Surrounded by family, friends, and supporters, lifelong South Carolinian and State Representative, Russell Ott, proudly claimed victory Tuesday night in the race for State Senate District 26.  The district includes portions of Calhoun, Lexington, and Richland Counties and was held by longtime State Senator Nikki Setzler, who announced his retirement in January after serving for 47 years.

Ott announced his intention to run for the seat on Feb. 13. Often labeled an underdog in the race, Ott handily defeated longtime political pundit, Dick Harpootlian, in the June Primary before capturing over 54% of the vote in last night’s General Election over the Republican opponent Jason Guerry. 

Ott won all three counties that comprise District 26, including Lexington County, one of South Carolina’s Republican strongholds. He won by a comfortable margin of more than 3,800 votes.

“I look out across this room, and I see Democrats, I see Republicans, and I see independents,” Ott exclaimed at his victory party in West Columbia. “Most importantly, I see people. And that’s what this campaign has been about. We decided early on that we wanted to try something new, that we didn’t want to play this extreme partisanship game.”

Ott further stated, “I am honored and humbled to represent everyone in this district and will fight for issues that matter most to our citizens and businesses. As I have in the House of Representatives, I will continue to find bipartisan, common-sense solutions to the issues we face in our district and across South Carolina.” Senator-Elect Ott will be sworn into office in January of 2025.

ABOUT RUSSELL: Russell Ott was born and raised in St. Matthews, South Carolina. After graduating from Clemson University and earning his master’s degree at the University of South Carolina, he returned to work on his family farm with his father, uncle and brother. Proud father of two sons, Lawson and Bryce, Ott is a member of Andrews Chapel United Methodist Church. Ott also refined his knowledge of government operations as the Town Administrator for the Towns of Elloree, North and Neeses and with the South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation. He was first elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2013.