Rick Shirley has won another term as superintendent of schools in Sumter County.
Shirley, who already has been in office for two decades, survived not one, but two challengers from within his own ranks.
Shirley easily outdistanced Wildwood Elementary Principal John Temple in the Republican Primary earlier this year.
Then Shirley faced a No Party Affiliation challenge from South Sumter High School Principal Preston Morgan. Early in the campaign, Morgan had contributed $500 to Shirley’s campaign coffers. He later claimed he had been pressured to do so to hang onto his job.
Shirley collected a total of 48,913 votes to Morgan’s 20,290 votes.
