SOUTH CAROLINA, USA — Fallout continues following Tuesday's South Carolina statewide primary elections.
The state’s three Republican female senators are facing rough election results. Senators Penry Gustafson and Sandy Senn lost their seats and Senator Katrina Shealy is heading to the June 25 runoff.
These results come after the women fought against a near-total abortion ban in the state.
The night after the Primary, WCNC Charlotte's Julia Kauffman spoke with Senator Penry Gustafson on the phone. Gustafson represents Lancaster, Chesterfield, and Kershaw Counties. Gustafson called the primary results tragic for all women in South Carolina.
"I am extremely concerned about the lack of female voices," Gustafson shared. "We are put back 100 years by what happened last night."
The Primary results dwindle the already small female representation in the state Senate.
The District 27 senator attributes her loss largely to the abortion debate.
"I was called a 'RINO' and a 'baby killer,' and a 'flip-flopper' and a 'liar,' and I'm really none of those things," Gustafson said.
Current South Carolina law bans abortions after a heartbeat can be detected. Heartbeats are first detected around six weeks of pregnancy before most women know they’re pregnant.
Senn, Gustafson, and Shealy fought to have exceptions in the law for victims of rape and incest. They also helped defeat efforts to pass a bill that would ban abortions at conception.
"When you have Republicans coming after a group of Republican women, like all of them in this Senate, that is so unhealthy," Gustafson said.
She also pointed to low voter turnout as a problem in Primary elections. SC Votes reports her district had a 13.5% turnout.
Senator Shealy will face candidate Carlisle Kennedy in the June 25 runoff.
Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.