After falling short of an outright majority in the June 9 Republican primary, James Hoard and John Ehlers threw their support behind former Greenville County Councilman Joe Dill as he heads into a June 23 runoff against Travis Forrester with a sizable first-place lead.
Candidate John Ehlers found a humorous way to describe what happened in the June 9 Republican primary.
After losing to former Greenville County Councilman Joe Dill, Ehlers told those gathered in front of the media that his elder in the race had given him a political “spanking.” It was a moment of comic relief, but it also captured the larger point of Monday’s endorsement event: the primary contest had ended, and two former opponents were now urging their supporters to back Dill in the runoff.
Former Greenville County Council District 17 candidates James Hoard and John Ehlers stood with former Councilman Joe Dill on Monday to endorse him in the Republican runoff against Travis Forrester.
The endorsement came less than a week after the June 9 primary, where official Greenville County results showed Dill leading the four-candidate field with 3,298 votes. Forrester followed with 2,105 votes, while Hoard received 787 votes and Ehlers received 766 votes. Because Dill did not receive a majority, the race advanced to a June 23 runoff.
Hoard said he stood by the campaign he ran, but said voters had made their choice.
“I ran against Joe Dill, obviously. And Joe and I have been friends for a long time,” Hoard said. “I stand by my campaign. I think I had the vision for Greenville County. But the voters had their pick, and they chose Joe over me. So now I’m here to make that choice effective. I support Joe.”
Hoard added that Dill has “the right vision at this time” and said, “I think it’s time that we need to put Joe Dill back on council.”
Ehlers Says Dill Earned the Support
Ehlers, who also ran against Dill in the primary, said Dill’s campaign work made an impression.
“He ran an amazing campaign,” Ehlers said. “This guy has been campaigning for four years straight now, so he really took it to us.”
Ehlers said the election results showed him where District 17 voters were leaning.
“So I knew what the voters wanted, and I want to encourage anyone who supported me to also support Joe,” he said.
When asked what separated the candidates, Ehlers said some of his own positions were stronger, but he framed the differences as a matter of degree rather than basic values.
“We’re all from the same location,” he said. “We all come from the same area. So I think his values, we all had very much the same values. It’s just one extreme versus another.”
Growth, Land, and Rural Character Dominate Endorsements
The speakers supporting Dill repeatedly returned to one theme: protecting northern Greenville County from overdevelopment.
Greenville County Councilman Steve Shaw, who represents the adjacent District 20, said the race is “all about the land” and the culture of rural northern Greenville County.
“Ever since I’ve known Joe Dill for 10 or more years, that’s all he ever talks about is protecting the land here, protecting the way of life here, protecting people’s family farms and their family properties,” Shaw said.
Shaw said the area is under pressure to become “another Greer” or like the Golden Strip, with more housing, more road congestion, and a changed way of life.
Councilwoman Kelly Long, who represents District 18, also endorsed Dill, saying District 17 needs someone willing to stand up for residents and their property values.
“We don’t need townhomes all the way to North Carolina, and we don’t need apartments on farms either,” Long said.
SC State Rep. Mike Burns said Dill has served on the school board and county council, and described him as someone residents can call and expect a response from.
“You can actually pick up your phone and call Joe Dill, and he’ll actually take your call, or he’ll actually call you right back,” Burns said.
Burns said residents in northern Greenville County want infrastructure in place before growth continues.
“We like our farmland, and we like the honeybees flying around and the green grass and being able to farm and grow corn and grow potatoes and have beef cattle,” Burns said.
Dill Says District 17 Wants Its Voice Back
Dill told those gathered that he decided to run again because District 17 residents are looking for someone to represent them at County Square.
“I found that the people of District 17 are crying for somebody that’ll go down and work for them,” Dill said. “They’re really desperate out here for somebody that’ll cut through the bureaucracy.”
Dill said the county is “regulated to death” and argued that his prior experience on council would allow him to know where to push for changes.
“I’ve been there, I know how to do it, and I’ll do it with more vim and vigor than I ever have before,” he said. “If you think Joe Dill was a problem last time, y’all just watch out.”
On growth, Dill said the county needs to examine growth boundary rings, sewer expansion into farmland, shared septic systems, and related development regulations.
On public safety, Dill said his work as a courthouse bailiff gives him firsthand experience with deputies, lawyers, prosecutors, and the court process.
Taxes Enter the Runoff Message
Hoard later added that taxes were one of the biggest issues in his own campaign and said he now has confidence Dill will hold the line.
“I’m tired of my taxes going up, up, up,” Hoard said. “I think today I have that confidence that Joe Dill will be the guy that will hold the line on taxes.”
That message places Dill’s new endorsements within the broader runoff debate over growth, infrastructure, taxation, and the rural identity of District 17.
Forrester, meanwhile, also advanced to the runoff after finishing second in the primary. Dill and Forrester will meet in the Republican runoff on Tuesday, June 23, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Early voting for the June 23 runoff begins Wednesday, June 17, and ends Thursday, June 18, with early voting centers open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Voters may cast an early ballot at any early voting center in Greenville County and must bring a photo ID.
The runoff winner currently faces no Democratic challenger in the General Election in November.
Politics can be a rough sport, especially in a local race where neighbors know one another, disagree with one another, and then have to decide what comes next. For Hoard and Ehlers, what comes next is not sitting out the runoff. It is standing beside the man they believe best represents their views and values.
In District 17, Dill did not just win the first round. By Monday’s endorsement, he had two of his former opponents helping him tighten his gloves for the next one.
