Democrat Jenny Desch is challenging Republican incumbent David Martin for South Carolina House District 26, which covers Fort Mill and northern York County.
Desch, who says she has more than 20 years in law enforcement, outlined her platform in a candidate spotlight published by YocoNews on Oct. 11 under the slogan "Fort Mill First. People First." She is one of two challengers on the Tuesday, Nov. 3, ballot. Workers Party candidate Kiral Mace is also running, according to Ballotpedia.
Desch grew up on military bases in Germany and the Philippines as an Air Force dependent. She moved to South Carolina after law school, drawn by the work of York County solicitors Pope and Brackett, according to her platform statement.
She is raising two daughters in Fort Mill. She serves on the School Improvement Council at Sugar Creek Elementary, coaches parks and recreation sports and sits on the board of a local shelter.
"For more than 20 years, I have enforced laws written by elected officials," Desch said in her platform statement. "I've seen which ones effectively maintain public safety and protect individual rights. I've also seen the ones that leave terrible gaps, unintended consequences and inconsistencies that leave victims unprotected."
Her specific law enforcement employer has not been publicly identified.
Desch listed four priorities: protecting school quality from early education through graduation, including addressing social media harms and preparing for artificial intelligence; keeping roads and infrastructure in step with population growth; managing the impact of major developments on neighborhoods, schools, water and energy; and supporting first responders, including addressing what she called the EMS crisis and funding crisis intervention teams for mental health and domestic violence calls.
Fort Mill's population jumped 57% between 2020 and 2025, adding roughly 14,000 residents, WCNC reported Oct. 1.
Desch also criticized what she described as a failure of leadership on mid-decade redistricting. The South Carolina House passed redistricting legislation in May during a special session called by Gov. Henry McMaster. The Senate blocked it May 26 after 12 Republicans joined 12 Democrats to prevent the 26 votes needed to end debate, NPR reported.
Desch's statement referred to "our incumbents" without naming Martin specifically. Martin's individual vote on the redistricting bill could not be independently confirmed from available public records.
Martin, a third-generation Fort Mill native and attorney, won a contested Republican primary June 9 with about 54% of the vote, according to the Rock Hill Herald. He is seeking a second term. During his first term, Martin secured $1 million in state funding for the Winthrop University Fort Mill Campus and helped the town obtain a $3 million traffic-congestion grant, according to a candidate spotlight published by the Fort Mill Sun.
Early voting runs Oct. 19 through Oct. 31, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Polls are closed Sunday, Oct. 25. The absentee ballot application deadline is Oct. 23. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
