Burns Tops Sullivan In Run-Off

Mike Burns of Travelers Rest virtually assured himself the District 17 seat in the South Carolina House of Representatives on Tuesday by defeating Chris Sullivan in a run-off.

Burns, who fell just short of winning the Jan. 22 Republican primary outright, garnered 1,383 votes Tuesday, good for roughly 55 percent of votes, compared to 1,134 for Sullivan. 

Sullivan received plenty of endorsements ahead of Tuesday's contest, but it was Burns' furious ground campaign that won the day. 

"After we got into the runoff, we set a goal of about 600 home visits," Burns said. "So it was very much a grassroots, to-the-people interview process, if you will, with the people of this district. We tried to stay with the people. We listened to them. We exchanged ideas."

Sullivan gave Burns credit for mobilizing his supporters more effectively than he had. 

"I think we ran a really good race. We had a group of volunteers who worked very hard. He just did a better job of turning out people than we did," Sullivan said. "I'm very proud of the capmaign we ran, and it just wasn't quite enough to take the victory."

When asked Tuesday by Patch if he had any future plans for political office, Sullivan, who has now run for the Senate and House of Representatives in the span less than a year, said he did not. 

No Democrats have filed to run in the March special election for the District 17 seat, meaning the only potential competition for the Travelers Rest businessman would be a write-in candidate. 

Burns said 2nd Amendment protection would likely one of the first items on his agenda once he takes office. 

"Obviously, after the disastrous circumstances in Connecticut, the very first thing on the people's mind is the 2nd Amendment," Burns said. "They want to make sure the citizens of our state and of our county are protected. They expect us to push back on any assault weapon ban, and I intend on doing that."