{"id":1268,"date":"2026-06-10T09:07:03","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T09:07:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1268"},"modified":"2026-06-10T09:07:03","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T09:07:03","slug":"can-sc-dems-break-statewide-losing-streak-superintendent-race-emerges-as-top-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1268","title":{"rendered":"Can SC Dems break statewide losing streak? Superintendent race emerges as top test"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In a race between two veteran educators, Sylvia Wright soundly defeated Lisa Ellis on Tuesday to capture the Democratic nomination for state superintendent, according to unofficial returns.<\/p>\n

Read more Freshman who pushed Trump map in SC\u2019s failed redistricting loses reelection<\/a><\/p>\n

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Wright, 45, who most recently worked as a district coordinator in Dorchester School District 4, will now turn her attention to the general election, where she\u2019ll face Republican state Superintendent Ellen Weaver.<\/p>\n

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In an ordinary year, Weaver, a private school choice devotee who served as president of the conservative Palmetto Promise Institute prior to becoming superintendent, would be a runaway favorite to win reelection.<\/p>\n

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But in a midterm election with gas prices hovering near $4 a gallon, everyday expenses continuing to climb and an unpopular Middle East war dragging down the president\u2019s popularity, Democrats see an opportunity to pick up seats.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI think there\u2019s going to be a big blue wave and I think it\u2019ll have an effect in South Carolina.\u201d said Lachlan McIntosh, a veteran political consultant and former executive director of the state Democratic Party.<\/p>\n

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McIntosh is quick to qualify that he doesn\u2019t envision Democrats sweeping to power. It\u2019s still South Carolina, after all. But the veteran operative said he\u2019s expecting races to be closer than usual come November.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe actually have a fighting chance,\u201d he said of South Carolina Democrats. \u201cAnd that doesn\u2019t happen every election.\u201d<\/p>\n

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If Democrats were to pull off an improbable upset in any statewide contest, the schools chief race would be one of the leading contenders for them to flip.<\/p>\n

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National polling shows that voters tend to trust Democrats more than Republicans on education.<\/p>\n

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And while that preference hasn\u2019t translated into electoral victories for Democratic state superintendent candidates in recent years, there\u2019s evidence that some Republicans split their tickets in the schools chief race.<\/p>\n

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From 1998 to 2006, at a time when Republicans were beginning to cement their grip on most statewide offices and the General Assembly, voters chose a Democrat as state superintendent in three consecutive elections. The 2006 race, in which Democrat Jim Rex beat Republican Karen Floyd by less than 500 votes, remains the last time a Democrat was elected to statewide office in South Carolina.<\/p>\n

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Inez Tenenbaum, a Democrat who served as state superintendent from 1999 to 2007, attributed her own electoral success to overwhelming support from South Carolina educators.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI had the education community behind me,\u201d she said in an interview Tuesday. \u201cAnd if they get behind a candidate, there are a lot of educators and families of educators. That\u2019s how I won.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Tenenbaum, who endorsed Wright ahead of Tuesday\u2019s primary, was loath to make any predictions about the presumptive Democratic nominee\u2019s chances in November, but said she\u2019d been impressed by the first-time candidate.<\/p>\n

Read more Gavin Newsom endorses Xavier Becerra for California governor<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u201cSylvia is one of the best campaigners I have ever met,\u201d she said. \u201cShe\u2019s been all over the state and she\u2019s just campaigned her heart out.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Tenenbaum said she was especially heartened by the raucous reception Wright received at the Democratic Party Convention on May 30, and believes the Berkeley County resident has an infectious energy and air of trustworthiness that helps her connect with voters.<\/p>\n

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