ELECTION 2024: 2 Republicans seeking SC Senate District 36 seat (2024)

Two Republican candidates -- one who frequently runs and the other a relative political newcomer -- are vying for the S.C. Senate District 36 seat currently held by a Democrat.

The Rev. Leon Winn and Sumter County School Board member Jeff Zell are seeking the seat currently held by Democratic incumbent Sen. Kevin Johnson from Clarendon County.

The district consists of portions of Calhoun, Clarendon, Orangeburg and Sumter counties.

The district, as redrawn, has gained portions of Orangeburg County, including Eutawville, Santee, Vance and Elloree, and the eastern portion of Calhoun County.

The redrawn district includes about 13,267 people in Orangeburg County.

District 36 gained about 5,000 individuals in Calhoun County.

The district also has about 56,422 people in Sumter County, and about 31,144 people in Clarendon County.

The primary matchup is a rerun of the November 2020 general election race.

Winn ended up being Johnson's challenger in that race. Johnson defeated Winn at that time, receiving 57% of the vote. Winn unsuccessfully ran for the seat in 2012.

Winn also unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House District 6 seat in 2014 being defeated by Congressman James Clyburn.

With the exception of his current four-year service on the Sumter School District Board of Trustees (which ends in 2006), Zell has never run for political office.

The winner will go on to face the winner of the Democratic primary in the Nov. 5 general election. Johnson is running against Manning lawyer Eleazer "Leazer" Carter.

The winner will serve a four-year term.

Winn

Winn directed this reporter to his website for answers to questions about his campaign.

According to his campaign website, Winn's mission and goals if elected would focus on:

Winn graduated from the Bradwell Institute of Hinesville, Georgia, according to his website.

After high school, he served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves and trained as a jet engine mechanic.

He would go on to graduate from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy and then worked as a police officer with the Columbia Police Department.

He then enrolled at the Fairfield School of Cosmetology and went on to own and operate three beauty salons for over 25 years.

Winn is also a licensed and ordained Baptist preacher who graduated from Morris College with a bachelor's degree in theology and a doctor of divinity from the Overcoming Outreach School of Religion in Columbia.

Winn has been involved in Republican politics for years.

He has served as the first vice chairman of the Sumter County Republican Party in Sumter.

He has also served as the second vice chair of the South Carolina State Republican Party.

Winn is married to Christine and the couple has three daughters,Madisen, Shannon and Ashley. Winn is a great-grandfather to Khylin J. Walker.

Zell

Zell, who is a retired U.S. Air Force senior non-commissioned officer, touted his experiential affinity with those struggling in life as making him the ideal candidate to address the challenges people are facing in District 36.

"Growing up in poverty, living through generational cycles of dysfunction and a broken home, and having been a ward in the foster care and juvenile justice systems, I understand cyclic dysfunction and poverty," Zell said. "I came from a broken home on a broken street."

"From those fires, my work ethic and sense of duty were born," Zell said. "I’m not special; servant leaders surround me, and I am honored to be counted among them. I’ve always tried to do the best job I can at whatever I’m doing, or it's not worth doing."

Zell said what prompted him to run for the District 36 Senate seat are concerns about the well-being of the district and its residents.

He noted the district "has some of the highest rates of violent crime, the worst public school systems in the state, and very slow economic growth when compared to other parts of the state."

"The 36th district deserves a dedicated, transparent and accountable representative who prioritizes the community's interests and needs over their own," Zell said.

"I’ve always tried to live up to the Air Force core values of integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do! If you live by these values, you still maintain your honor, dignity and value even in failure."

Zell touted his military experience as being of great benefit for the district, noting he has more than two decades of working with the "multifaceted bureaucracy of the U.S. Air Force."

"I am unwavering in my commitment to driving positive change within the organization, and it has been the driving force behind everything I do," Zell said. "Despite facing numerous challenges and setbacks, I have never faltered in my pursuit of progress and improvement."

Zell said his experience in the Air Force has also provided him valuable lessons and insights.

"I firmly believe in lifelong learning and am always eager to seek new opportunities to grow and develop," Zell said. "I am confident that my time in the Air Force has prepared me well for any challenges that may come my way in the future."

Zell also said he has proven the ability to work "across the political aisle to get things done" as shown by his tenure on the Sumter school board.

"During this tenure, we were able to reduce disciplinary infractions by 40%, get the largest wage increase ever in Sumter School District history for our bus drivers and cut the critical certified teacher shortage in half, from 120 vacancies to 58," Zell said.

Zell said he will seek to make improvements in several areas.

"First and foremost, it is important to focus on reforming public education, ensuring it is accessible and of high quality," Zell said. "Additionally, I am committed to developing rural infrastructure, creating more economic growth and development opportunities, and establishing robust public safety measures."

"Above all, transparency and accountability are vital for building trust in our government and ensuring that our elected officials are held to the highest standards," Zell said. "We need to ensure we root out corruption, nepotism, fraud and waste and account for every single tax dollar the public entrusts us with."

An Ohio native, Zell has worked in the hospitality industry throughout his life.

From age 12 to 19, he was a “carnie” every summer and traveled the fair circuit selling food at county fairs and festivals.

Zell received his bachelor's degree in political science from American Public University, where he graduated magna cum laude, and an associate degree in munitions systems technology from the Community College of the Air Force.

He joined the U.S. Air Force in 2002, holding various other roles including financial resource adviser for the 436 MXS squadron at Dover Air Force Base, managing a $3.5 million annual budget.

His military service includes multiple deployments to locations such as Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait (2005-06), Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar (2010-11), and Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan (2015-16) and (2019-20).

Zell retired after 20 years as a master sergeant in the munitions systems career field.

Locally, Zell has served as president of the Aviano Parents Advisory Group and Shaw Air Force Base Top III Company Grade officer mentor.

Zell served as the Americanism chairman (2021) and second vice commander (2023) for Sumter American Legion Post 15.

He was former president of the Dolomite Chapter of the Air Force Association.

In 2022, he was elected to the Sumter School District Board, where he chairs the Ad Hoc Committee on Transportation.

Zell also serves as the South Carolina School Board liaison for the Carolinas Academic Leadership Network.

He also spent five years mentoring at-risk youth with Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

Zell is married to Christina and the couple has a 12-year-old daughter.

He and his family attend an independent church in Sumter.

His hobbies include playing guitar, playing video games, mentoring, traveling with family, and cooking.