Trump-backed candidate loses South Carolina runoff election

Sheri Biggs will now face Democrat Byron Best in November, but is projected to win because the seat is in a conservative district. The winner will replace incumbent GOP Rep. Jeff Duncan, who decided in January not to seek reelection.

By Misty Severi

Published: June 25, 2024 10:46pm

Former President Donald Trump failed to influence a South Carolina runoff election on Tuesday night, after his candidate failed to secure the party's nomination for the state's third Congressional district.

Pastor Mark Burns lost the runoff against Republican nurse practitioner Sheri Biggs, despite finishing first in the initial primary, according to The Hill. The runoff was triggered after Burns and Biggs both failed to secure a majority of the vote in the original primary earlier this month. Biggs was endorsed by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster.

Trump had touted Burns as a Republican who supported him for president "from the beginning." Burns was one of the early backers of Trump's presidential bid in 2016.

Biggs will now face Democrat Byron Best in November, but is projected to win because the seat is in a conservative district.

The winner will replace incumbent GOP Rep. Jeff Duncan, who decided in January not to seek reelection. Duncan said that it was time for new leadership and "fresh ideas" in South Carolina's third district. The congressman is a member of the House Freedom Caucus.