More than 2.5 million South Carolinians cast a ballot in Tuesday’s general election, including 1.5 million who voted early or absentee. The turnout was a new state record as voters cast ballots for not only U.S. president, Congressional races, but all 170 seats in the South Carolina General Assembly.

In one of the most closely watched state races, Democratic State Rep. Russell Ott defeated Republican Jason Guerry in Senate District 26 with nearly 55% of the vote. The district includes parts of Calhoun, Lexington, and Richland counties. Ott has served in the House for a decade and defeated now former state Sen. Dick Harpootlian, who had been a long-serving member of the General Assembly, in the primary.

Other key races included Senate District 29, where a longtime member of the Senate, Democrat Gerald Malloy, was beaten in what many considered an upset by Republican J.D. Chaplin, and Senate District 36, which saw Republican Jeff Zell defeat incumbent Democrat state Sen. Kevin Johnson. Republicans will hold a supermajority with the South Carolina Senate consisting of 34 Republicans and 12 Democrats.

Also of note: Thirteen freshmen first-term members of the Senate will serve in the GA when the session gets underway, one of the biggest years for turnover and a unique opportunity for businesses.

In the House, Republicans hold 88 seats, maintaining a supermajority while Democrats hold 35 seats with one vacancy. Of note, House District 102 flipped from Democrat to Republican. House District 75 was one of the more highly publicized races — Democratic state Rep. Heather Bauer defeated Kirkman Finlay. (For a full list of General Assembly results, click here.)

Businesses should also be aware that there will be a new chairman of the powerful House Labor, Commerce, and Industry Committee. Republican Bill Herbkersman will replace Bill Sandifer, who lost his bid to re-election in the primary. This committee oversees issues important to the business community, including labor and employment, public utilities, insurance, real estate, banking, worker’s compensation, professions and occupations, and consumer affairs. Most of the committee members will be new.

As the session gets underway, we will be closely watching as the legislature will likely need to address the liquor liability issue, which is important to many businesses in the restaurant industry. This issue concerns a state law requiring establishments that serve alcohol to carry at least $1 million in liquor liability insurance and ensuing claims against those establishments in recent years.

Another key issue will be this year’s budget, which is typically introduced by the House Ways and Means Committee in March. There will be three to four months of intense negotiations to settle the budget. A few key areas within the budget that could impact businesses are K-12 public education, higher education funding, and potential Medicaid expansion and general health care funding. There will be new subcommittee chairs in the House Ways and Means Committee as well as the Senate Finance Committee.

As of time of writing, results are still being finalized. For the most updated information, please click here.

For more information, please contact us or your regular Parker Poe Consulting contact.