Republican challengers Mark Lazarus and Al Allen will square off Tuesday March 26th in a special election runoff for the party nomination for Horry County Council chairman.

The election will effectively decide the next council chairman as there is no Democratic candidate and a write-in campaign that could defeat the Republican nominee is not in the cards.

Lazarus led the first round voting with 41 percent of the vote to Allen’s 24.5 percent, which just squeaked out second place over first time candidate Debbie Harwell who finished with 24 percent

The first step in Mark Sanford’s political ‘Phoenix rising from the ashes’ act finally will be taken tomorrow in the first round of voting tomorrow in the SC 1st Congressional District special election Republican Primary.

Sanford seems a shoe-in to get the 35 percent ‘forgiveness’ vote, but who will accompany him into the second round runoff?

A quick look at the other top candidates from the remaining 15 Republicans in the race gives no quick answer.

The race for the Republican nomination for the SC 1st Congressional District is heating up as the first round of primary voting approaches quickly.

A new ad hitting political newcomer Teddy Turner hard is making its way around television and the internet. The ad attacks Turner’s business failures and political agenda. It was paid for by the Chip Limehouse campaign.

View ad here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfTDTGODe68

The battle between 15 of the 16 Republican candidates is for second place and a chance at strong front runner Mark Sanford in a primary runoff.

Mark Lazarus and Al Allen are heading into a primary runoff election for the Republican nomination in the special election for Horry County Council chairman.

As there is no Democratic candidate, the runoff, scheduled for March 26th, will inevitably decide the next council chair although a formal general election will be held April 30th. It is not expected any candidate can mount a write-in campaign to knock off the Republican nominee.

Lazarus, a former council member from District 2, jumped into the early lead and held between 37 – 41 percent of the vote total throughout the night, finishing with 40.79 percent.

Every so often, especially in Horry County, threats and intimidation are used in attempts at censorship of the press.

You be the judge if the following qualifies.

For those of you wondering what happened to the story about Mark Lazarus and the Good Ole Boys the following e-mail string between Wrenzie Rice and myself should be self explanatory.

Paul Gable

We are at the weekend before the special election primary for Horry County Council chairman and there is very little buzz “on the street” about the race.

Is it that voters are electioned out or that the five candidates have failed to generate any real excitement about themselves?

I suspect both of the above are part of the problem.

Two things I am hearing on the street from average citizens are no matter who becomes the next chairman, there is little support for giving government money to private businesses in the name of economic development and there is little support for building I-73.