Three Republicans and a Democrat will compete for the South Carolina Senate District 6 seat that William Timmons relinquished when he was elected to Congress.

Two of the Republican hopefuls — Greenville City Councilwoman Amy Ryberg Doyle and longtime state Rep. Dwight Loftis — submitted their paperwork to run on the first day of the 10-day candidate filing period.

The third GOP candidate, Greenville businessman Jeffrey Stringer, turned in his candidate papers less than two hours before Saturday's noon deadline. Stringer, the nephew of state Rep. Tommy Stringer, is seeking elected office for the first time.

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The Republican primary for the Senate District 6 will be held Jan. 22. A runoff, if needed, will take place on Feb. 5.

The GOP nominee will face Democrat Tina Belge in a March 26 special election. Belge, a long-range planner for Greenville County, is making her first run for public office.

Doyle, who has served on Greenville City Council since 2007, and Loftis, who has held his seat in the state House of Representatives since 1996, have already filed their initial campaign finance reports with the state Ethics Commission.

Doyle borrowed $100,000 for her campaign last month from TD Bank in downtown Greenville, according to her report. The five-year loan has a fixed interest rate of 5.24 percent. She also reported $22,500 in campaign contributions, including $1,000 donations from her father, former state Sen. Greg Ryberg, and current GOP state Sen. Chauncey Gregory.

Loftis made a personal loan of $5,000 to his campaign on Nov. 28, according to his report. He also has received $1,500 in campaign contributions.

Doyle and Loftis could not be reached for comment Monday.

Jeffrey Stringer said he has worked for Tommy Stringer's retirement-plan administration company, Stringer Resource Group, since 2004. Before that, he worked with political consultant Richard Quinn's company in Columbia. His wife, Elise, is pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Greer, and they have two sons who attend elementary school.

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Timmons resigned after serving less than half of his four-year term in Senate District 6 when he was elected in November to replace U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy in South Carolina's 4th Congressional District.

Senate District 6 covers the east-central part of Greenville County.

Follow Kirk Brown on Twitter @KirkBrown_AIM and email him at kirk.brown@independentmail.com