When Gresham Barrett announced that he planned to run for Governor and would therefore not seek re-election for the U.S. House District 3 seat, many names were mentioned as possible candidates for his position. While many rumors proved to be false, there were six candidates for Barrett’s seat on the June Republican Primary ballot and two on the Democratic Primary ballot.

On the Republican side, three of the six candidates could be considered “local.” Neal Collins and Rex Rice both have Easley addresses, and Richard Cash lives in Powdersville. With District 3 covering 10 counties in South Carolina, many wondered if the three local candidates would split their support and not be able to compete in the race. All three worked hard on their campaigns and earned respectable shares of the ballot June 8. Cash was even the top vote getter among the six candidates in the June 8 primary. In the end, Jeff Duncan of Laurens ended up earning the Republican nomination for the seat in a runoff election. He will face the Democratic nominee, Jane Dyer, an Easley native, in the November general election.

The Easley Progress does not endorse candidates. This newspaper feels its job is to inform the public and allow residents to form their own opinions through that information.

However, with these three candidates out of the race, we can admit to a certain pride in the manner in which each ran their campaign.

Collins, by far the youngest of the six contenders, never seemed intimidated by the large field of candidates, all with more life experience than he had. Collins promised to be the hardest working congressman in Washington, and proved he was able to do that by visiting countless homes door-to-door throughout the district. He may have not won the race, but he certainly was not out-worked.

We appreciate Rex Rice for the way he has represented portions of Pickens and Greenville counties for the past several years in the statehouse. Rice has been very articulate, and not afraid to speak his mind even if it’s against the conventional wisdom in Columbia. Rice brought his integrity with him for this campaign. In a state where political mud-slinging is almost a spectator sport, Rice avoided negative attacks and spoke about the issues.

Richard Cash seemed to have come from nowhere to briefly take the lead in the race for Barrett’s seat. Cash and his crew of volunteers worked hard to get their message out throughout the district. Cash was not ashamed of his religious beliefs, often stating that he felt seeking his office was a calling from God. Principles would certainly be a visitor in Washington that voters would welcome.

We hope to see these three men of integrity pursue other public offices. True character is rare these days. We should support those who display it.