The dates for the special election to replace former House District 88 Representative R.J. May set after he resigns from office earlier this month

West Columbia, SC 08/13/2025 (Paul Kirby) – The dates for the election to replace former SC House member R.J. May of District 88 has been set per SC state law.

May, who is currently being held at the Lexington County Detention Center on a 10-count federal indictment linked to child sexual abuse material, resigned on August 7, 2025. It was announced last Monday by House leadership. He was denied bond when he was arrested due to the heinous nature of his alleged crimes and his ability to flee the country.

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The dates to prepare for and hold the election are as follows:

Candidate filing opens: Aug. 29

Candidate filing closes: Sept. 6

Primary election: Oct. 21

Primary election runoff (if necessary): Nov. 4

Special election: Dec. 23

One person has already made it public that he will run for the seat. That is retired Air National Guard veteran and successful independent business owner Brian Duncan. Duncan, who lives in Red Bank, currently serves on the Lexington County Recreation and Aging Commission’s Board of Directors and has for years. He would have to resign that position if elected to the State House because of South Carolina’s dual office laws.

Duncan is a conservative Republican and has run for several other public offices before.

Because so few Democrats run for office in Lexington County and none currently hold an office here, any challenger that runs for in this race will likely be a Republican. If no other Republican files, and no Democrat decides to run, Duncan would be declared the winner without an election. We would know this is the outcome of the election on September 6, 2025, when filing closes.