Commissioner of Agriculture
Republican Primary
- Hugh Weathers (Incumbent)
- William Bell - farmer, 1994 candidate
One of the major issues in the Republican primary was whether the commissioner should be elected or appointed. Bell was an advocate for election, while Weathers supported appointment.
| Republican Commissioner of Agriculture primary results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Republican | Hugh Weathers | 131,061 | 57.4% | |
| Republican | Bill Bell | 97,326 | 42.6% | |
| Totals | 228,387 | 100% | ||
General Election
The Commissioner elected in 2002, Charles Sharp, was convicted in 2004 for accepting bribes from a cockfighting ring to help them avoid prosecution. He lost his office and was replaced by Weathers, the interim commissioner. Weathers was challenged by Democrat Emile DeFelice, an organic hog farmer and State Food Policy Council Chairman. DeFelice did not face a primary. DeFelice promoted raising consumption of locally grown foods over food from other states or countries and adopted an anti-subsidy platform that would limit direct subsidies to South Carolina farmers. Weathers won the general election.
| South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Election, 2006 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Hugh Weathers (incumbent) | 635,903 | 59.7% | +9.2% | |
| Democratic | Emile DeFelice | 429,255 | 40.3% | -9.1% | |
| No party | Write-ins | 319 | <0.1% | ||
| Majority | 206,648 | 19.4% | +8.5% | ||
| Turnout | 1,065,477 | 43.4% | -8.5% | ||
Read more about this topic: South Carolina Elections, 2006
Famous quotes containing the word agriculture:
“In past years, the amount of money that has had to be been spent on armaments, great and small, instead of on productive industry and agriculture and the arts, has been a disgrace to all of us in every part of the world.”
—Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945)