Calhoun County gets its first senator in more than forty years in Russell Ott

CALHOUN COUNTY, SC (WIS) – For the first time in more than four decades, Calhoun County will have a state senator when the session begins in January.

This comes after Democratic Rep. Russell Ott won the District 26 race last week about Republican Jason Guerry.

The newly redesigned district includes parts of Calhoun, Richland and Lexington counties.

Calhoun County hasn’t had a senator in the Senate since Marion Gressette in the 1980s. He was one of the state’s longest-serving legislators.

Ott said he’s humbled by the support he’s received from the place he likes to call “the heartbeat of South Carolina.”

“Home is home,” Ott said in an interview Friday. “Calhoun County has been my home for 46 years of my life, and I am so proud of that. I am proud of the people. I’m proud of what it represents.”

Leaders of Calhoun County and St. Matthews say a homegrown senator could have a huge impact on this rural part of the Midlands, both through legislation and budget priorities.

They also praised Ott’s approachability and responsiveness.

“Russell is the type of person you can call on, and you don’t have to wait three weeks for him to call you back,” said Helen Carson, former mayor of St. Matthews. “Because he’s going to call you back, and 99 percent of the time, it’s going to be something very positive.”

Otis Culclasure, a former teacher and coach from Calhoun County, said he believes Ott will make great strides for the area as a state senator.

“We need national representation, most senators come from metropolitan areas or cities,” he said. ‘I think he’ll do a great job. I would bet my life on Russell Ott.”

Calhoun County Administrator John McLauchlin said Ott will be a lifeline for the county’s citizens.

“Certainly with Mr. Gressette, we have benefited from being a small, rural, agriculture-based county in the past, and Russell will certainly be a boost to everyone in Calhoun County,” he said. “Eventually we will have someone who can speak for the people of Calhoun County.”

McLauchlin is hopeful that Ott will be able to push for more state funds to improve water infrastructure, make wastewater improvements and spur economic development.

Carson said Ott understands the unique needs of this community, which is home to many farmers.

“He’s in a place where he has the first understanding of it,” she said. “He can really talk about that in a meaningful way because he is a small farmer himself. And so he certainly understands the needs and what’s on the table for the farmers and the people who work in agriculture. He understands that well, and I think his voice can be a very strong advocate for that.”

Ott said he is eager to get started.

“Hopefully it won’t be another 40 years before we end up with another person from Calhoun County who can go to the South Carolina Senate and advocate for this very special place, the rural part of South Carolina,” he said.

Ott said that while Calhoun County is not the largest part of this Senate district, citizens played an outsized role in electing him.

He is grateful and proud for that.

Gressette served in the Senate from 1936 to 1984. There is a building named after him on the grounds of the State House.

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