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Republican pastor wins House special election
MSN ^ | 1/4/26 | Eric Sullivan

Posted on 01/05/2026 5:08:17 AM PST by Lazamataz

South Carolina state Rep. John Lastinger (R), a pastor, won the special election for South Carolina House District 88, defeating Democrat and retired Army Col. Joseph “Chuck” Hightower.

The seat opened after former state Rep. RJ May (R) resigned following a guilty plea in a federal child sexual abuse material case.

Lastinger, who ran as a conservative backing anti-abortion measures and gun rights, will serve through next November.

(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: South Carolina
KEYWORDS: abortion; banglist; chuckhightower; johnlastinger; lastinger; prolife; rjmay; southcarolina
So much for the narrative that Democrats are sweeping the special elections, ahead of the 2026 midterms.
1 posted on 01/05/2026 5:08:17 AM PST by Lazamataz
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To: Lazamataz

Good news.


2 posted on 01/05/2026 5:18:12 AM PST by Parley Baer
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To: Lazamataz

A pastor, huh?
No skeletons in his closet, I’m sure


3 posted on 01/05/2026 5:18:20 AM PST by ComputerGuy (The 'A' in 'AI' stands for 'Almost')
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To: Lazamataz

Good


4 posted on 01/05/2026 5:21:50 AM PST by PGalt (Past Peak Civilization?)
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To: Lazamataz
This got almost no media mention, thanks for posting. Newsweak ran it as a "Democrats overperform" story
5 posted on 01/05/2026 5:21:53 AM PST by tellw (ed)
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To: Lazamataz; All
What Liberals have done to the DNC qualifies as 'political date rape'!

How Democrat voters stand for it is a mystery to me!

6 posted on 01/05/2026 5:23:02 AM PST by SMARTY (In politics, stupidity is not a handicap. Napoleon Bonaparte I)
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To: tellw

https://www.newsweek.com/democrats-overperform-double-digits-south-carolina-house-election-chuck-hightower-john-lastinger-11264249


7 posted on 01/05/2026 5:23:11 AM PST by tellw (ed)
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To: Lazamataz

Is this the John Lastinger who once qb’d the Georgia Bulldogs?


8 posted on 01/05/2026 5:27:37 AM PST by shortstop (You can vote yourself into Socialism or Marxism, but you'll have to shoot your way out of it.)
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To: Lazamataz

Yeah, he got 62% in a district that went GOP by 92% in ‘24.


9 posted on 01/05/2026 5:36:26 AM PST by 9YearLurker
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To: Lazamataz; shortstop
This happened a couple weeks ago, in a tiny state House election -- NOT Congress -- in South Carolina. The winner retained a seat which was already held by a Republican, in a R+19 district.

The GOP winner is not the same guy who once QB'd for the University of Georgia.

10 posted on 01/05/2026 5:40:25 AM PST by PermaRag (Facts, context, and more facts)
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To: Lazamataz

As a retired Army veteran, I would never vote for a knucklehead retired Army Colonel who is a DemonRAT. The boy needs to stay the hell out of politics.


11 posted on 01/05/2026 5:56:42 AM PST by FlingWingFlyer (Kilmar the Abrego Kid has kicked Uncle Sam's ass with the help of his Judgette Skanks gang. )
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To: Lazamataz

He is a pastor of a Word of Faith congregation — a completely different one than the church our Governor attends that lost its 43-year old sanctuary to another reconstruction that will last 10 months.


12 posted on 01/05/2026 6:02:31 AM PST by WhiteHatBobby0701
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Arthur Wildfire! March; Berosus; Bockscar; BraveMan; cardinal4; ...
[SC] state Rep. John Lastinger (R)... House District 88, defeating... retired Army Col. Joseph “Chuck” Hightower... former state Rep. RJ May (R) resigned following a guilty plea in a federal child sexual abuse material case. Lastinger... backing anti-abortion measures and gun rights, will serve through next November.
Wow, that's quite a scenario. But really, Joseph "Chuck" (?) Hightower?

13 posted on 01/05/2026 6:28:23 AM PST by SunkenCiv (NeverTrumpin' -- it's not just for DNC shills anymore -- oh, wait, yeah it is.)
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To: SunkenCiv
Wasn't Hightower the guy played by Bubba Smith in Police Academy?
14 posted on 01/05/2026 12:02:06 PM PST by rfp1234 (E porcibus unum)
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To: Lazamataz

.


15 posted on 01/07/2026 4:24:13 AM PST by redinIllinois (Pro-life, accountant, gun-totin' Grandma - multi issue voter I'm)
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