House District 100 Special Election Tuesday

Update:

Voters in S.C. House District 100 will head to the polls Tuesday for a special election that mainly represents the Moncks Corner area, but also currently includes a small part of Goose Creek.

Moncks Corner Town Councilwoman Tonia Aiken-Taylor, a Democrat, will take on Berkeley County Planning Commission Chairman Eddie Southard, a Republican.

The two will be competing for the seat left open after the death of Rep. C. David Umphlett Jr. He died May 29 after a fight with pancreatic cancer.

The district currently includes a small portion of Goose Creek near the Naval Weapons Station. However, under approved by the legislature earlier this year, the southern end of District 100 will be carved out in 2012 to make room for the new District 15.

Goose Creek High School will host local residents registered to vote in Goose Creek No. 1, Howe Hall No. 1 and Medway. The voting districts were consolidated for Tuesday's voting because of the small size of the districts. You can contact the Voter Registration Office for a complete list of polling places at 843-719-4056. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Aiken-Taylor is a co-founder of Heart to Heart International Ministries. Southard operates Cooper River Construction.

Umphlett, a Republican, ran unopposed last November for his fifth term. But The Post and Courier reported last week that Republicans are concerned about the fate of this red district, particularly in a special election where it's hard to get voters to the polls.

"I'm convinced we're behind in this race," Berkeley County Republican Party Chairman Tim Callanan said. "If we have an average showing, this seat is lost."

Aiken-Taylor told Patch on Saturday that she isn't making any assumptions about the results of the race. "We're still giving it everything," she said. "After that article, [the Republicans] just woke up out of a stupor. We've upped our game as well so we can finally bring what District 100 needs, which is leadership."

Southard could not be reached Monday for a comment. He that he was getting into the race because he has always had an interest in politics and now, nearing retirement, he has time to represent his district.