Martin beats Tobias in District 13
Shane Martin, who faced some long odds when he opened his state Senate District 13 campaign last fall, rolled into office Tuesday night with a convincing win over Democrat Jimmy Tobias.
“The people got behind me in the primary, and they stayed with me in the general election,” Martin said while celebrating Tuesday night at Wild Wing Cafe. “They took a chance on an engineer from Glenn Springs, and I am proud to represent them.”
With 91 of 92 precincts reporting, Martin received 18,113 votes to 8,812 for Tobias.
Martin, 36, is an engineer and the owner of Martin Automotive Consulting Inc. He also served one term on the Spartanburg School District 6 board.
Martin outslugged incumbent Jim Ritchie and newcomer Max Hyde in a contentious Republican primary. Martin and Ritchie advanced to a runoff, which Martin won easily.
Tobias, 53, is the owner of Camp Croft Trading Co. and Camp Croft Pawn Shop. He was unopposed in the primary.
Tobias said he knew he faced an uphill battle in the heavily Republican district. He also said Martin ran a strong race.
“I think we’ll be well-represented with Shane,” Tobias said. “He ran a good, decent campaign, and I congratulate him.”
Martin also praised Tobias for sticking to the issues and running a positive campaign.
“We didn’t say an ill word about each other, and I appreciate that,” Martin said. “When we talked, we talked about ourselves and our plans.”
By Robert W. Dalton
Spartanburg Herald Journal
November 5, 2008
