Element Electronics wins tariff exclusion, won't close plant.

Television manufacturer Element Electronics has won its appeal to be removed from a tariffs list and says it will not have to close its Winnsboro plant.

Sen. Mike Fanning, D-Great Falls, was part of an ongoing S.C. legislative effort to persuade President Donald Trump to exempt components made at the Winnsboro facility.

Fanning said S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster's office played a major role in securing the exemption, as did Mick Mulvaney, a former state legislator and current director of the federalOffice of Management and Budget.

"We had people near the president," Fanning said. "We just told our story and stayed united. We didn't get caught up in the politics of the tariff. We focused on our plan and stayed in communication with each other."

In August, the plant said being included on the tariff list would force it to close its doors. The Fairfield County plant's 134 permanent employees were given a 60-day notice, and the company said layoffs would begin Oct. 5.

On Tuesday, Element took to Twitter to share news of the exemption.

"Great news!" the tweet said. "Element's TV components have been removed from the recent tariffs list. Our South Carolina factory will remain open."

Last July, Fairfield County lost more than 5,000jobsafter the abandonment of a project, co-owned byS.C. Electric & GasandSantee Cooper,to build twin nuclear reactors at the V.C. Summer nuclear station. That same month, the closure of...