Rockey Burgess
Rockey Burgess was a 2016 Republican special election candidate for District 4 of the South Carolina State Senate. Burgess also ran for a full term in the November 2016 election. He was defeated in the Republican primary.
Campaign themes
2016
Burgess' campaign website highlighted the following issues:[1]
Ethics Reform
- Excerpt: "We need term limits to reduce the number of career politicians, and then we will be able to get real legislation passed. Campaign funds should only be used for the campaign; they are not a personal slush fund. Our state is currently relying on the legislature to police itself, and it is clearly not working. I will work with fellow legislators to change the status quo."
Taxes
- Excerpt: "We must drastically reform the SCDOT before a gas tax is even considered. Our roads and bridges are in desperate need of repair, but first we must address the root of the problem. The government needs to use tax dollars more efficiently, and they need to take less from hard working citizens. We need a simple, streamlined, and transparent tax code that everyone can actually understand. I support traditional marriage between a man and woman. I am against abortion, and I will fight for the unborn."
Conservative Principles
- Excerpt: "The 2nd Amendment, as well as the rest of the United States Constitution, needs to be upheld. I support traditional marriage between a man and woman. I am against abortion, and I will fight for the unborn."
Jobs and Economy
- Excerpt: "We must encourage businesses in our state and foster growth through tax incentives. One of the keys to bolstering our economy is to encourage small business growth, which will increase jobs. This requires getting rid of overbearing regulations that are getting in the way of small business owners."
Elections
2016
General election
Elections for the South Carolina State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 14, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The primary runoff election was held on June 28, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 30, 2016.
Incumbent Michael Gambrell ran unopposed in the South Carolina State Senate District 4 general election.[2][3]
| South Carolina State Senate, District 4 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Michael Gambrell Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 28,064 | |
| Total Votes | 28,064 | |||
| Source: South Carolina State Election Commission | ||||
Incumbent Michael Gambrell defeated Rockey Burgess in the South Carolina State Senate District 4 Republican primary.[4][5]
| South Carolina State Senate, District 4 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Michael Gambrell Incumbent |
64.95% | 6,075 | |
| Republican | Rockey Burgess | 35.05% | 3,279 | |
| Total Votes | 9,354 | |||
| Source: South Carolina State Election Commission | ||||
Special election
A special election for the position of South Carolina State Senate District 4 was called for May 17. A primary took place on March 22. A primary runoff took place on April 5. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 1.[6]
The seat was vacant following William O'Dell's (R) death on January 7, 2016. He died at his home from an apparent heart condition.[7]
Rockey Burgess, Willie Day, Michael Gambrell, Tripp Padgett and Mark Powell faced off in the Republican primary. Since no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters, Burgess and Gambrell, faced off in the primary runoff, which Gambrell won.[8][9][10] Gambrell was unopposed in the special election.[11]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Gambrell |
91.8% | 1,246 | |
| Write-in | Write-in | 8.2% | 112 | |
| Total Votes | 1,358 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Michael Gambrell |
57.6% | 2,594 |
| Rockey Burgess | 42.4% | 1,913 |
| Total Votes | 4,507 | |
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Michael Gambrell (advanced to the runoff) |
45.5% | 2,150 |
| Rockey Burgess (advanced to the runoff) |
31.9% | 1,505 |
| Tripp Padgett | 14.1% | 667 |
| Willie Day | 6.2% | 294 |
| Mark Powell | 2.3% | 109 |
| Total Votes | 4,725 | |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Rockey Burgess South Carolina Senate. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- South Carolina State Senate
- South Carolina State Senate District 4
- State legislative special elections, 2016
- South Carolina State Senate elections, 2016
- South Carolina State Legislature
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ rockeyburgess.com, "Issues," accessed June 14, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Candidate listing for the 11/8/2016 statewide general election," accessed August 26, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "2016 Statewide General Election," accessed November 28, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina Election Commission, "Candidate Tracking," accessed March 31, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Unofficial primary election results," accessed June 14, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "State Senate District 4 Special Election," accessed January 22, 2016
- ↑ ABC Columbia, "SC Senate remembers Senator O’Dell," accessed January 12, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina Election Commission, "State Senate District 4 Republican Primary Runoff," accessed April 5, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina Election Commission, "State Senate District 4 Republican Primary," accessed March 22, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina Election Commission, "Candidate Listing for the 5/17/2016 State Senate District 4 Special Election," accessed February 2, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina Election Commission, "State Senate District 4 Special Election," accessed May 17, 2016
