As expected, the race for Horry County's House District 68 is edging closer to four consecutive weeks of elections with three Republican candidates in the race for the seat which was unexpectedly vacated by Thad Viers, who resigned the seat last week.

In addition to Heather Crawford, two local Tea Party-affiliated candidates have entered the race: Tom Muse and Larry Richardson. With three candidates in both the special election primary on June 5 and the regular primary the following Tuesday, there is a possibility of run-offs in either or both contests, which would follow two weeks after each primary.

In addition to Crawford, who announced her candidacy several weeks ago, Richardson recently resigned his post as state Executive Committeeman from Horry County to run for the seat while Muse is a newcomer to politics.