In a series of moves that left the S.C. election commission scrambling to schedule special elections, three members of the state legislature resigned on Aug. 11.
The first to step down was embattled state Rep. R.J. May (R-Lexington), who is in jail awaiting trial on charges of possessing child sexual materials. In his resignation letter, May wrote, “It is in the best interests of my family and constituents to resign immediately.”
Next, 59-year-old S.C. Sen. Roger Nutt (R-Spartanburg) announced his resignation after receiving a diagnosis of having Alzheimer’s disease, saying in a statement that he and his family “will face this trial with faith in the grace of God that has sustained our lives, our marriage and my career in public service for nearly 15 years.”
And finally, later in the day, state Rep. Bobby Cox (R-SC) announced he was resigning to run for Nutt’s now-open Senate seat.
S.C. Election Commission spokesman John Catalano told Upstate broadcaster WSPA that the flurry of resignations took the agency by surprise.
“We have not had three resignations from the General Assembly in one day before, so [it] definitely raised some eyebrows,” he said. “[It was a] very interesting afternoon.”
Nevertheless, by midweek the commission had scheduled special elections in all three races, with winning candidates expected to be sworn in for the next Statehouse session in January 2026. For dates and details, visit the Election Commission website at scvotes.com.
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