South Carolina 2012 legislative election results

The tabs below contain analysis of election results in the 2012 legislative elections for South Carolina.

• Senate
• House
• National Partisan Trends

2012 Legislative Election Results
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Other 2012 Election information
State legislative elections • State legislative election results • Statewide elections, 2012 • State Senate elections • State House elections

South Carolina State Senate Election Results

This page contains macro-level election results and analysis for the South Carolina State Senate 2012 elections. For results in individual contests see our South Carolina State Senate elections, 2012 page. The following is a breakdown of the state senate before and after the election:

South Carolina State Senate
Party		As of November 5, 2012	After the 2012 Election
	Democratic Party	19	18
	Republican Party	27	28
Total		46	46

What You'll See on This Page

This page will display the following lists of candidates

• Incumbents running on November 6
• Defeated incumbents
• Challengers who defeated an incumbent
• Newly elected senators
• List of all winners
• Unopposed candidates
• Third party candidates

State Senate Overview:

• A total of 46 of the state's Senate seats were up for election in 2012.

Incumbents

Incumbents running in November 6

The following is a list of all of the incumbents running on the November 6 general election ballot:

1. Brad Hutto
2. Clementa Pinckney
3. Creighton Coleman
4. Daniel Verdin
5. Darrell Jackson
6. Floyd Nicholson
7. George Campsen
8. Gerald Malloy
9. Glenn Reese
10. Greg Gregory
11. Harvey Peeler
12. Hugh Leatherman
13. Joel Lourie
14. John Courson
15. John Knotts
16. John Matthews
17. John McGill
18. John Scott
19. Kent Williams, South Carolina Senator
20. Kevin Bryant
21. Larry Martin
22. Lawrence Grooms
23. Lee Bright
24. Luke Rankin
25. Michael Fair
26. Nikki Setzler
27. Paul Campbell
28. Raymond Cleary
29. Robert Ford
30. Ronnie Cromer
31. Shane Martin
32. Shane Massey
33. Thomas Alexander
34. Tom Davis (South Carolina)
35. Vincent Sheheen
36. Wes Hayes
37. William O'Dell

Incumbents defeated

The followings is a list of incumbents defeated in 2012:

General election

Candidate	Party	District
John Knotts	Republican	South Carolina State Senate District 23

Primary election

Candidate	Party	District
David Thomas (South Carolina)	Republican	South Carolina State Senate District 8
Mike Rose (South Carolina)	Republican	South Carolina State Senate District 38

Challengers who beat an incumbent

The following is a list of challengers who defeated an incumbent in 2012:

General election

Candidate	Party	District
Karl Allen	Democratic	South Carolina State Senate District 7
Katrina Shealy	Republican	South Carolina State Senate District 23
Ross Turner	Republican	South Carolina State Senate District 8
Sean Bennett	Republican	South Carolina State Senate District 38

Primary election

Results will display after the election on November 6.

New State Senators and General Election Winners

Newly elected senators

The following list will display the newly-elected members of the South Carolina State Senate:

Democratic

1. Karl Allen
2. Thomas McElveen

Republican

1. Greg Hembree
2. Katrina Shealy
3. Paul Thurmond
4. Ross Turner
5. Sean Bennett
6. Tom Young

Open Seat Winners

The following will display a list of candidates who won election in seats where no incumbent was running:

Democratic

1. Thomas McElveen

Republican

1. Greg Hembree
2. Paul Thurmond
3. Tom Young

Candidates who won election

The following will be a list of all candidates elected to the South Carolina State Senate:

Democratic

1. Brad Hutto
2. Clementa Pinckney
3. Creighton Coleman
4. Darrell Jackson
5. Floyd Nicholson
6. Gerald Malloy
7. Glenn Reese
8. Joel Lourie
9. John Matthews
10. John McGill
11. John Scott
12. Karl Allen
13. Kent Williams, South Carolina Senator
14. Nikki Setzler
15. Robert Ford
16. Thomas McElveen
17. Vincent Sheheen

Republican

1. Daniel Verdin
2. George Campsen
3. Greg Gregory
4. Greg Hembree
5. Harvey Peeler
6. Hugh Leatherman
7. John Courson
8. Katrina Shealy
9. Kevin Bryant
10. Larry Martin
11. Lawrence Grooms
12. Lee Bright
13. Luke Rankin
14. Michael Fair
15. Paul Campbell
16. Paul Thurmond
17. Raymond Cleary
18. Ronnie Cromer
19. Ross Turner
20. Sean Bennett
21. Shane Martin
22. Shane Massey
23. Thomas Alexander
24. Tom Davis (South Carolina)
25. Tom Young
26. Wes Hayes
27. William O'Dell

Competitiveness

Unopposed candidates in general election

The following candidates will not face major party competition:

Democratic

1. Brad Hutto
2. Darrell Jackson
3. Gerald Malloy
4. Glenn Reese
5. Joel Lourie
6. John Matthews
7. John Scott
8. Kent Williams, South Carolina Senator
9. Paul Tinkler
10. Robert Ford
11. Vincent Sheheen

Republican

1. Daniel Verdin
2. George Campsen
3. Greg Gregory
4. Harvey Peeler
5. Hugh Leatherman
6. Jane Kizer
7. John Knotts
8. Kevin Bryant
9. Larry Martin
10. Lawrence Grooms
11. Luke Rankin
12. Michael Fair
13. Paul Campbell
14. Raymond Cleary
15. Ronnie Cromer
16. Ross Turner
17. Sean Bennett
18. Shane Martin
19. Shane Massey
20. Thomas Alexander
21. Tom Davis (South Carolina)
22. Tom Young
23. Wes Hayes
24. William O'Dell

Ballot Access

Third party candidates

The following is a list of third party and independent candidates who are running in 2012:

1. David R. Whetsell
2. Joe Thompson
3. Scott West
4. Shaun Kent

2012 Legislative Election Results
State-by-State Analysis
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Other 2012 Election information
State legislative elections • State legislative election results • Statewide elections, 2012 • State Senate elections • State House elections

South Carolina State House Election Results

This page contains macro-level election results and analysis for the South Carolina House of Representatives elections in 2012. For results in individual contests, see our South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2012. The following is a breakdown of the state house before and after the election:

South Carolina House of Representatives
Party		As of November 5, 2012	After the 2012 Election
	Democratic Party	46	46
	Republican Party	76	76
Total		124	124

What You'll See on This Page

This page will display the following lists of candidates

• Incumbents running on November 6
• Defeated incumbents
• Challengers who defeated an incumbent
• Newly elected representatives
• List of all winners
• Unopposed candidates
• Third party candidates

State House Overview

• All XHOUSEX of the state's House seats were up for election in 2012.

Incumbency Analysis

Incumbents who ran on November 6

The following is a list of all of the incumbents who are running on the November 6 general election ballot:

1. Alan Clemmons
2. Andy Patrick
3. Anne Thayer
4. B.R. Skelton
5. Bakari Sellers
6. Bill Chumley
7. Bill Crosby
8. Bill Herbkersman
9. Bill Hixon
10. Bill Sandifer, III
11. Bill Whitmire
12. Bobby Harrell, Jr.
13. Brian White
14. Bruce Bannister
15. Carl Anderson
16. Chandra Dillard
17. Chip Huggins
18. Chris Murphy (South Carolina)
19. Christopher Hart
20. Dan Hamilton
21. Davey Hiott
22. David Mack
23. Deborah Long
24. Dennis Moss
25. Derham Cole, Jr.
26. Don Bowen
27. Doug Brannon
28. Dwight Loftis
29. Eddie Tallon
30. Edward Southard
31. Elizabeth Munnerlyn
32. Eric Bedingfield
33. Francis Delleney, Jr.
34. Garry Smith, South Carolina Representative
35. Gary Simrill
36. George Smith, Jr.
37. Gilda Cobb-Hunter
38. Grady Brown
39. Harold Mitchell, Jr.
40. Harry Limehouse
41. Harry Ott, Jr.
42. J. David Weeks
43. Jackie Hayes
44. Jackson Whipper
45. James Lucas
46. James Merrill
47. James Rutherford
48. James Smith, Jr.
49. James Smith (South Carolina)
50. Jenny Horne
51. Jerry Govan, Jr.
52. Jimmy Bales
53. Joan Brady
54. John King (South Carolina)
55. Joseph Daning
56. Joseph Jefferson, Jr.
57. Joseph McEachern
58. Joseph Neal
59. Joshua Putnam
60. Julia Parks
61. Kenneth Bingham
62. Kenneth Hodges
63. Kristopher Crawford
64. Laurie Funderburk
65. Lawrence Kit Spires
66. Leon Howard
67. Leonidas Stavrinakis
68. Lester Branham, Jr.
69. Liston Barfield
70. Lonnie Hosey
71. Mark Willis
72. McLain Toole
73. Merita Ann Allison
74. Mia Butler Garrick
75. Michael Anthony
76. Michael Gambrell
77. Michael Pitts
78. Mike Forrester
79. Mike Sottile
80. Nathan Ballentine
81. Nelson Hardwick
82. Patsy Knight
83. Peter McCoy
84. Phillip Lowe
85. Phillip Owens
86. Phyllis Henderson
87. Ralph W. Norman
88. Rick Quinn
89. Robert Brown, South Carolina Representative
90. Robert Williams, South Carolina Representative
91. Ronnie Sabb
92. Shannon Erickson
93. Steve Moss
94. Ted Vick
95. Terry Alexander
96. Todd Atwater
97. Tom Corbin
98. Tommy Pope
99. Tommy Stringer
100. Tracy Edge
101. Walton McLeod
102. Wendell Gilliard
103. Wendy Nanney
104. William Bowers
105. William Clyburn, Sr.
106. William Taylor

Incumbents defeated

The followings will display a a list of incumbents defeated in 2012:

General election

Results will display after the election on November 6.

Primary election

Candidate	Party	District
B.R. Skelton	Republican	South Carolina House District 3
Curtis Brantley	Democratic	South Carolina House District 122
Denny Neilson	Democratic	South Carolina House District 56
Steve Parker	Republican	South Carolina House District 37

Challengers who beat an incumbent

The following will display a list of challengers who defeated an incumbent in 2012:

General election

Candidate	Party	District
Beth Bernstein	Democratic	South Carolina House of Representatives District 78
Craig Gagnon	Republican	South Carolina House of Representatives District 11
Don Wells (South Carolina)	Republican	South Carolina House of Representatives District 81
Donna Wood	Republican	South Carolina House of Representatives District 37
Mandy Powers Norrell	Democratic	South Carolina House of Representatives District 44
Stephen Goldfinch, Jr.	Republican	South Carolina House of Representatives District 108

Primary election

No candidates have been added to this category yet.

New Representatives and General Election Winners

Newly elected representatives

The following will list the newly-elected members of the South Carolina House of Representatives:

Democratic

1. Beth Bernstein
2. J. Wayne George
3. Leola Robinson-Simpson
4. Mandy Powers Norrell
5. MaryGail Douglas
6. Robert L. Ridgeway, III

Republican

1. Craig Gagnon
2. Don Wells (South Carolina)
3. Donna Wood
4. Heather Ammons Crawford
5. Kevin J. Hardee
6. Kirkman Finley, III
7. Mike Ryhal
8. R. Raye Felder
9. Ralph Shealy Kennedy
10. Robert Shannon Riley
11. Samuel Rivers, Jr.
12. Stephen Goldfinch, Jr.
13. Weston Newton

Open Seat Winners

The following will list candidates who won election in seats where no incumbent was running:

Democratic

1. J. Wayne George
2. Leola Robinson-Simpson
3. MaryGail Douglas
4. Robert L. Ridgeway, III

Republican

1. Heather Ammons Crawford
2. Kevin J. Hardee
3. Kirkman Finley, III
4. Mike Ryhal
5. R. Raye Felder
6. Ralph Shealy Kennedy
7. Robert Shannon Riley
8. Samuel Rivers, Jr.
9. Weston Newton

Candidates who won election

The following will list all candidates elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2012:

Democratic

1. Bakari Sellers
2. Beth Bernstein
3. Carl Anderson
4. Chandra Dillard
5. Christopher Hart
6. David Mack
7. Elizabeth Munnerlyn
8. Gilda Cobb-Hunter
9. Grady Brown
10. Harold Mitchell, Jr.
11. Harry Ott, Jr.
12. J. David Weeks
13. J. Wayne George
14. Jackie Hayes
15. Jackson Whipper
16. James Rutherford
17. James Smith, Jr.
18. Jerry Govan, Jr.
19. Jimmy Bales
20. John King (South Carolina)
21. Joseph Jefferson, Jr.
22. Joseph McEachern
23. Joseph Neal
24. Julia Parks
25. Kenneth Hodges
26. Laurie Funderburk
27. Leola Robinson-Simpson
28. Leon Howard
29. Leonidas Stavrinakis
30. Lester Branham, Jr.
31. Lonnie Hosey
32. Mandy Powers Norrell
33. MaryGail Douglas
34. Mia Butler Garrick
35. Michael Anthony
36. Patsy Knight
37. Robert Brown, South Carolina Representative
38. Robert L. Ridgeway, III
39. Robert Williams, South Carolina Representative
40. Ronnie Sabb
41. Ted Vick
42. Terry Alexander
43. Walton McLeod
44. Wendell Gilliard
45. William Bowers
46. William Clyburn, Sr.

Republican

1. Alan Clemmons
2. Andy Patrick
3. Anne Thayer
4. B.R. Skelton
5. Bill Chumley
6. Bill Crosby
7. Bill Herbkersman
8. Bill Hixon
9. Bill Sandifer, III
10. Bill Whitmire
11. Bobby Harrell, Jr.
12. Brian White
13. Bruce Bannister
14. Chip Huggins
15. Chris Murphy (South Carolina)
16. Craig Gagnon
17. Dan Hamilton
18. Davey Hiott
19. Deborah Long
20. Dennis Moss
21. Derham Cole, Jr.
22. Don Bowen
23. Don Wells (South Carolina)
24. Donna Wood
25. Doug Brannon
26. Dwight Loftis
27. Eddie Tallon
28. Edward Southard
29. Eric Bedingfield
30. Francis Delleney, Jr.
31. Garry Smith, South Carolina Representative
32. Gary Simrill
33. George Smith, Jr.
34. Harry Limehouse
35. Heather Ammons Crawford
36. James Lucas
37. James Merrill
38. James Smith (South Carolina)
39. Jenny Horne
40. Joseph Daning
41. Joshua Putnam
42. Kenneth Bingham
43. Kevin J. Hardee
44. Kirkman Finley, III
45. Kristopher Crawford
46. Lawrence Kit Spires
47. Liston Barfield
48. Mark Willis
49. McLain Toole
50. Merita Ann Allison
51. Michael Gambrell
52. Michael Pitts
53. Mike Forrester
54. Mike Ryhal
55. Mike Sottile
56. Nathan Ballentine
57. Nelson Hardwick
58. Peter McCoy
59. Phillip Lowe
60. Phillip Owens
61. Phyllis Henderson
62. R. Raye Felder
63. Ralph Shealy Kennedy
64. Ralph W. Norman
65. Rick Quinn
66. Robert Shannon Riley
67. Samuel Rivers, Jr.
68. Shannon Erickson
69. Stephen Goldfinch, Jr.
70. Steve Moss
71. Todd Atwater
72. Tom Corbin
73. Tommy Pope
74. Tommy Stringer
75. Tracy Edge
76. Wendy Nanney
77. Weston Newton
78. William Taylor

Competitiveness

Unopposed candidates in general election

The following candidates will not face major party competition:

Democratic

1. Austin Smith
2. Beth Bernstein
3. Bob Merritt
4. Christopher Hart
5. David Mack
6. Gilda Cobb-Hunter
7. Grady Brown
8. Harry Ott, Jr.
9. J. David Weeks
10. J. Wayne George
11. Jackie Hayes
12. Jackson Whipper
13. James Rutherford
14. James Smith, Jr.
15. Jerry Govan, Jr.
16. Jimmy Bales
17. John King (South Carolina)
18. Jonathan C. Hill
19. Joseph Neal
20. Julia Parks
21. Kenneth Hodges
22. Lester Branham, Jr.
23. Marian Redish
24. Michael Anthony
25. Renita Barksdale
26. Robert Brown, South Carolina Representative
27. Robert Vanlue
28. Ronnie Sabb
29. Ted Vick
30. Terry Alexander
31. Walid Hakim
32. Walton McLeod
33. William Bowers
34. William Clyburn, Sr.

Republican

1. Alan Clemmons
2. Andy Patrick
3. Anne Thayer
4. B.R. Skelton
5. Bill Crosby
6. Bill Herbkersman
7. Bill Hixon
8. Bobby Harrell, Jr.
9. Brian White
10. Bruce Bannister
11. Chip Huggins
12. Chris Murphy (South Carolina)
13. Chuck Hill
14. Deborah Long
15. Dennis Moss
16. Derham Cole, Jr.
17. Doug Brannon
18. Dwight Loftis
19. Eddie Tallon
20. Eric Bedingfield
21. Eric Fry
22. Francis Delleney, Jr.
23. Gary Simrill
24. George Smith, Jr.
25. James Lucas
26. James Merrill
27. James Smith (South Carolina)
28. Jenny Horne
29. Joseph Daning
30. Kenneth Bingham
31. Lawrence Kit Spires
32. Mark Willis
33. Michael Gambrell
34. Mike Sottile
35. Nathan Ballentine
36. Nelson Hardwick
37. Peter McCoy
38. Phillip Lowe
39. Phyllis Henderson
40. R. Raye Felder
41. Ralph W. Norman
42. Shannon Erickson
43. Stephen Goldfinch, Jr.
44. Steve Moss
45. Todd Atwater
46. Tom Corbin
47. Tommy Pope
48. Tommy Stringer
49. Will Freeman
50. William Taylor

Ballot Access

Third party candidates

The following is a list of third party and independent candidates running in 2012:

1. Jeremy C. Walters
2. Jim McMillan
3. John Steinberger
4. Larry Carter Center

2012 Legislative Election Results
State-by-State Analysis
Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Maine Massachusetts • Michigan• Minnesota • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming
Other 2012 Election information
State legislative elections • State legislative election results • Statewide elections, 2012 • State Senate elections • State House elections

National Partisan Trends

The following tables will detail the partisan breakdown of national election results.

Incumbents who were defeated in the general election

In the 44 states with elections, there were 4,534 incumbents who ran in the general election. The following is a breakdown of incumbent defeats in the 2012 general election:

Incumbents defeated in 2012 legislative general election
Party	Senate	House	Total
Democratic	21	49	70
Republican	37	182	219
Third Party	2	3	5
TOTALS	60	234	294

Total new legislators elected

In total, 1,707 (28.4%) new legislators were elected in 2012. Of these 1,707, 849 (50.0%) were Republicans and 854 (50.0%) were Democrats.

The following is the breakdown of new legislators.

New Legislators after the 2012 legislative elections
Party	Senate	House	Total
Democratic	165	684	849
Republican	202	652	854
Independent	0	4	4
TOTALS	367	1,340	1,707

Winners of Open Seats

Open seats contests made up 705 (11.7%) of the 6,015 seats in 2012. Of these 705 open seats, Republicans won 401 (56.9%) while Democrats won 304 (43.1%). Going into the election, the number of open seats formerly held by each party was quite similar. Estimates prior to the election suggested that approximately 52% of the open seats were previously held by Republicans and 48% were held by Democrats.

The following is the breakdown of open seat winners.

Open Seat Winners in 2012 legislative elections
Party	Senate	House	Total
Democratic	82	220	302
Republican	105	296	401
Third Party	0	0	0
TOTALS	187	516	703

Impact on legislative majorities

See also: Partisan balance of state legislatures

Partisan Balance of Chambers with 2012 Elections
	Pre-election				Post-election
Legislative chamber
State senates	17	24	1	1	18	24	0	1
State houses	15	27	1	0	19	24	0	0
Totals:	32	51	2	1	37	48	0	1

Partisan Balance of All 99 Chambers Before and After 2012 Elections
	Pre-election				Post-election
Legislative chamber
State senates	19	28	2	1	20	28	1	1
State houses	17	31	1	0	21	28	0	0
Totals:	35	60	3	1	41	56	1	1