Who filed in 2026: People‑Sentinel lists candidates for Barnwell and Allendale county offices

Allendale County's only contested county council seat on the 2026 ballot puts incumbent District 2 member James White Jr. against challenger Richard Dean Allen, while a three-way contest in State House District 91 places Rep. Lonnie Hosey against the most competitive field he has faced in years.

Filing for South Carolina's 2026 elections closed at noon on March 30. Ballots are now set for a statewide primary on June 9 and a general election on November 3.

In Allendale, incumbents filed without opposition in several other county offices, including County Council Districts 3 and 5, along with the Clerk of Court, Coroner, Probate Judge, Sheriff, County Auditor, and County Treasurer. The White-Allen matchup in District 2 stands as the county's primary contested race at the local level.

The more historically significant challenge is unfolding in House District 91, where Hosey, a Democrat from Barnwell who has held the seat since 1998, will face both Daniel Alexander and Tyler Morgan. That three-candidate field represents a step up in competition for Hosey, who navigated Republican challengers in previous cycles, including Ben Kinlaw in a prior race. Hosey won re-election on November 5, 2024, and his current term expires November 9, 2026. District 91 spans Allendale, Barnwell, and Orangeburg counties, drawing voters from a wide, predominantly rural stretch of the Lowcountry. Before entering the legislature, Hosey worked as a machine operator for Barnwell Mills and earned an A.A. and B.A. from Voorhees College in 1975 and 1978, respectively.

The contests carry particular weight in Allendale, the smallest county in South Carolina by population. Its estimated 7,506 residents in 2025 represent a decline of roughly 27.5% from the 10,354 counted in the 2010 Census, with population continuing to shrink at about 0.6% per year. Median household income stands at $31,603, and the poverty rate is approximately 26.5%. The county is approximately 64% Black or African American and 24% White.

Formed in 1919 from portions of Barnwell and Hampton counties, Allendale operates under a council-administrator structure. Five council members serve single-member districts on four-year terms, with the full council meeting the third Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. at the Allendale County Courthouse. Municipalities in the county include Fairfax, Sycamore, and Ulmer, in addition to the county seat of Allendale.

A climate impact study projects the county could lose approximately 15% of its income by the end of the century due to rising temperatures, among the steepest projected losses in South Carolina for a community already carrying one of the state's highest poverty rates. The officials elected in 2026 will inherit land-use, infrastructure, and service delivery decisions with consequences that reach well beyond a single term.