Mallory Dittmer

Mallory Dittmer is the Democratic nominee for South Carolina's open 5th District seat. A resident of Fort Mill, she worked 15 years in the fashion industry before becoming a business owner, political advocate and founding organizer of a nonpartisan public-education group. According to her campaign materials, she is running on cost of living and bipartisan problem-solving.[1][2][3]

Dittmer says she was born and raised in the Midwest, splitting time between her mother's home in a Chicago suburb and her father's family farm in southern Indiana. She describes a career of about 15 years in the fashion and retail industry, rising to vice president at age 33 and working with brands including Kate Spade and Coach. After the fashion industry she became a small business owner, according to ABC News 4.[2][3] She moved with her husband, Drew, a public school teacher, to Fort Mill, SC, in 2020; they have two children, according to her campaign website.[2]

Dittmer is a founding organizer of Community Advocates for Public Education York County, a nonpartisan group supporting public education; in 2024 she managed and supported several local campaigns, helping candidates win seven of nine races, according to ABC News 4 reporting on her campaign announcement.[3] She announced her candidacy on September 29, 2025, and WRHI reported on her campaign launch on October 4, 2025. According to WRHI, she opposed the proposed mid-decade congressional redistricting in South Carolina.[3][5][4] Dittmer won the June 9, 2026, Democratic primary over Andrew Clough, and faces Republican state Sen. Wes Climer in the November general election.[4]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.