Republicans Schuessler and Guest win contested Horry County SC state House races

A pair of first-time Horry County Republicans appear headed to Columbia to represent local state House districts.

Carla Schuessler and Val Guest both handily defeated their Democratic competitors Tuesday, according to unofficial results.

Schuessler received more than 69% of the votes, or 8,354 votes total, to take the newly drawn District 61 seat, while Guest received nearly 73% of votes, or 14,655 total, in the race for District 106. County election officials will certify results in the coming days.

Schuessler, 50, said her priority in office will be to build rapport with other representatives to improve the quality of life for residents in her district.

“Effective problem solving is knowing the rules, knowing the people, and knowing the process.,” she said. “I will work hand in hand with our delegation to bring home our fair share of tax dollars to Horry County so we can address those infrastructure and flooding needs, come up with creative solutions to address the impact Covid has had on our education system, protect and support our police and first responders.”

Voters were choosing between Schuessler and Democrat Ashlyn Preaux, 33, to represent the newly drawn District 61, which runs along U.S. Highway 501 in parts of Conway and Myrtle Beach.

Guest, 62, and Democrat Ryan Thompson, 22, were vying for the vacancy in District 106, which is currently represented by Rep. Russell Fry, R-Surfside Beach, who was elected Tuesday to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Guest told The Sun News he hoped to continue the momentum that Fry had built in office.

What issues matter to voters?

All four candidates spoke about lengthy campaigns filled with lots of door-knocking and conversations with voters in their districts. Common issues that came up included infrastructure, flooding and improving education.

Preaux, a rape crisis counselor and victim’s advocate, told The Sun News she heard overwhelming support for abortion rights. The S.C. Legislature has considered several proposals to further restrict access to abortion services since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its Roe versus Wade decision earlier this year, but has been unable to pass anything.

Schuessler, chief operating officer at Complete Legal Defense Team, said that issues related to the residents’ quality of life have been the primary discussion topics, including the financial burden they’ve faced due to increasing inflation.

Guest, a longtime attorney, said that many residents expressed a desire to bring back more money to the Grand Strand from Columbia and to continue to fund first responders.

Thompson, a former Congressional intern, said he most often heard residents expressing a desire for politicians to avoid overdevelopment and ensure a sustainable plan for growth.

How did candidates enjoy first campaigns?

The first-time candidates also generally described their first full campaigns as rewarding, with varying levels of stress involved.

“I don’t think anyone can truly know what to expect when running for office for the first time,” Schuessler said. “Overall, I expected the process of campaigning to be tough but rewarding, and I believe those expectations were met.”

Thompson said campaigning was actually easier than he expected, despite facing criticism from some voters about being too young. He’s hopeful that his experience will show others that anyone can run for office.

Both Thompson and Preaux described finding more Democratic voters than they expected while canvassing, and they expressed disappointment that so many of the other races are uncontested, with only a Republican on the ballot.

“Lots of people I talked to think Horry County is just super red, and there’s no one else like them,” Preaux said. “We won’t build up any momentum unless we’re running for all offices. ... Everyone thinks the election is just in June (during the primaries), and they just pick the Republican. That needs to change.”