Last month, incumbent senator Roger Nutt, 60, of Moore, S.C., stepped down after confirming he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. Almost immediately, state representative Bobby Cox announced his intention to seek the open seat – resigning his House seat and receiving Nutt’s endorsement.
However, mere days after jumping into the fray – and seeming to establish himself as the frontrunner – Cox suspiciously bowed out – a move which sparked significant chatter amongst
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“After much prayer and reflection, I have decided to suspend my campaign and not file for office,” Cox posted on social media on the Friday afternoon before an extended Labor Day holiday.
With Cox out of the race, former state senator Lee Bright – who represented this district for two terms – emerged as the frontrunner to reclaim his seat.
Bright is no stranger to Upstate voters – but his political road has been a rocky one due to one factor: runoffs. Runoffs are for Bright what the Curse of the Goat was for decades to the Chicago Cubs.
For those of you unfamiliar with South Carolina election law, if a candidate fails to receive a majority of votes in a partisan primary race, the top two vote-getters advance to a head-to-head runoff election two weeks later.
Bright has proven adept at winning GOP primary races… but he can’t seem to get past the runoff round.
In 2016, he was narrowly edged out for reelection in a runoff by former state senator Scott Talley.
In 2018, he lost another Republican runoff for the fourth congressional district seat to William Timmons.
In 2024, he sought to reclaim his old seat… and lost to Nutt in the runoff.
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Will 2025 be the year Bright breaks his losing streak and returns to the S.C. State House in Columbia? Not if either of his two Republican rivals get their way…
One of Bright’s opponents is 37-year-old attorney Justin Bradley. He’s no stranger to local voters, having served on Spartanburg county council since 2015. He’s also done yeoman’s duty on several boards, including the Appalachian Council of Governments and the Spartanburg Area Transportation Study.
Then there’s Hope Blackley. The former Spartanburg County Clerk of Court is also well known in the area. If there’s a civic group or community group nearby, she’s likely been part of it at some point, ranging from United Way of the Piedmont to the South Carolina Coalition for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.
As for Bright, the businessman remains actively in faith-based and conservative-oriented groups.
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Bright also scored a major endorsement when Greenville sheriff Hobart Lewis – one of the most popular figures in the Palmetto Upstate – endorsed his candidacy.
“Lee is a true conservative who has always stood for law and order and has always supported law enforcement,” Lewis said. “He’s the only candidate with a proven record of fighting illegal immigration. You will not be disappointed to have Lee Bright as your senator.”
The challenge for all three candidates in the coming four weeks is differentiation. Senate District 12 serves constituents who are arguably among the most conservative in the state. Each has a record of public service; each supports traditional conservative principles. For Bright, the thing he chiefly needs to address is electability. He must convince voters that he can overcome his recent runoff curse and emerge victorious. For Bradley and Blackley, they must persuade those same voters that they can overcome Bright’s strong name ID.
GOP voters will go to the polls three weeks from tomorrow (Tuesday, October 21, 2025). If no candidate receives a majority of ballots cast, the two top vote-getters will face off in a runoff election on November 4, 2025.
Obviously, Bright is hoping to win the race on the first ballot and avoid a fourth straight runoff defeat – which would make him the Buffalo Bills of runoff elections in the Palmetto State.
The GOP victor will go up against Democrat Sundra Proctor Smith in the general election. Proctor Smith is an educator at Chapman High School who previously sought a seat on the Duncan Town Council. However, in a part of the state where Democratic election wins are rarer than angel visits, she faces long odds irrespective of which Republican triumphs on the GOP side of the ledger.
The general special election is scheduled for December 23, 2025.
As always, count on FITSNews to keep our audience apprised as to the latest developments in this race…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
J. Mark Powell is an award-winning former TV journalist, government communications veteran, and a political consultant. He is also an author and an avid Civil War enthusiast. Got a tip or a story idea for Mark? Email him at mark@fitsnews.com.
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4 comments
Hope Blackley knows the BS and has worked with a lot of programs devoted to dealing with it, from what I heard she’s very good.
She’d be a good representative for that city.
I still don’t believe Lee Bright was defeated in his three previous runoffs. those that control the electronic voting machines can manipulate the outcomes without the masses recognizing it, especially in close elections. We need to destroy the voting machines and go back to paper ballots if we want any chance of restoring the americanist constitutional republic of South Carolina.
Couldn’t stay off the gubmint teet I guess. “Who is Lee (not so) Bright?”
Agenda 21, the gold standard, the (dim) lightbulb bill. This guy is famous as one of the dumbest SC legislators of all time, which is like being the fattest person at the sc state fair.