UPSTATE—With Rex Rice seeking a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, the door is open for his former seat representing District 26 in the S.C. House.

Erik Bikas and Henry Wilson will face each other in the June 8 Republican primary.

The winner will face Judy Gilstrap of Greenville in November for the District 26 seat.

Bikas owns Aunt Sue’s Restaurant in Pickens County and Bikas Drive-In in Greenville.

He is an Easley High School graduate who also attended East End Elementary and Gettys Middle School.

Bikas supports restructuring South Carolina’s government, including the tax code, and reducing the size and spending of the state government.

He would like to see the state give more careful consideration to deals that bring big name industries to the area no matter what the cost.

Wilson is a native of Easley who currently lives on a family farm in Dacusville. He is married to Amy Finley Wilson, and they have two children — Hannah, 12, and Weston, 6.

He has owned and operated a small greenhouse business, and has been a senior engineer for an international company.

A Navy veteran, he is a member of American Legion Post 11.

He coaches the Dacusville Middle School Robotics team and volunteers for Meals on Wheels, Country Santa and the Goodfellows Club.

Wilson’s platform includes getting more of the money spent on schools into the classrooms, developing clean new sources of energy and protecting second amendment rights.