Tommy Blankenship and Chuck James head to runoff for sheriff | Greenville News

PICKENS — With no definitive winner declared in the Pickens County sheriff's race, the top two candidates appear to be returning to the campaign trail for a runoff, according to unofficial results.

The only two candidates currently working for the Pickens County Sheriff's Office, Tommy Blankenship and Chuck James, will face off again on June 25.

Blankenship received 38 percent of the vote in the June 11 primary and James nearly 29 percent. With an unofficial total of 5,100 votes for James, there is a small chance that David Harrison – who received 4,873 votes and 27 percent – could move into the lead for second place in the runoff.

County Elections Director Amy Sams said there is no way of knowing how many provisional and fail-safe votes will be counted during the June 13 certification. It would take more than 200 to tip the scales in Harrison's favor.

Blankenship is a lieutenant by training with the Pickens County Sheriff's Office, where he worked for nearly 20 years under current Sheriff Rick Clark and his predecessor David Stone.

Clark is retiring.

James is currently the chief deputy for the Pickens County Sheriff's Office, where he has worked for almost 16 years. In this capacity, he attends departmental council meetings to discuss the needs and objectives of the department.

The two remaining candidates, Damon Hubber and Mike Ticknor, each received about 3 percent of the primary vote, with Tickner coming in with a 100-vote lead.

The runoffs for sheriff and County Council District 5 are scheduled for June 25.