2 weeks Ago
South Carolina might not be a top presidential battleground as Donald Trump and Kamala Harris vie for 270 electoral votes, but voters in the Palmetto State still face choices that could alter the political landscape here and even make history. Will South Carolina see a second Republican woman added to its federal delegation? Can a Democrat defy the odds in the Upstate — a conservative stronghold that’s long been hostile ground for the party — and pull off a shocking upset? Will Charleston County get a new sheriff? Will a former prosecutor defeat his former boss in the Charleston-Berkeley solicitor's race? And who will hold onto their seats in the Statehouse — and which upstarts will take their ideas to Columbia in the next legislative session that begins in January? Here are South Carolina races to watch on election night as results roll in on Nov. 5.
FAQ: How your vote gets counted in South Carolina: Safeguards, firewalls and a paper trail What toss-up? This year, congressional incumbents on the ballot are widely expected to cruise to reelection, thanks in part to redistricting. But not everyone is interested in heading back to Washington. At the beginning of the year, Upstate Republican U.
S. Rep. Jeff Duncan of Laurens announced he would not seek reelection after 14 years in Washington, an exit that attracted a bevy of GOP contenders in the state's most conservative congressional district.
Republican Sheri Biggs bested six other candidates in a crowded GOP primary that went to a runoff against MAGA pastor Mark Burns , the leader of a multi-national Christian television conglomerate in Easley whose campaign was nearly $1 million in debt . Now, Biggs is heavily favored to beat Democrat Bryon Best and Independent Michael Bedenbaugh in the state's 3rd District. If she wins, South Carolina will see another woman added to its ranks in the federal delegation.
What Nancy Mace's quiet campaign says about SC's once-competitive US House district In the Lowcountry's once-competitive 1st District , Republican U.S. Rep.
Nancy Mace faces Democrat Michael B. Moore in the heavily GOP-leaning coastal seat. If she wins by her largest margin of victory ever, she will partly owe a nod of gratitude to her former colleagues in the state Legislature who redrew the map to shore up a Republican advantage , and to the conservative-majority U.
S. Supreme Court that allowed the state to keep its lines after a lower court said the map discriminated against Black Charleston voters . All 170 seats in the state Legislature are on the ballot this year — 124 in the House and 46 in the Senate — setting the stage for pivotal contests that could shape the future of the Palmetto State.
But in deep-red South Carolina, where state lawmakers draw the political boundaries for their own legislative districts and congressional maps after each decennial census, the June GOP primary is often the decisive contest. Now, more than half of these races are already decided: Filings show 19 of the 46 Senate seats are uncontested, along with 70 of those 124 in the House. This year, Democrats are on offense in the House, trying to expand their influence where they can, and playing defense in the Senate to hold onto the seats they have.
Here are the key races: State House Democrats this year hope that enthusiasm for the presidential race will translate to gains down ballot. It will still be an uphill climb: Democrats hold just 35 seats compared to Republicans, who represent 87 seats. (There are two vacancies.
) In an interview earlier this year, state Democratic Party Executive Director Jay Parmley told The Post and Courier he believes the party could actually gain some seats in the Legislature if they manage to match or exceed the turnout they saw for President Joe Biden in 2020. Most of the action will take place in the Lowcountry. House District 115 After a narrow 1.
6 percent victory in 2020, incumbent Folly Beach Democratic Rep. Spencer Wetmore will be competing in a redrawn (and geographically larger) district, which census data shows to be the most competitive district in the state. She faces a challenge from Republican Warren Sloane, who in 2010 ran unsuccessfully for mayor of James Island.
Today's Top Headlines Story continues below This North Charleston hotel won't cater to travelers anymore. It will soon be home to veterans. Why is International Paper closing its Georgetown mill? Here's what the CEO said.
Blastoff! Rocket Sanders torches No. 10 Texas A&M as Gamecocks roll to upset Clemson's control of ACC destiny slips away in loss to Louisville FBI searches home of Myrtle Beach pastor JP Miller. Attorney doesn't know why.
Pilot error caused missing F-35 jet and ejection over North Charleston, investigation finds A King Street bar manager survived 'an unspeakable episode' of assault at work, lawsuit alleges Prime Steakhouse's founder has stepped away from ownership of popular Aiken restaurant Death row inmate Richard Moore executed by lethal injection in South Carolina A pecan festival was a big bet for this small SC town. After 20 years, has it paid off? House District 116 Drama took center stage in the battle to represent the western part of Charleston County. The race between Democrat Charlie Murray and Republican James Teeple has been marred by multiple ethics allegations, a lawsuit targeting a family member of an opponent, and a troubling video that surfaced of a candidate threatening a parent during a 2022 school bus incident.
The down-ballot battle for the open Statehouse seat Nov. 5 is among the biggest political showdowns in South Carolina this year. Republicans are eager to hold onto the seat they won two years ago when Johns Island Republican Matt Leber narrowly defeated Hollywood Democrat Chardale Murray, the first Black woman ever elected to the post and Charlie Murray's sister.
(Leber is now running for a state Senate seat.) Democrats see this seat as one of their best pick-up opportunities. Heather Bauer was a rare bright spot for Dems in '22.
Can she survive a rematch with Kirkman Finlay? House District 75 Over the past decade, this Richland County seat has been the rare competitive seat where political gerrymandering hasn't taken hold. In 2012, 2020 and 2022 the margin of victory of the winner was determined by fewer than 300 votes. This year, it's a rematch between former Republican state Rep.
Kirkman Finlay and current Democratic Rep. Heather Bauer. In 2022, the dominant issue was abortion.
This go-round, issues with management of the local school district, Richland One, and state's education system have been a dominant focus for both candidates. The district — a compact, urban area covering several young and affluent neighborhoods in downtown Columbia — could be another nail-biter. State Senate Senate District 26 There are a handful of Senate seats that will be competitive on election night, primarily in the Midlands.
But among them, the Senate District 26 race between Democrat Russell Ott and Republican Jason Guerry will be among the evening's most-scrutinized. Ott, who has served in the House of Representatives since taking over for his father, former House Minority Leader Harry Ott, in 2013, is one of the strongest candidates Democrats have. He proved his acumen for winning tough races in a vicious primary with former state Democratic Party chairman and Alex Murdaugh lawyer Dick Harpootlian.
It's a competitive district so Guerry is likely to see strong support from deep-red Lexington County and the rural parts of the district. Senate District 41 On paper, the western Charleston County-centered Senate District 41 is not expected to be competitive. Census data show Republicans are favored here by about a dozen points.
But the big question here may not be whether the Republican wins, it's by how much. Republican Matt Leber earned a narrow win over the more moderate incumbent, Sandy Senn, in one of the state's most bitterly fought primary races in June partly over their views on abortion. His opponent, Democrat Rita Adkins, has avoided attacking Leber in the final weeks of the election so it remains to be seen whether Senn's opposition from the primary hamper Leber on Tuesday night.
Voters will also get to weigh in on various county-level elections around the state, including county council races and courthouse offices like sheriff, solicitor, clerk of court, probate judge and coroner. In Charleston County, the sheriff’s race is the most closely watched contest and has the potential to be one of the most competitive races on the ballot. Sheriff Kristin Graziano , who stunned many in 2020 when she became the first Democrat sheriff elected here in 32 years and the first openly gay female sheriff ever elected in South Carolina, is squaring off against former Mount Pleasant Chief Carl Ritchie , a Republican whose campaign has focused on his more than three decades of local law enforcement experience.
Charleston County Sheriff Graziano and challenger Carl Ritchie disagree on 'almost everything' Dorchester County also has a closely watched sheriff's race with the potential to make history. If elected, Republican Sam Richardson, who has the support of Attorney General Alan Wilson, would be the only Black Republican sheriff in South Carolina. For more information on your local races and to confirm your ballot choices and voter registration, visit scvotes.
gov , the website for the S.C. State Election Commission.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.
m. Reporter Nick Reynolds contributed to this report from Columbia, S.C.
.
