Early vote count gives South Carolina's top education post a fresh face

South Carolina’s upcoming race for state school superintendent just got more interesting. After polls closed on June 9, newcomer Sylvia Wright had a commanding early lead with 62% of the vote in the Democratic primary. Lisa Ellis, the experienced educator who ran last time, trailed with 38%. The final numbers won’t be official until next week, but this first look already tells a story. Both women share big goals: better pay for teachers and smarter testing rules. They also agree that South Carolina’s education system needs change under the current leadership. But their paths to this moment are very different. Wright quit her job last summer to campaign full-time after years working in schools and administration across the country. Ellis, on the other hand, has been a well-known voice in education for years. She started SC for Ed back in 2018, a group that grew from a small online meeting to a powerful force that once brought thousands of teachers to the Statehouse.This isn’t the first time Ellis has tried to win this job. She lost to the current superintendent by a wide margin in 2022. Since then, the COVID-19 years slowed down her group’s momentum. Now, she’s back with a new plan: updating what students learn in school to better match how they grow and learn. Money and name recognition are playing big roles. Wright’s campaign raised almost $190, 000 for this race, far outspending Ellis. But Ellis has history on her side. In 2022, more voters picked her for education than chose her party’s candidate for governor, showing she can pull support from across the aisle. Whoever wins in November faces tough odds. South Carolina hasn’t elected a Democrat to state office in nearly 20 years. That includes the superintendent job. Still, both candidates believe the political winds are shifting in their favor. The next few months will show if voters agree.