Allen tops Kizer in SC-7 Senate Race

The state Senate District 7 seat will stay in Democratic hands, as Karl Allen beat Republican Jane Kizer soundly.

In unofficial results late Tuesday night, Allen beat Kizer with more than 64 percent of the vote, gaining 21,882 votes to Kizer's 11,501 votes, with 155 of the county's 160 precincts reporting. 

Allen, a Greenville attorney, fills the vacant seat previously held by long-time holder, Democrat Ralph Anderson.

The redrawn SC-7 district includes a northern portion of Greenville and loops around the west end of downtown and ultimately includes the area west of Main Street/Route 276 in Mauldin.

Allen is a senior partner at Karl B. Allen Law Firm, LLC, in Greenville. A graduate of the University of South Carolina in Criminal Justice and the University of South Carolina School of Law, he presently serves in the House of Representatives for District 25, a position he’s held since he was elected in 2000. He is also a member of the NAACP, NABCJ and Rainbow Push.

As an attorney, Allen is a member of the American Bar Association, South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association and Greenville County Bar and is licensed to practice in all state and federal courts. In 1992, he became licensed to practice in the 4th Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.