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South Carolina's 1st Congressional District election, 2018

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South Carolina's 1st Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 30, 2018
Primary: June 12, 2018
Primary runoff: June 26, 2018 (if needed)
General: November 6, 2018
Pre-election incumbent:
Mark Sanford (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in South Carolina
Race ratings
Cook Partisan Voter Index (2018): R+10
Cook Political Report: Lean Republican
Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
See also
South Carolina's 1st Congressional District
1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th
South Carolina elections, 2018
U.S. Congress elections, 2018
U.S. Senate elections, 2018
U.S. House elections, 2018


Joe Cunningham (D) defeated state Rep. Katie Arrington (R) in the general election for South Carolina's 1st Congressional District on November 6, 2018.

All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. The Democratic Party gained a net total of 40 seats, winning control of the chamber. This race was identified as a 2018 battleground that might have affected partisan control of the U.S. House in the 116th Congress. Heading into the election, the Republican Party was in the majority holding 235 seats to Democrats' 193 seats, with seven vacant seats. Democrats needed to win 23 GOP-held seats in 2018 to win control of the House. From 1918 to 2016, the president’s party lost an average of 29 seats in midterm elections.

Arrington defeated incumbent Rep. Mark Sanford (R) in the Republican primary, marking the second congressional incumbent loss of 2018. Although no Democrat had held this seat since 1981, some election forecasters considered the race competitive. Both national parties showed interest in the race; the National Republican Congressional Committee added Arrington to its Young Guns Vanguard program, while the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added the race to its Majority Makers list of Republican seats it targeted in 2018.[1] Trump won the district by 13 points in 2016 and Mitt Romney won it by 18 points in 2012.

Democratic Party For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
Republican Party For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. House South Carolina District 1

Joe Cunningham defeated Katie Arrington in the general election for U.S. House South Carolina District 1 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Joe Cunningham
Joe Cunningham (D)
 
50.6
 
145,455
Image of Katie Arrington
Katie Arrington (R)
 
49.2
 
141,473
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
505

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 287,433
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House South Carolina District 1

Joe Cunningham defeated Toby Smith in the Democratic primary for U.S. House South Carolina District 1 on June 12, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Joe Cunningham
Joe Cunningham
 
71.5
 
23,493
Image of Toby Smith
Toby Smith
 
28.5
 
9,366

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 32,859
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House South Carolina District 1

Katie Arrington defeated incumbent Mark Sanford and Dimitri Cherny in the Republican primary for U.S. House South Carolina District 1 on June 12, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Katie Arrington
Katie Arrington
 
50.6
 
33,153
Image of Mark Sanford
Mark Sanford
 
46.5
 
30,496
Image of Dimitri Cherny
Dimitri Cherny
 
2.9
 
1,932

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 65,581
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Candidate profiles

See also: Editorial approach to writing about key campaign messages


Katie Arrington, South Carolina state representative
Katie Arrington.jpg

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

Party: Republican

Incumbent: No

Political office: South Carolina House of Representatives (Assumed office: 2016)

Biography: Arrington has served on the board of directors of the Charleston Defense Contractor Association and as the co-chair of the Navy League USCGC Hamilton Commissioning Fundraising committee.[2] She was first elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2016. Heading into the 2018 election, she served as the vice president of operations, military, and government at Dispersive Technologies Inc., a cyber software solutions provider.

Key messages
  • Arrington said she ran for Congress "to be our strong voice and to support President Trump’s bold, conservative agenda."[3]
  • Arrington's campaign platform highlighted growing the economy, improving transportation, and upholding the Constitution.[4]




Joe Cunningham, attorney
Joe Cunningham.jpg

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

Party: Democratic

Incumbent: No

Political office: None

Biography: After receiving his B.S. in engineering from Florida Atlantic University, Cunningham worked for government agencies and environmental groups in ocean engineering. He then attended law school and began practicing construction law, representing both plaintiffs and defendants. He has been active with the Charleston Lawyers Club, Charleston County Bar Association, South Carolina Young Lawyers Division, and the American Bar Association.[5]

Key messages
  • Cunningham said he ran for Congress "to put my neighbors and my community first - to be a true representative and not simply a rubber stamp on anyone’s agenda."[5]
  • On his campaign website, Cunningham listed negotiations between the federal government and drug companies to lower prices, exploring lowering Medicare age requirement from 65 to 55, and addressing the teacher shortage in the state as some of his policy priorities.[6]



Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

General election

South Carolina's 1st Congressional District election
Poll Katie Arrington Joe CunninghamUndecidedMargin of ErrorSample Size
End Citizens United
August 30-31, 2018		 49.0%42.0%9.0%+/-3.9628
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Campaign finance

The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Joe Cunningham Democratic Party $2,468,863 $2,410,275 $58,588 As of December 31, 2018
Katie Arrington Republican Party $1,675,864 $1,674,900 $964 As of December 31, 2018

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2018. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.


Satellite spending

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[7][8][9]

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.

  • 314 Action Fund launched a $125,000 ad buy against Arrington on October 15, 2018.[10]

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Race ratings: South Carolina's 1st Congressional District election, 2018
Race trackerRace ratings
October 30, 2018October 23, 2018October 16, 2018October 9, 2018
The Cook Political ReportLean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallLean RepublicanLean RepublicanLikely RepublicanLikely Republican
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every two weeks throughout the election season.

District analysis

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+10, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 10 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made South Carolina's 1st Congressional District the 137th most Republican nationally.[12]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 0.97. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.97 points toward that party.[13]

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.

General election endorsements
Endorsement Date Cunningham (D) Arrington (R)
Elected officials
President Donald Trump (R)[14] June 12, 2018 ✔
Former Vice President Joe Biden (D)[15] September 20, 2018 ✔

Campaign advertisements

Republican Party Katie Arrington

Support

"The Katie I Know" - Katie Arrington for Congress ad, released October 23, 2018
"Prepared" - Katie Arrington for Congress ad, released September 20, 2018

Oppose

"Drilling" - 314 Action Fund ad, released October 16, 2018

Democratic Party Joe Cunningham

Support

"Endorsed" - 314 Action ad, released October 28, 2018
"Honored" - Joe Cunningham for Congress ad, released October 25, 2018
"Accountable" - Joe Cunningham for Congress ad, released October 8, 2018
"Out Here" - Joe Cunningham for Congress ad, released October 2, 2018
"Republicans" - Joe Cunningham for Congress ad, released September 18, 2018
"Serve" - Joe Cunningham for Congress ad, released September 6, 2018
"It's About You" - Joe Cunningham for Congress ad, released June 20, 2018

Campaign themes

Republican Party Katie Arrington

The following themes were taken from Arrington's campaign website.

“ Focusing on South Carolina, Not on CNN

For far too long, Mark Sanford has been more focused on getting himself on the national news instead of focusing on the needs and concerns of our region.

In short, Mark Sanford spends more time on CNN than he does fighting for the Charleston region.

My goal as Congressman is to truly fight for our shared, common sense, South Carolina conservative values.

As a Member of Congress, I will fight to keep our jobs and continue growing our economy. I will work to improve transportation with action, not words. I will always stand by our Constitution, including the right-to-life and the protection of our 2nd Amendment. I will ensure our military leaders, and men and women in uniform, get the support they need and deserve. Our Veterans who sacrificed for our freedoms and Senior Citizens who built the great nation we have today will always be a priority.

In short, I will make South Carolina and her people the priority, not my political career.

Mark Sanford has spent years living off the government’s payroll. It is time for a new voice. I will be your voice. And, I will fight for you.

Taking Power Away from Politicians

In the State Legislature, I pushed for reforms to limit the terms of Committee Chairs. Why? Because, the longer they hold the gavel, the more they forget whom they should be working for.

As your next Member of Congress, I will refuse to accept any salary greater than the average salary in our Congressional District. I will donate the remaining to charity.

I call that leadership by example.

Our current Congressman has been in politics almost his entire career. He plays the outside while living off a government paycheck. Even in disgrace, he came back for more.

I will be your voice. And, I will make you proud.

Fighting for a Dollar’s Value for a Dollar Spent

There is an old phrase that some are pennywise and pound foolish. The politician who is our current Congressman may fall within this bucket.

Taxpayer’s money is precious. It is our money… not the IRS.

Working with our nation’s military leaders, I have helped provide tools in a cost-efficient manner that helps them accomplish their missions for years.

As a Member of Congress, I will work to ensure dollars spent receive a dollar’s value in return.

As it relates to transportation, saying “no” in the short run means massive new spending in the long-term. That is why it is important we have prudent plans and focus on results with the dollars that are spent.

To keep Washington’s power in check, I support a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution. Only then can we ensure politicians actually practice what they preach.

Improving Transportation

Getting to and from work, visiting the grocery store, dropping kids or grandkids off at school, or making a needed fast trip to the hospital should not be a cause for concern.

Unfortunately, our transportation system has been neglected and forgotten.

It has been very easy for Mark Sanford to say “no,” when he should have been saying “yes” to solving the transportation problems in the region.

I have spent a good part of my career working to ensure our nation’s military officials receive the tools they need to be successful. As a Member of Congress, I will put that same experience to work trying to create solutions to our traffic problems.

We can find solutions. It takes determination, drive, and focus to get it done. I will help make it happen.

Supporting Our 2nd Amendment

In our nation, nothing is more important than our Constitution. It has helped create the great nation we have today. And, it protects our freedoms.

Our 2nd Amendment is one of the most important freedoms in the Constitution.

As a Member of Congress, I will always defend our shared 2nd Amendment rights.

Empowering Parents

To ensure our children can reach the jobs of tomorrow, as a Member of Congress, I will support empowering our teachers and parents to make decisions in the classroom, not bureaucrats from Washington.

I support local decisions being the priority in education. Parents should have choices in ensuring their children receive the best education possible.

Our kids are our future. And, I believe strongly that parents and educators in South Carolina know best how to protect that future.

Standing Up for Our Veterans and Those Who Serve

As a longtime member of a military family and the parent of a service member, I understand how important our nation’s military is in protecting our nation.

As a Member of Congress, I will always stand up to support our men and women in uniform as well as those who served.

Our Veterans deserve the care they were promised and gratefulness for the sacrifice they have made for our nation.

And, especially today, we cannot forget our law enforcement officers and other first responders. Our men and women in blue protect us every single day. Our firefighters are ready at a moment’s notice to charge into a burning building. We must stand behind these community leaders.

Protecting Our Economy

My goal is not to become a nationally-known politician – for the right or wrong reasons. My goal is to fight for South Carolina.

As a Member of Congress, I will work with regional and state leaders to continue recruiting new jobs to South Carolina and in protecting the jobs we have here now.

Washington red-tape smothers innovation and kills small business jobs. I will support efforts to streamline red-tape and ensure our innovators can truly innovate.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[16]

”
—Katie Arrington (2018)

Democratic Party Joe Cunningham

The following themes were taken from Cunningham's campaign website.

“ NO Offshore Drilling

Offshore drilling and seismic testing would be devastating to our environment and our economy. As an ocean engineer, I know firsthand how destructive drilling for oil--and even just testing for oil--can be to a coastline. That’s the last thing we need here in the Lowcountry. I’ve been very clear about my opposition to drilling from day one of this campaign, while my opponent said she supported President Trump’s decision to lift the ban on offshore drilling. We must protect our beaches and make sure we NEVER drill offshore.

End D.C. Corruption

D.C. is full of corrupt politicians and broken promises. I believe there should be term limits for all members of Congress and that D.C. should be controlled by voters and not by special interests. This is why I’ve pledged to limit myself to three terms in Congress and why I have not taken ONE dime from any PACs or special interest groups. D.C. should serve the people and it’s the people I want to serve.

Supporting our Troops

My father proudly served his country in the Vietnam War and was lucky enough to return home safely. Too many of our country’s heroes are less fortunate. For me, supporting our troops means:

First, keeping the promises we have made as a country to those brave enough to serve. That begins with equipping them with the proper equipment whether that is on a distant battlefield or here at home. It extends to providing them with timely support during conflicts. And it continues with providing them with the care they need - both physically and mentally - upon their return home. We should work to strengthen the Veterans Affairs Department by cutting red tape and reducing inconvenient paperwork requirements. Government bureaucracy should not be an obstacle to treatment or receiving benefits that veterans have earned from their service.

Secondly, supporting our troops means helping transition soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coast guardsmen back into the civilian life. Unemployment, homelessness and mental health struggles should not be something our veterans are tackling alone. Helping veterans gain employment or start their own businesses should be a priority. We also know that Post-Traumatic Stress and suicide is higher among our heroes; we need to make sure they get the care they deserve.

Reducing the Cost of Healthcare

I believe that healthcare is a right, not a privilege. No one in America should go bankrupt because they get sick. In the United States, no one should forego necessary or preventative care because they are unable to afford it.

After going through the medical uncertainties of my wife’s pregnancy and the arrival of my son, I understand how stressful—both emotionally and financially—the increasing cost of healthcare can be. In times when your family members are at their most vulnerable, we shouldn’t have to focus on the costs.

One of the many ways we can improve our current healthcare system is by encouraging the federal government to negotiate with drug companies to lower medication prices for people on Medicare, similar to how the Veterans Affairs Department does. Another possibility is allowing more middle class families to qualify for tax breaks to reduce their healthcare costs. We should also explore lowering the Medicare age requirement from 65 to 55 over the course of ten years.

Economy

Many incredible companies, such as Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and Boeing, employ tens of thousands of Lowcountry residents. However, all of those jobs are at risk now because of this administration’s unnecessary job-killing tariffs. Volvo alone has stated that 4,000 potential South Carolina employees are at major risk of job loss.

These tariffs are dangerous and could be catastrophic for Lowcountry families. In Congress, I will vote to overturn these tariffs. I also support Congressman Mark Sanford’s bill to give Congress more oversight authority in approving future tariffs.

Conserving the Environment

As an Eagle Scout, I spent many weekends in the great outdoors, camping and hiking. Being near the ocean, fishing and diving are my favorite hobbies. It was my love of marine environment that led me to study ocean engineering, where I could be near the water and preserve it for future generations to enjoy.

In the Lowcountry, our natural resources provide a high quality of life for citizens, as well as drive the local economy.

I believe climate change is the single greatest non-military threat to our nation—especially living in a coastal region, where we see the impacts of rising sea levels and harsh storm systems firsthand. I believe this challenge presents an opportunity to invest in clean energy that promotes job growth and eliminates dirty energy sources, like drilling off our coast for oil, once and for all. Let’s focus on renewable sources like solar and wind to create a high tech, green economy that preserves our natural resources for many years to come.

Voting Rights

Our democracy is under attack by politicians who are deliberately making it harder for people to vote. I will fight for fair access to the voting booth and work to ensure everyone’s voice is being fairly represented.

I believe we can improve our current system by implementing automatic voter registration. When you turn 18, you’re immediately registered to vote.

We also need to end partisan gerrymandering in this country so voters are choosing their politicians, not the other way around.

Women's Health and Equal Pay for Equal Work

Throughout the past year I have spent countless hours in OB’s offices with my wife, Amanda, in anticipation of our son, Boone. And in those nine months, something became very clear to me: those doctor offices are small and there is no room for anyone other than a woman, a doctor, and a supportive spouse.

In Congress, I will fight to keep the government out of intimate healthcare decisions between a woman and her doctor, and I will oppose efforts to defund Planned Parenthood and other women’s health resources.

Beyond healthcare, I will always support policies that advance women’s equality in the workplace. In South Carolina, women make less than 80% of what men do for the exact same work. This is unacceptable. I will always support efforts to close the gender wage gap once and for all: equal pay for equal work should not be controversial.

Equal Protection Under the Law

I believe in equal protection under the law for everyone, no matter who you are, or who you love. We have made so much progress towards equality under the law and in our society as a whole, but there is still much that we can do to improve the climate for our LGBTQ community. Let’s pass the Equality Act and prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity with regard to employment, housing, credit, education, public spaces and services, federally funded programs, and jury service--so that everyone can participate equally in all aspects of American life.

Second Amendment

I support the Second Amendment and common sense gun safety measures. I own a firearm and have my concealed carry license. As a community, we should work together to ensure firearms do not fall into the hands of criminals, convicted felons or the mentally ill. I support strong background checks and closing the Charleston loophole. Bump stocks should be banned and assault weapons should be reserved for our military - not for private citizens.[6][16]

”
—Joe Cunningham (2018)

Social media

Twitter accounts

Facebook accounts

Click the icons below to visit the candidates' Facebook pages.

Democratic Party Joe Cunningham Facebook

Republican Party Katie Arrington Facebook

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Five of 46 South Carolina counties—10.9 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Barnwell County, South Carolina 5.16% 5.33% 1.65%
Calhoun County, South Carolina 2.83% 4.31% 3.55%
Chester County, South Carolina 4.83% 10.58% 8.30%
Colleton County, South Carolina 8.49% 0.19% 0.53%
McCormick County, South Carolina 3.32% 3.60% 6.08%

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won South Carolina with 54.9 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 40.7 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, South Carolina cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 53.3 percent of the time. In that same time frame, South Carolina supported Democratic candidates for president more often than Republican candidates, 53.3 to 43.3 percent. South Carolina favored Republicans in every presidential election between 2000 and 2016.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in South Carolina. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns show the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns show the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[17][18]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 39 out of 124 state House districts in South Carolina with an average margin of victory of 32.8 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 38 out of 124 state House districts in South Carolina with an average margin of victory of 28.3 points. Clinton won one district controlled by a Republican heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 85 out of 124 state House districts in South Carolina with an average margin of victory of 28.7 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 86 out of 124 state House districts in South Carolina with an average margin of victory of 30.1 points. Trump won seven districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.


District history

2016

See also: South Carolina's 1st Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Mark Sanford (R) defeated Dimitri Cherny (D), Michael Grier Jr. (Libertarian), and Albert Travison (American) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Sanford defeated Jenny Horne in the Republican primary on June 14, 2016.[19][20]

U.S. House, South Carolina District 1 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngMark Sanford Incumbent 58.6% 190,410
     Democratic Dimitri Cherny 36.8% 119,799
     Libertarian Michael Grier Jr. 3.6% 11,614
     American Albert Travison 0.9% 2,774
     N/A Write-in 0.2% 593
Total Votes 325,190
Source: South Carolina Secretary of State


U.S. House, South Carolina District 1 Republican Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngMark Sanford Incumbent 55.6% 21,299
Jenny Horne 44.4% 17,001
Total Votes 38,300
Source: South Carolina Secretary of State

2014

See also: South Carolina's 1st Congressional District elections, 2014

Mark Sanford won re-election to the U.S. House on November 4, 2014. He did not face a primary challenger, and he did not face a Democratic challenger in the general election.

U.S. House, South Carolina District 1 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngMark Sanford Incumbent 93.4% 119,392
     N/A Write-in 6.6% 8,423
Total Votes 127,815
Source: South Carolina State Election Commission

State overview

Partisan control

This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in South Carolina heading into the 2018 elections.

Congressional delegation

State executives

State legislature

  • Republicans controlled both chambers of the South Carolina State Legislature. They had a 80-44 majority in the state House and a 27-19 majority in the state Senate.

Trifecta status

2018 elections

See also: South Carolina elections, 2018

South Carolina held elections for the following positions in 2018:

Demographics

Demographic data for South Carolina
 South CarolinaU.S.
Total population:4,894,834316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):30,0613,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:67.2%73.6%
Black/African American:27.5%12.6%
Asian:1.4%5.1%
Native American:0.3%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0.1%0.2%
Two or more:2%3%
Hispanic/Latino:5.3%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:85.6%86.7%
College graduation rate:25.8%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$45,483$53,889
Persons below poverty level:22%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in South Carolina.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

As of July 2016, South Carolina's three largest cities were Charleston (pop. est. 135,000), Columbia (pop. est. 133,000), and North Charleston (pop. est. 111,000).[21]

State election history

This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in South Carolina from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the South Carolina Election Commission.

Historical elections

Presidential elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the presidential election in South Carolina every year from 2000 to 2016.

Election results (President of the United States), South Carolina 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Republican Party Donald Trump 54.9% Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 40.7% 14.2%
2012 Republican Party Mitt Romney 54.6% Democratic Party Barack Obama 44.1% 10.5%
2008 Republican Party John McCain 53.9% Democratic Party Barack Obama 44.9% 9.0%
2004 Republican Party George W. Bush 58.0% Democratic Party John Kerry 40.9% 17.1%
2000 Republican Party George W. Bush 56.8% Democratic Party Al Gore 40.9% 15.9%

U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in South Carolina from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

Election results (U.S. Senator), South Carolina 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Republican Party Tim Scott 60.6% Democratic Party Thomas Dixon 36.9% 23.7%
2014[22] Republican Party Tim Scott 61.1% Democratic Party Joyce Dickerson 37.1% 24.0%
2014 Republican Party Lindsey Graham 54.3% Democratic Party Brad Hutto 38.8% 15.5%
2010 Republican Party Jim DeMint 61.5% Democratic Party Alvin Greene 27.7% 33.8%
2008 Republican Party Lindsey Graham 57.5% Democratic Party Bob Conley 42.3% 15.2%
2004 Republican Party Jim DeMint 53.7% Democratic Party Inez Tenenbaum 44.1% 9.6%
2002 Republican Party Lindsey Graham 54.4% Democratic Party Alex Sanders 44.2% 10.2%

Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in South Carolina.

Election results (Governor), South Carolina 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2014 Republican Party Nikki Haley 55.9% Democratic Party Vincent Sheheen 41.4% 14.5%
2010 Republican Party Nikki Haley 51.4% Democratic Party Vincent Sheheen 46.9% 4.5%
2006 Republican Party Mark Sanford 55.1% Democratic Party Kerry Healey 44.8% 10.3%
2002 Republican Party Mark Sanford 52.8% Democratic Party Jim Hodges 47.0% 5.8%

Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent South Carolina in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

Congressional delegation, South Carolina 2000-2016
Year Republicans Republicans (%) Democrats Democrats (%) Balance of power
2016 Republican Party 6 85.7% Democratic Party 1 14.3% R+5
2014 Republican Party 6 85.7% Democratic Party 1 14.3% R+5
2012 Republican Party 6 85.7% Democratic Party 1 14.3% R+5
2010 Republican Party 5 83.3% Democratic Party 1 16.7% R+4
2008 Republican Party 4 66.7% Democratic Party 2 33.3% R+2
2006 Republican Party 4 66.7% Democratic Party 2 33.3% R+2
2004 Republican Party 4 66.7% Democratic Party 2 33.3% R+2
2002 Republican Party 4 66.7% Democratic Party 2 33.3% R+2
2000 Republican Party 4 66.7% Democratic Party 2 33.3% R+2

Trifectas, 1992-2017

A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

South Carolina Party Control: 1992-2025
No Democratic trifectas  •  Twenty-three years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor R R R R R R R D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Senate D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R


See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Post and Courier, "Fight for dollars intensifies in SC’s ‘unusual’ post-Mark Sanford congressional race," September 17, 2018
  2. ↑ Facebook, "Katie Arrington," accessed May 24, 2018
  3. ↑ Facebook, "Katie Arrington - Republican for Congress (SC-1)," accessed September 20, 2018
  4. ↑ Katie Arrington 2018 campaign website, "Issues," accessed May 24, 2018
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Joe Cunningham for Congress, "Meet Joe," accessed August 1, 2018
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Joe Cunningham for Congress, "My Values," accessed August 1, 2018
  7. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed September 22, 2015
  8. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed September 22, 2015
  9. ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," November 6, 2015
  10. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Independent Expenditures," accessed October 22, 2018
  11. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Independent Expenditures," accessed November 2, 2018
  12. ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  13. ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
  14. ↑ Axios, "Trump disses Mark Sanford: 'He is better off in Argentina'," June 12, 2018
  15. ↑ The Post and Courier, "Joe Biden endorses Joe Cunningham in South Carolina congressional race," September 20, 2018
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  17. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  18. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
  19. ↑ South Carolina Election Commission, "Candidate Listing for the 11/8/2016 Statewide General Election," accessed March 31, 2016
  20. ↑ The New York Times, "South Carolina Primary Results," June 14, 2016
  21. ↑ South Carolina Demographics, "South Carolina Cities by Population," accessed September 5, 2018
  22. ↑ Special election
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South Carolina's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Lindsey Graham (R)
Tim Scott (R)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
Republican Party (8)
Democratic Party (1)

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