Courtney McClain

Courtney McClain (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent South Carolina's 4th Congressional District. She declared candidacy for the 2026 election.^[source]

McClain completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Courtney McClain was born in South Carolina. She graduated from Spartanburg High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of South Carolina, Columbia in 2023 and a graduate degree from Howard University. Her career experience includes working as an activist. She has been affiliated with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.^[1]

Elections

2026

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for U.S. House South Carolina District 4

Incumbent William Timmons and Courtney McClain are running in the general election for U.S. House South Carolina District 4 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		William Timmons (R)
		Courtney McClain (D)

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

Courtney McClain completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McClain's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Courtney McClain is a nationally acclaimed civil rights advocate in South Carolina. She completed her bachelor's degree at the University of South Carolina in 2023 and her master's from Howard University in 2025. She has received training from the Clyburn Fellow Program, Emerge South Carolina Candidate Program, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Non-Violent Social Change. She has worked in Washington D.C. with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and Congressional Black Caucus Institute as an intern and fellow. She has lobby experience, speaking in both the South Carolina House of Representatives and Senate on issues of education, women's reproductive freedom, gun violence, voting rights, and criminal justice reform. She is the youngest and first Black woman to run for SC's fourth congressional district.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Tackling the Housing Crisis
Protecting and Expanding Healthcare Access
Fully Funding Public Education

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Voting rights, education, criminal justice reform, affordable housing, and healthcare

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress. Her boldness, integrity, and trailblazing leadership continue to inspire me. I hope to walk through the door she opened, carrying the legacy of “firsts” forward, and bringing that spirit of progress and possibility to South Carolina.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

As someone who has been a committed advocate since the age of 19, I believe the most essential qualities in an elected official are a deep understanding of the community they serve and an unwavering commitment to show up, especially in difficult times. Building genuine relationships through transparency and delivering on promises is not only key to effective leadership but also critical to fostering a more unified and less divisive democracy.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I hope to leave a lasting legacy of meaningful impact — one that opens doors for the next generation of leaders in politics.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The first historical event I remember was the election of President Barack Obama. I was in third grade at the time, and I vividly recall the excitement and hope my parents felt for the future. While I didn’t fully understand the profound significance of that moment at the time, I knew that something extraordinary had happened in our country.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Any book by Toni Morrison because of her unique tone and voice that transcends generations.

What is an accomplishment that you are proud of?

Running for Congress.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Courtney McClain campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2026*	U.S. House South Carolina District 4	Candidacy Declared general	$0	N/A**
Grand total			$0	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission *This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

U.S. House South Carolina District 4

Personal

Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 20, 2025

[show]

South Carolina's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Lindsey Graham (R)

Tim Scott (R)

Representatives

District 1

Nancy Mace (R)

District 2

Joe Wilson (R)

District 3

Sheri Biggs (R)

District 4

William Timmons (R)

District 5

Ralph Norman (R)

District 6

James Clyburn (D)

District 7

Russell Fry (R)

Republican Party (8)

Democratic Party (1)

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 20, 2025

[1]

	v • e State of South Carolina Columbia (capital)
Elections	What's on my ballot? \| Elections in 2025 \| How to vote \| How to run for office \| Ballot measures
Government	Who represents me? \| U.S. President \| U.S. Congress \| Federal courts \| State executives \| State legislature \| State and local courts \| Counties \| Cities \| School districts \| Public policy

Courtney McClain

Contents

Biography

Elections

2026

General election

General election for U.S. House South Carolina District 4

Endorsements

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

Campaign finance summary

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

Election analysis

Trending

Public Policy

Information for candidates

Get Engaged

Services

Additional analysis

SITE NAVIGATION