AIKEN - A 17-year Republican district appeared to remain in the GOP column after Tuesday's race for state House District 86 leaned heavily toward Aiken builder Jim Stewart over prosecutor Everett Chandler.
Mr. Stewart, 51, who was urged to run by the district's incumbent Rep. Charlie Sharpe, R-Wagener, was leading with 63.5 percent, with 12 of 22 precincts counted as of 10:20 p.m. Mr. Chandler had 36.5 percent.
The leader is a political rookie who ran on a campaign to take his common-sense business experience to Columbia to help solve the state's budget crisis. He said the voters were choosing him because of his commitment to a humble, door-to-door campaign.
"It was a good, clean campaign and I am pleased with the way the race was conducted," he said.
Mr. Chandler, 30, said the campaign, also his first political foray, appeared to come up short because the voters were choosing one philosophy over another. The Democrat ran on a conservative economic platform with an emphasis on bringing better health care to the mainly rural district.
"I think the people have spoken," he said. "I think they clearly voted along party lines."
The two men called relatives and tallied precinct numbers as the votes were counted inside the Aiken County Council building.
Mr. Stewart won precincts in Monetta, Windsor, New Holland and Cedar Creek. Mr. Chandler, who grew up in the Wagener-Salley area, won precincts in Silver Bluff and Salley.
Mr. Sharpe began in 1985 serving the district, which runs from the Lexington County line to the Savannah River. He urged Mr. Stewart to run after he decided to run for state agriculture commissioner.
Reach Matthew Boedy at (803) 648-1395 or matthew.boedy@augustachronicle.com.
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