Here are the 3 big Horry County midterm election takeaways that you need to know

Horry County came out of the midterm elections with a stronger GOP presence in Columbia, a renewed sales tax to help fund ongoing construction and improvements for education and strong voter turnout that put it ahead of most others in South Carolina.

Here’s a look at some major takeaway from the region’s midterms:

1. Horry County was among the top 20 in voter turnout

In the two weeks leading up to election day, more than 52,000 people in Horry County had already taken advantage of an early voting window — the state’s second-highest participation rate, county elections chief Sandy Martin said.

On Election Day, the overall turnout statewide was just over 50%, with 1.7 ballots cast among 3.3 million registered voters.

In Horry County, turnout was 51.4% according to unofficial results posted by the state Election Commission, giving it the 17th highest performance in South Carolina. The state’s least populous county — McCormick in the Lakelands — had the biggest turnout at 61%.

Neighboring Georgetown County, where Gov. Henry McMaster owns a home, saw 57% turnout, while Marion County only got 42%.

Midterm years typically see lower turnout, but with statewide races including governor, superintendent of education and a U.S. House race that garnered national attention during the primary, election officials rolled out a ground game that led to energy at the polls.

And with some of the state’s largest urban centers, including Conway, Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach, strong turnout in the deep red Grand Strand is a boost for candidates running in statewide contests, especially Republicans.

Two of the county’s 125 precincts saw more than 70% of its registered voters cast ballots, according to unofficial state Election Commission results: Jetport 3, which covers areas around Horry-Georgetown Technical College, saw almost 74 percent turnout, while Burgess 5 on the south end had 70% turnout.

Participation was also high in the Cherry Grove area of North Myrtle Beach, Grande Dunes and Surfside Beach — home of Russell Fry, a rising GOP star who was sent to the U.S. House from the 7th congressional district on Nov. 8.

Fry ended up with 71% of the total vote in his vast jurisdiction, outperforming incumbent U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-Charleston. She took re-election in the state’s 1st Congressional District over challenger Annie Andrews, but with just 52% of the vote.

2. Get ready for more schools and upgraded classrooms

Horry County voters approved another 15-year penny sales tax, with revenues going toward continued investments across the public school system, Coastal Carolina University and Horry-Georgetown Technical College.

As the county’s explosive growth continues alongside its national appeal as a vacation hub, residents decided those visitors should help shoulder the costs of new school construction. Officials project at least half of the total expected to be collected through the tax will come from purchases made by tourists.

The initiative, anticipated to generate $1.9 billion through 2039, sends 80 percent of the money to Horry County Schools, with 13.3 percent going to CCU and 6.7 percent to Horry-Georgetown Tech.

More than two-thirds of voters — 68% — supported a referendum question to take a penny off every dollar of purchase and send the money to the entities for ongoing investments and capital improvements.

Voters first approved the penny sales tax in 2008, helping to create a $953 million revenue stream that’s gone toward major projects including construction of 10 new schools, the HTC Center and Brittain Hall at CCU and building renovations at HGTC. The tax assessment would have lapsed in March 2024 had voters not given it another 15-year run.

Half of the county’s 56 public schools are currently at or near capacity, as the district adds between 600 and 800 students annually.

On Oct. 24, officials broke ground on what will be a new home for the expanded Whittemore Park Middle School in Conway — a $58 million venture being paid for through the penny sales tax that will educate 1,200 children.

3. A winning night for Trump’s favored choice

On a night when many of Trump-endorsed candidates lost, his brand only strengthened Russell Fry, who’s expected to be a key player to advance House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s “Commitment to America” agenda after locking down a U.S. House seat from the state’s 7th Congressional District.

That gives Horry County entirely new representation by a former state lawmaker replacing Tom Rice, who has served the district since it was re-established in 2013. Rice was on the budget-writing House Ways and Means Committee, while Fry will enter Congress at the low end of the leadership totem pole.

Fry has campaigned on pillars included in McCarthy’s plan that calls for energy independence, tighter border security, a stronger domestic supply chain and increased funding for public safety agencies.

Less clear is whether Fry’s ties to Trump will bring the former president to South Carolina more often, but the two stood next to one another on a stage in Florence last March, where Trump urged constituents to fire Rice.

And as Fry gets ready to leave Columbia after a seven-year tenure in the state House, state Reps. Heather Ammons Crawford, R-Myrtle Beach, and Jackie Hayes, D-Dillon, will be returning.

Both sit on the state’s budget-writing Ways and Means Committee, which annually writes the first draft of the state budget and oversees spending priorities such as ongoing investments for Interstate 73 and increased teacher pay.”

Crawford coasted to an easy win for a seventh term representing SC House District 68, while Hayes — first elected in 1999 — squeaked out a late-night win against GOP challenger Robert Norton in House District 55, which covers parts of Darlington, Dillon, Horry and Marlboro counties.

Two new faces are joining Horry County’s legislative delegation, as Republicans Carla Schuessler and Val Guest respectively took home easy wins in House Districts 61 and 106.

With Republicans holding a supermajority in the S.C. House coming out of the midterms, Horry County’s conservative bloc will have an out sized role in shaping policy.