A Republican will serve as mayor of Charleston, South Carolina, for the first time in nearly 150 years after residents voted Tuesday to elect William Cogswell over incumbent Democrat Mayor John Tecklenburg.
Cogswell, a former South Carolina state representative, garnered 13,930 votes (51.04 percent) in Tuesday’s election, beating out Tecklenburg, who had 13,361 votes (48.95 percent) in what local paper the Post and Courier described as a “stunning” victory for Cogswell.
“I am humbled by the results, I am excited for the future of our city, and I have to say thank you, thank you, thank you!” Cogswell, a real estate developer, told supporters Tuesday night after his victory, FITS News’s Dylan Nolan noted.
Tecklenburg, who has served as mayor since 2016, was gracious in defeat, stating, “I’m as optimistic for the future of this city as I’ve ever been,” and that “When Mayor Cogswell succeeds, Charleston succeeds.”
Cogswell is the first Republican to win the mayorship since 1877, according to a statement from South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Drew McKissick published by WCIV.
In an April 7, 2014 file photo, pedestrians walk by City Hall and St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in the historic city of Charleston, South Carolina. (Bruce Smith, file/AP)
“Last night, Republicans made history in the City of Charleston by electing the first Republican mayor since 1877. Congratulations to William Cogswell and his team on winning his mayoral campaign,” McKissick said, adding:
This win is representative of the shifting momentum we’re seeing all across the state, as there are now GOP mayors in three of the largest cities in South Carolina: Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville. This is what happens when Republicans work together as a team to promote our principles and win.
Cogswell and Tecklenburg advanced from a six-way run-off race on November 7, as Nolan pointed out. However, Cogswell led the way with a plurality of the vote in a harbinger that Tecklenburg was vulnerable. Notably, Cogswell performed better in the open primary than Tecklenburg’s previous challengers, per Nolan.
According to the Post and Courier, plans to deal with coastal flooding were one issue at the center of the race. Tecklenburg backs a sea wall proposal for the peninsula that Cogswell did not support, though the Republican is in favor of a raised peninsula edge. Tecklenburg “claimed his opponent was trying to throw away years of work on the project,” per the outlet.
Cogswell also zoned in on public safety and riots on King Street in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in 2020, FITS News reported. Nolan notes that 150 businesses were destroyed during the riots and that Cogswell hit Tecklenburg hard on this front.
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