Former Anderson Co. GOP candidate files lawsuit to run as a Democrat

Williamston resident Mark Powell has filed a lawsuit seeking to get on the general election ballot as a Democratic candidate for the South Carolina Senate District 4 seat.

Powell ran as a Republican for the same seat earlier this year after Sen. Billy O'Dell died. He finished last among five candidates in the March 22 GOP primary to fill the final months of O'Dell's term. The seat is now held by Mike Gambrell, a Republican from Honea Path.

Eight days after the primary, Powell filed to run as a Democrat for a full four-year term in Senate District 4. Gambrell is the Republican nominee for the seat in November.

Powell said he chose to run as a Democrat to call attention to what he see as flaws in the state's open-primary system. He said South Carolina's political parties should have a right to vet candidates. He also said that only Republicans and Democrats should be permitted to vote in their parties' respective primaries.

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