Notable South Carolina races, 2016
 |
Presidential • U.S. Senate • U.S. House • State Senate • State House • Local judges • State ballot measures • School boards • Candidate ballot access |
 |
| Notable South Carolina Races | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Primary | June 14, 2016 |
| General | November 8, 2016 |
| 2016 Notable Races | |
|---|---|
| Choose a state below: | |
Ballotpedia identified 10 notable South Carolina state legislative races in 2016.
Overview
- Main articles: South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2016 and South Carolina State Senate elections, 2016
Heading into the general election, South Carolina was one of 23 Republican state government trifectas.
Gov. Nikki Haley (R) targeted South Carolina Senate Majority Leader Hugh Leatherman (R) in the Republican primary contest, backing Leatherman's challenger Richard Skipper (R). Haley was ultimately unsuccessful as Leatherman received 54 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff election. State Sen. Luke Rankin (R) was also targeted by Haley, but Rankin won his primary contest. Haley was, however, successful in ousting state Sen. Wes Hayes (R), who had been a legislator since 1985.[1]
State legislature remained Republican
All 124 seats in the South Carolina House of Representatives and all 46 seats in the South Carolina State Senate were up for election in 2016. The chamber remained Republican after 2016 given the Republicans' commanding majorities in both chambers. Democrats had to pick up 17 House seats and six Senate seats to gain the majority.
| Partisan breakdown of the South Carolina Legislature | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Republicans | Democrats | Vacancy | |
| South Carolina House | 77 seats | 46 seats | 1 seat | |
| South Carolina Senate | 28 seats | 18 seats | - | |
What makes a race notable?
Ballotpedia uses these criteria to identify notable races:
- Incumbents facing more conservative or liberal challengers
- Rematches between candidates
- Races that receive considerable media attention
- Races that could significantly affect the state's partisan balance
- Competitive races involving party leaders
- Open, competitive races with Republican and Democratic primaries
- Races that capture money and attention from outside groups, including key endorsements
Know of an interesting race we should include here? Email us!
Notable primary elections
State Senate District 4
- District 4 featured a candidate rematch between two Republicans.
Incumbent state Sen. Michael Gambrell (R) ran for re-election. He defeated Rockey Burgess (R) in the Republican primary contest. No Democrat filed to run.
Gambrell and Burgess ran in a special Republican primary held on March 22, 2016, with three other candidates for the vacant District 4 seat following the late state Rep. William O'Dell's (R) death on January 7, 2016. Gambrell and Burgess were the top two vote-getters at 46 percent and 32 percent, respectively, and advanced to a primary runoff on April 5, 2016, in which Gambrell received 58 percent of the vote and Burgess 42 percent. Gambrell was elected to the chamber in a special election on May 17, 2016.
State Senate District 7
- District 7 featured a candidate rematch between two Democrats.
Incumbent state Sen. Karl Allen (D) ran for re-election. He defeated Lillian Brock Flemming (D) in the Democratic primary contest. Glen Robinson (R) was unopposed in the Republican primary.
Allen defeated Flemming in the 2014 Democratic primary contest by a margin of 55 percent to 45 percent.
State Senate District 12
- The Republican incumbent was targeted by a notable business group.
Incumbent state Sen. Lee Bright (R) ran for re-election. Bright was defeated in the Republican runoff primary by former state Rep. Scott Talley (R). David McCraw (R) and Lisa Scott (R) were also candidates in the primary. No Democrat filed to run. Talley was unopposed in the November general election.
Bright, a conservative Republican, was targeted by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce for his vote against a farm aid bill and for his bill to prohibit transgender bathroom access. Bright responded that the group does not represent conservative principles.[2]
Bright introduced Senate Bill 1203, which would require individuals to use bathrooms that match their biological sex rather than their gender identity. The bill would also prohibit localities from passing ordinances that allow transgender individuals to use bathrooms that match their gender identity. Bright said the bill is meant to protect private businesses from these ordinances. "It will keep cities and counties from being able to force business owners to make accommodations for folks and allowing men to use the women's restroom just because they have gender identity issues," said Bright.[3]
Bright's primary opponents criticized Bright's support for the bill. "The transgender bathroom ordinance being pushed by special interests has no place in South Carolina. ... While I agree with Senator Bright in opposing a transgender bathroom ordinance, his proposed law is redundant and unnecessary," said Talley.[3]
Scott said the bill could "jeopardize economic development in South Carolina" and that Bright introduced the bill to "grab headlines, because he has done nothing in the Senate." McCraw said, "I do not believe the bill is needed here in South Carolina" and agreed with the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce , which said that the legislation would "create a political crisis that doesn't exist."[3]
State Senate District 25
- The Republican incumbent faced his would-be 2012 primary challenger.
Incumbent state Sen. Shane Massey (R) ran for re-election. He defeated former state Rep. John Pettigrew (R) in the Republican primary contest. No Democrat filed to run for election.
According to a columnist at the Aiken Standard, a South Carolina newspaper, "It's a real duel between two local Republican heavyweights. It should be a close race."[4]
Pettigrew challenged Massey in 2012 but was taken off the ballot after nearly 250 South Carolina candidates had failed to file statements of economic interests before the deadline. As a result, Massey ran unopposed in the primary.
Massey's campaign website highlighted the candidate's support for changing the state's K-12 education funding formula to benefit rural districts, cutting unnecessary state spending, providing training for workforce development, providing state funds for infrastructure, and protecting private property.[5]
Pettigrew's campaign website highlighted the candidate's support for small business growth, balancing the state budget without raising taxes, funding high priority infrastructure projects, and defending the Second Amendment.[6]
State Senate District 31
- The Republican senate majority leader was targeted by the South Carolina governor.
Incumbent state Sen. Hugh Leatherman (R), the state senate majority leader, ran for re-election. He defeated Richard Skipper (R) and Dean Fowler Jr. (R) in the Republican primary contest with 54 percent of the vote. No Democrat filed to run.
Leatherman was targeted by Gov. Nikki Haley (R), who accused Leatherman of political horse-trading during the South Carolina Republican Party convention. Haley also endorsed Leatherman's opponent Richard Skipper.[7]
State House District 7
- Three Republicans competed for an open seat left by the GOP incumbent.
Incumbent state Rep. Michael Gambrell (R) declined to run for re-election in the state House and instead ran for election in the state Senate. Three Republicans competed for the open seat: Dennis Ted Grindstaff (R), Blake Parker (R), and Jay West (R). West won the primary with 46 percent of the vote. No Democrat filed to run.
West is the co-owner of a real estate firm and a member of the Belon City Council. He also ran against the late incumbent Rep. William O'Dell (R) in 2004. Parker is a self-employed real estate investor while Grindstaff is an electrical maintenance technician.[8]
State House District 8
- District 8 featured a candidate rematch.
Incumbent state Rep. Jonathon Hill (R) ran for re-election. He defeated former state Rep. Don Bowen (R) and Albert M. Howard (R) in the Republican primary contest. Barbara Jo Mullis (D) was unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Hill defeated Bowen, the former incumbent, in the 2014 Republican primary contest by a margin of 57 percent to 43 percent.
State House District 22
- The Republican incumbent faced a primary challenger.
Incumbent state Rep. Wendy Nanney (R) ran for re-election. She lost to Jason Elliott (R) in the Republican primary contest. No Democrat filed to run.
According to Greenville Online, the race "is likely her [Nanney's] biggest challenge since voters first picked her to represent part of Greenville in 2008."[9]
Calling Nanney "a career politician," Elliott criticized Nanney for missing votes and for supporting a measure allowing the Confederate flag to fly on the state capitol's grounds. When asked by Greenville Online about two issues most important to him, Elliott said he would focus on funding for infrastructure and cutting wasteful state spending if elected.[9]
Nanney defended her tenure and said she always represented the interests of District 22. When asked by Greenville Online about two issues most important to her, Nanney said she would focus on working for anti-abortion legislation and addressing domestic violence if elected.[9]
State House District 50
- Six Democrats competed for the open seat left by the Democratic incumbent.
Incumbent state Rep. Grady Brown (D) declined to run for re-election. Six Democrats competed for the open seat: Brian Alston (D), Crystal K. Cunningham (D), Tom Drayton (D), Keith Johnson (D), Demoine Kinney (D), and Will Wheeler (D). Wheeler defeated Drayton in the Democratic runoff election. No Republican filed to run. Wheeler was unopposed in the November general election.
Alston challenged Brown in 2014 in the Democratic primary contest, garnering 42 percent of the vote to Brown's 58 percent.
State House District 81
- Four Republicans competed for the open seat left by the GOP incumbent.
Incumbent state Rep. Don Wells (R) declined to run for re-election. Four Republicans competed for the open seat: Chris Austin (R), Bart Blackwell (R), Jeremy O'Donnell (R), and K.T. Ruthven (R). Blackwell defeated Ruthven in the Republican primary runoff. No Democrat filed to run. Blackwell was unopposed in the November general election.
Freshman legislators
The following is a list of challengers who won election on November 8.
- Bart Blackwell (Republican), .South Carolina House of Representatives, District 81
- Brandon Newton (Republican), .South Carolina House of Representatives, District 45
- Cal Forrest (Republican), .South Carolina House of Representatives, District 39
- Ivory Thigpen (Democratic), .South Carolina House of Representatives, District 79
- Jason Elliott (Republican), .South Carolina House of Representatives, District 22
- Jay West (Republican), .South Carolina House of Representatives, District 7
- John McCravy (Republican), .South Carolina House of Representatives, District 13
- Josiah Magnuson (Republican), .South Carolina House of Representatives, District 38
- Katie Arrington (Republican), .South Carolina House of Representatives, District 94
- Lee Hewitt (Republican), .South Carolina House of Representatives, District 108
- Lin Bennett (Republican), .South Carolina House of Representatives, District 114
- Lucas Atkinson (Democratic), .South Carolina House of Representatives, District 57
- Mia McLeod (Democratic), .South Carolina State Senate, District 22
- Micah Caskey (Republican), .South Carolina House of Representatives, District 89
- Michael Rivers (Democratic), .South Carolina House of Representatives, District 121
- Mike Fanning (Democratic), .South Carolina State Senate, District 17
- Rex Rice (Republican), .South Carolina State Senate, District 2
- Richard Martin (South Carolina) (Republican), .South Carolina House of Representatives, District 40
- Sandy Senn (Republican), .South Carolina State Senate, District 41
- Scott Talley (Republican), .South Carolina State Senate, District 12
- Stephen Goldfinch Jr. (Republican), .South Carolina State Senate, District 34
- Steven Long (Republican), .South Carolina House of Representatives, District 37
- Wes Climer (Republican), .South Carolina State Senate, District 15
- Will Wheeler (Democratic), .South Carolina House of Representatives, District 50
- William S. Cogswell Jr. (Republican), .South Carolina House of Representatives, District 110
- William Timmons (Republican), .South Carolina State Senate, District 6
Defeated incumbents
The following is a list of incumbents who were defeated on November 8.Results will be added as they are updated.
See also
- South Carolina House of Representatives
- South Carolina State Senate
- South Carolina State Legislature
- State legislative elections, 2016
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Governing, "The Week in Politics: GOP Governors Lose Allies, Novice Pulls Off Stunning Upset and More," June 17, 2016
- ↑ Go Upstate, "Lee Bright dismisses opposition to his SC Senate re-election bid," May 24, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 WYFF4.com, "Political rivals attack South Carolina senator over 'bathroom bill,'" April 11, 2016
- ↑ Aiken Standard, "Column: Republican duel in Senate District 25," May 16, 2016
- ↑ Shane Massey 2016 campaign website, "Issues," accessed June 6, 2016
- ↑ John Pettigrew 2016 campaign website, "Issues," accessed June 6, 2016
- ↑ The Post and Courier, "Haley vs. Leatherman: The $2 million S.C. Senate race," May 15, 2016
- ↑ Independent Mail, "Three vying for open S.C. House District 7 seat," accessed June 8, 2016
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Greenville Online, "Elliott challenging Nanney in SC House District 22," May 28, 2016
