Rep. Heather Bauer declares victory in SC House District 75 race

On November 6, 2024By Littum

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – Rep. Heather Bauer, a Democrat, declared victory in the race against Republican Kirkman Finlay for the House District 75 seat.

Early Wednesday morning, with nearly all the votes counted in Richland County, Bauer won 53 of the votes. The last time the two faced off in 2022, she defeated Kirkman by just a few hundred votes.

At her vigil on Tuesday night, she declared victory in front of a crowd of supporters cheering her on. She said on Tuesday they are celebrating, but on Wednesday work will continue.

“We’ve run a great campaign,” Bauer said. “And I think we were able to draw a really stark contrast between a candidate who believes that government can work for the people, or running a really cynical type of campaign that he did. And I think that the voters came out and proved that they want someone who believes that the government can work.”

South Carolina House District 75 was considered one of the most competitive races in the Midlands is a rematch for House District 75. This was a neck-and-neck race throughout, as expected. Bauer won the race by a little more than 1,000 votes.

The Richland County district includes Forest Acres and other parts of eastern Columbia.

Finlay, who was seeking to regain his five-term seat, has yet to concede that race and his campaign said they are still examining the election results.

Bauer said she’s about showing up and getting the job done, not playing cynical games or demonizing people.

There is a stark contrast between these familiar enemies.

Billboards and ads are hard to miss in Richland County and on TV.

Bauer and Finlay have said their opponent has radical views and has distorted their record. Each of them has emphasized their willingness to work across party lines to prioritize the district’s needs.

Bauer won his 2022 race with a heavy focus on the issue of abortion following Dobb’s decision earlier that year.

“Women’s issues are still a top priority, that’s an issue in our state that’s proven in this race,” Bauer said in an interview. “My opponent said this issue was settled. It’s far from settled. And I’m going to continue to restore those rights for women in our state. And I’m also going to continue to show up and help fix gaps and fix our infrastructure and raising money for the district, so those are probably the top two things.”

She has continued to tie Finlay to Republican efforts to further restrict access to abortion, but he has said she has no intention of voting for a bill that would do so.

Both have criticized Richland School District One and its documented string of controversies.

At a news conference a few weeks ago, Finlay blasted the district’s academic performance in the latest report cards and called for a change in school board leadership.

Bauer has touted the endorsements of two current board members who represent the minority opposition to the superintendent, saying Finlay had 10 years to do something about this while in the House.

His “revelation” on the issue recently is a campaign stunt, she claimed.

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