Preston Brittain
Preston Brittain was a 2012 Democratic candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 7th Congressional District of South Carolina.[1]
On June 22, 2012 a Horry County judge decided that there would be a runoff election to decide the winner of the Democratic primary, overriding an initial report of Gloria Bromell Tinubu winning the primary. Tinubu will run against Brittain, the other top vote getter from the June 12 primary.[2]
Brittain was thrust into frontrunner status after rival Ted Vick dropped his bid on May 26 after being arrested for DUI and unlawful weapon charges.[3]
Brittain was the only Democrat in the race to oppose same-sex marriage.[4]
Elections
2012
Brittain ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent South Carolina's 7th District. Reports initially said that Brittain lost to Gloria Bromell Tinubu in the June 12, 2012 Democratic primary.[5][6] However, on June 22, 2012 a Horry County judge decided that there would be a runoff election to decide the winner of the Democratic primary. Gloria Bromell Tinubu defeated Brittain in the primary runoff election.[2]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
 Gloria Bromell Tinubu Incumbent |
72.7% | 17,930 |
| Preston Brittain | 27.3% | 6,733 |
| Total Votes | 24,663 | |
Effect of redistricting
- See also: Redistricting in South Carolina
The 7th District was added following the results of the 2010 census. According to the Washington Post, despite Republican-controlled redistricting decisions, this district is a battleground for Democrats and Republicans seeking control of the U.S. House. With Republican front-runner Thad Viers deciding not to run and Democrat Ted Vick showing some appeal to conservatives, South Carolina's 7th was a swing district.[7]
Ads
On May 23, 2012, Brittain released his first TV ad, titled "Can."
| "Can" |
| "Carolina This Week" |
Endorsements
- Rep. James E. Clyburn
- Former Rep. John Spratt
- Former S.C. Governor Jim Hodges
- 2010 Democratic gubernatorial nominee Vincent Sheheen[8]
Targeted
Brittain has been attacked by his fellow Democratic candidates for being too Republican. Gloria Bromell Tinubu, for example, issued a press release just hours before the Democratic debate calling on Brittain to "explain to South Carolina his long history of Republican ties." Tinubu accused Brittain of voting in the 2000 Republican presidential primary, and said his family has supported Republican candidates as recently as 2004.[9]
Polls
2012 election
A Francis Marion University/SCNOW.com poll, conducted May 14-15, 2012, showed Ted Vick leading the rest of the Democratic field. Sixty-five percent of those polled, however, said they were still undecided.[10]
| South Carolina's Congressional District 7, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Ted Vick (D) | Gloria Tinubu (D) | Preston Brittain (D) | Harry Pavilack (D) | Parnell Diggs (D) | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | |||||||||||
| [1] (May 14-15, 2012) | 15% | 9% | 6% | 3% | 3% | 65% | +/-3.8 | 611 | |||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Campaign finance summary
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Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for "Preston + Brittain + South Carolina + House"
- All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ scnow.com, "Brittain announces candidacy for S.C.'s new 7th Congressional District" accessed February 5, 2012
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 WMBF News, "Judge: Runoff to decide 7th Congressional Democratic nominee" accessed June 25, 2012
- ↑ scnow.com, "Brittain gains endorsements from five major S.C. Democrats" accessed June 2, 2012
- ↑ myrtlebeachonline.com, "7th District Dem debate produces few surprises" accessed June 7, 2012
- ↑ Carolina Live, "Gloria Tinubu wins 7th Congressional District Democratic race," June 12, 2012
- ↑ WYFF News-2012 Primary Results
- ↑ Washington Post blog, "The 10 House districts that might surprise you," May 11, 2012
- ↑ myrtlebeachonline, "Dems line up to endorse Brittain in SC 7th" accessed May 29, 2012
- ↑ scnow.com, "Tinubu slams Brittain hours before final debate" accessed June 8, 2012
- ↑ SCNOW.com, "Bauer, Rice lead in FMU/SCNOW.com poll" accessed May 19, 2012
