Felder seeking House 93 seat; St. Matthews attorney is son of former rep.

The son of a former longtime representative who held the same seat, Felder will emphasize his longtime connections to the community in his campaign.

Felder is a St. Matthews resident and an attorney at McGowan, Hood, Felder, and Phillips, LLC in Columbia.

He decided to run for the seat after current House 93 Rep. Russell Ott, D-St. Matthews, decided not to seek reelection this year, he said. Ott is instead campaigning for the Senate 26 seat being vacated by Nikki Setzler, D-West Columbia.

“Once the opportunity presented itself, I saw this as an opportunity to take advantage of my life experiences and some of the things that I think are strengths to try and help our district continue to push forward,” Felder said.

Despite being involved in the community for most of his life, this campaign is Felder’s first foray into politics.

“I don’t know exactly what to expect,” he said. “I’m learning something new every day. I’m enjoying it. It’s given me an opportunity to connect with people and understand what is important to them.”

Felder is working to meet with constituents to hear their concerns and shape his vision for the seat if elected, he said.

If elected, he hopes to bring economic development and infrastructure improvements to the district, as well as address education and housing concerns, he said.

“I would like to see more young people coming home with a bright future right here in District 93 instead of moving away and staying somewhere else,” he said.

Felder’s father, John Felder, represented District 93 for two decades as a Democrat before switching parties ahead of the 1998 election. The elder Felder lost that election to Harry Ott, who went on to hold the seat until 2013. Ott’s son Russell Ott has held the seat since then.

The younger Felder will draw from watching his father’s service in the seat, he said.

“I just saw the passion and the diligence with which he tried to help and advocate for the people in his district,” Felder said of his father. “Whatever he took on, the passion I saw him exhibit, how important it was for him to try to help and protect and advocate for the people of this district – that’s what I remember the most.”

Former House District 95 Rep. Jerry Govan has announced he will also be seeking the District 93 nomination. Govan left the House after 30 years in 2022 for an unsuccessful bid for state superintendent of education, after his original district was redrawn.

Rep. Ott declined to comment on any of the Democratic House 93 candidates, saying he is focusing on his own race. He did say he will support the eventual nominee in the hopes the seat will continue to have a Democratic representative.

Felder said he respects Ott’s work in the House and would not have run against him if he were seeking re-election.

“I would like to build off what Russell and others, including my father, have done to move the district forward,” he said.

Felder is married with six children. He has served on the boards of the South Carolina Association for Justice and the Palmetto Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, also serving as president of the latter.

He has also served as a counselor for Palmetto Boys State and a basketball coach at Calhoun Academy and at area camps.