Sheri Biggs, a nurse with the backing of Gov. Henry McMaster, defeated her Republican primary opponent in a runoff election Tuesday to win the GOP nomination to replace retiring Republican Rep. Geoff Duncan in South Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District.
The runoff election between Republican candidates Mark Burns and Sheri Biggs was held earlier this month after neither candidate received a majority of the votes in the state’s Republican primary in that district.
Barnes received just over 27,000 votes, or about 33 percent of the vote, in the June 11 primary election. Biggs received just over 23,500 votes, or about 28 percent of the vote in the same election.
Biggs, a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, ran as a “lifelong pro-life, pro-Second Amendment Republican.”
“I am running for Congress to continue my life’s work of service and tackle Washington’s health challenges with bold, conservative and servant leadership,” she said on her campaign website.
Biggs has been endorsed by Governor McMaster, who also stressed his commitment to working with former President Trump despite his support for Burns.
“Sheri Biggs embodies what is great about South Carolinians: her unwavering faith in God, her dedication to selfless service and her true determination to fight for the values we share,” McMaster said in his endorsement.
“Her stellar military and medical careers are truly admirable, but her passion for helping to heal our nation’s financial, mental and spiritual health issues is exactly what we need to represent us in Congress. Sheri Biggs will work with President Trump to secure our border, protect our taxes, uphold our conservative values, keep our promises to our veterans, and root out corruption.”
In his endorsement of Burns on Truth Social, Trump called the pastor an “America First Warrior” and a “good guy, hard worker and someone who never lets you down.”
Ken Ruinard / Staff / USA TODAY NETWORK
The former president cited Burns’ positions on border security, upholding the rule of law, the economy and defending “the Second Amendment, which is constantly under attack.”
Burns has been vocal about his stance on the border and against the “woke” agenda, and has touted an endorsement from Trump on his campaign website.
Barnes, a former member of the South Carolina National Guard, founded a church in Easley and has been dubbed “Donald Trump’s favorite pastor” by Time magazine.
Ken Ruinard / Staff / USA TODAY NETWORK
After serving seven terms, Duncan decided not to run for the seat again.
Duncan’s wife filed for divorce last year, alleging that her husband had multiple extramarital affairs.
“At some point in your career, you need to step aside and allow others to bring fresh ideas and talent to the fight for freedom,” Duncan said in a January statement.
Brian Best, who owns a Sherwin-Williams paint store in Greenwood, won the Democratic nomination to represent the district in the state’s June 11 primary, defeating high school science teacher Frances Gardner by more than 2,050 votes.
The district is a largely rural area in the northwestern part of the Palmetto State.
No Democrat has won the district since Lindsey Graham won the seat in 1994.
Barnes and Biggs were up against five other Republicans who originally sought the party’s nomination in the race for the GOP-held seat, including state Rep. Stewart Jones, businessman Frankie Franco and Kevin Bishop, a former staffer for South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham.
