Drew McKissick said the South Carolina Republican Special Election debate in Columbia will include only five candidates, with early voting set to begin two days later. The live, one-hour event is scheduled for Monday night at the WIS studios in downtown Columbia.
Those chosen are Ralph Norman, Darline Graham, Russell Fry, Mark Lynch and Mark Sanford. McKissick said the debate will give voters a narrower look at the field just before ballots start to be cast.
Drew McKissick on the field
The South Carolina Republican Party picked the five candidates based on polling averages from surveys not paid for by campaigns or affiliated political action committees. To qualify, candidates had to file with the South Carolina State Election Commission, be certified for the ballot by the SCGOP, rank among the top five in polling averages no later than 72 hours before the debate and sign debate guidelines at least 48 hours ahead of the event.
McKissick said, "It wouldn’t be very useful for voters at home to hear nine different candidates for just one hour," and added, "We wouldn’t get any fair time in for the candidates, so we’ve limited it to the top five polling candidates."
WIS studios in downtown Columbia
The questions will come from Joey Hudson, Kelly Nash and Wendy Damron, and the format will include opening statements along with questions on topics ranging from social issues to foreign policy. Moderators will have discretion to allow rebuttals when necessary.
The debate is a partnership between the South Carolina Republican Party and Gray Media, and it will air live from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday on Gray Media television stations across the Carolinas, along with station websites and digital platforms. McKissick said, "This debate will basically be held one week before the primary. Early voting will start two days after the debate."
Five candidates left out
Five other Republican candidates remain in the race but did not meet the debate qualifications: Duke Buckner, Danny Ford II, Mark McBride, Glenda Gail Parker and Samuel Shepherd. McKissick said, "It’s all or nothing at this point. It’s almost a certainty we’re going to have a runoff when you have this many candidates in the field."
The Republican primary is scheduled for Aug. 11, so voters have a short window between the debate and the start of early voting to compare the five candidates who made the stage. The question left hanging is which polling averages put those five ahead of the rest.
