Collins, Keisler Lead County Council District 3, 5 Races

Voters elected Republican nominee Kent Collins to Lexington County Council District 3, and re-elected County Councilman Bobby Keisler to District 5 in Tuesday's election, according to preliminary results from the Lexington County Election Commission.

In District 3, Collins came in at about 40 percent with 89 percent of the precincts reporting. Most of the outstanding votes were absentee ballots, which were still being counted after midnight.

Collins' four challengers were petition candidates who were kicked off the June primary ballot after the ballot mess but made their way onto the November ballot by collecting signatures. 

Collins is replacing retiring councilman George H. "Smokey" Davis.

In District 5, voters re-elected incumbent Bobby Keisler. 

About 67 percent of the votes went to Keisler over petition candidate Brian Duncan. 

Duncan received about 32 percent of the votes. 

Keisler has served on council since 2003. 

District 5 includes the Red Bank and South Congaree areas. 

County Council District 1 incumbent Jim Kinard also took the lead in Tuesday's election, beating out petition candidate Megan Hutto. 

Kinard came in at 55.7 percent of the vote with about 89 percent of precincts reporting. 

He has served District 1, which inclues the Gaston, Pelion, and Swansea areas, for seven years. 

For complete results on the Lexington races, see the Lexington Election Results page.