Date set for special election to replace Pendarvis in SC House District 113

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) — A special election will be held next spring to fill a vacant seat in the South Carolina House following the resignation of former Democratic Rep. Marvin Pendarvis.

Pendarvis was the only candidate on the Nov. 5 ballot for District 113, and he won with over 97% of the vote.

However, the North Charleston representative had resigned from the seat back in September amid an ongoing investigation into his law practice, but his name was never withdrawn from the ballot.

A special election will now be held in March to replace Pendarvis, leaving the seat open for much of the 2025 legislature session which begins in early January.

Map: How each South Carolina county voted in the 2024 presidential election

The Charleston County Board of Elections confirmed Wednesday that Pendarvis sent a letter indicating he would not accept the seat. That letter was forwarded to House Speaker Murrell Smith, who ordered the special election as required by state law.

The special election will be held, according to the following timeline:

One person — Charleston County School Board of Trustees member Courtney Waters — has already expressed interest in the seat.

"I want you to know that I'm not just another Democrat asking for your vote," Waters said in a campaign video released Thursday morning. "I'm asking you to believe, like I do, that our community is the heartbeat of South Carolina, and that when we stand together and get the resources we deserve, there is nothing we can't do."