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South Carolina's 7th Congressional District election, 2026

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2024
South Carolina's 7th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 30, 2026
Primary: June 9, 2026
Primary runoff: June 23, 2026
General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times:

7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in South Carolina

Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending
Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
South Carolina's 7th Congressional District
U.S. Senate1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th
South Carolina elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

All U.S. House districts, including the 7th Congressional District of South Carolina, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. The primary is June 9, 2026, and a primary runoff is June 23, 2026. The filing deadline is March 30, 2026. For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

  • Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
  • Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

General election

The primary will occur on June 9, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House South Carolina District 7

John Vincent is running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House South Carolina District 7 on June 9, 2026.

Candidate
Image of John Vincent
John Vincent Candidate Connection

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 7

Incumbent Russell Fry and Adam Moye are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House South Carolina District 7 on June 9, 2026.


Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Candidate profiles

There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here.

Voting information

See also: Voting in South Carolina

Election information in South Carolina: June 9, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: May 8, 2026
  • By mail: Postmarked by May 11, 2026
  • Online: May 10, 2026

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

No

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

  • In-person: May 29, 2026
  • By mail: Received by May 29, 2026
  • Online: N/A

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

  • In-person: June 9, 2026
  • By mail: Received by June 9, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

May 26, 2026 to June 5, 2026

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. (ET)

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.

Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Russell Fry Republican Party $895,694 $702,612 $754,265 As of December 31, 2025
John Vincent Democratic Party $96,394 $90,491 $6,811 As of December 31, 2025
Adam Moye Republican Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. 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.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[1]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[2][3][4]

Race ratings: South Carolina's 7th Congressional District election, 2026
Race trackerRace ratings
2/17/20262/10/20262/3/20261/27/2026
The Cook Political Report with Amy WalterSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Decision Desk HQ and The HillPendingPendingPendingPending
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in South Carolina in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in South Carolina, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
South Carolina U.S. House Ballot-qualified party N/A $3,480 3/30/2026 Source
South Carolina U.S. House Unaffiliated 5% of the active, registered voters in the district N/A 7/15/2026 Source


District history

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.

General election

General election for U.S. House South Carolina District 7

Incumbent Russell Fry (R) defeated Mal Hyman (D) in the general election for U.S. House South Carolina District 7 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Russell Fry
Russell Fry (R)
 
64.9
 
240,326
Image of Mal Hyman
Mal Hyman (D)
 
35.0
 
129,522
  Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1%
 
481

Total votes: 370,329
Candidate Connection = 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.

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House South Carolina District 7

Mal Hyman (D) defeated Daryl Scott (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House South Carolina District 7 on June 11, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mal Hyman
Mal Hyman
 
50.8
 
12,617
Image of Daryl Scott
Daryl Scott
 
49.2
 
12,218

Total votes: 24,835
Candidate Connection = 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.

Republican primary

The Republican primary scheduled for June 11, 2024, was canceled. Incumbent Russell Fry (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House South Carolina District 7 without appearing on the ballot.

General election

General election for U.S. House South Carolina District 7

Russell Fry (R) defeated Daryl Scott (D) in the general election for U.S. House South Carolina District 7 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Russell Fry
Russell Fry (R)
 
64.8
 
164,440
Image of Daryl Scott
Daryl Scott (D)  Candidate Connection
 
35.1
 
89,030
  Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2%
 
395

Total votes: 253,865
Candidate Connection = 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.

Democratic primary

The Democratic primary scheduled for June 14, 2022, was canceled. Daryl Scott (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House South Carolina District 7 without appearing on the ballot.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House South Carolina District 7

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House South Carolina District 7 on June 14, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Russell Fry
Russell Fry
 
51.1
 
43,509
Image of Tom Rice
Tom Rice
 
24.6
 
20,927
Image of Barbara Arthur
Barbara Arthur  Candidate Connection
 
12.3
 
10,481
Image of Ken Richardson
Ken Richardson
 
7.1
 
6,021
Image of Garrett Barton
Garrett Barton  Candidate Connection
 
2.5
 
2,154
Image of Mark McBride
Mark McBride
 
2.0
 
1,676
Image of Spencer Morris
Spencer Morris  Candidate Connection
 
0.5
 
444

Total votes: 85,212
Candidate Connection = 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Libertarian Party convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House South Carolina District 7

No candidate advanced from the Libertarian Party convention for U.S. House South Carolina District 7 on June 18, 2022.


Candidate Connection = 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.

General election

General election for U.S. House South Carolina District 7

Incumbent Tom Rice (R) defeated Melissa Watson (D) in the general election for U.S. House South Carolina District 7 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Tom Rice
Tom Rice (R)
 
61.8
 
224,993
Image of Melissa Watson
Melissa Watson (D)  Candidate Connection
 
38.1
 
138,863
  Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1%
 
235

Total votes: 364,091
Candidate Connection = 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House South Carolina District 7

Melissa Watson (D) defeated Robert Williams (D) and William Williams (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House South Carolina District 7 on June 9, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Melissa Watson
Melissa Watson  Candidate Connection
 
51.2
 
27,200
Image of Robert Williams
Robert Williams
 
41.3
 
21,923
Image of William Williams
William Williams  Candidate Connection
 
7.5
 
3,965

Total votes: 53,088
Candidate Connection = 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.

Republican primary

The Republican primary scheduled for June 9, 2020, was canceled. Incumbent Tom Rice (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House South Carolina District 7 without appearing on the ballot.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

  • District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
  • Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
  • State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.


Below is the district map in place for this election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

2023_01_03_sc_congressional_district_07.jpg
See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2026
Information about competitiveness will be added here as it becomes available.

Partisan Voter Index

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

Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is R+12. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 12 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made South Carolina's 7th the 96th most Republican district nationally.[5]

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.

2024 presidential results in South Carolina's 7th Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic PartyDonald Trump Republican Party
36.0%63.0%

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in South Carolina, 2024

South Carolina presidential election results (1900-2024)

  • 16 Democratic wins
  • 15 Republican wins
  • 1 other win
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Winning Party D D D D D D D D D D D D SR[6] D D D R R R D R R R R R R R R R R R R
See also: Party control of South Carolina state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of South Carolina's congressional delegation as of October 2025.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from South Carolina
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 0 1 1
Republican 2 6 8
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 7 9

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in South Carolina's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.

State executive officials in South Carolina, October 2025
OfficeOfficeholder
GovernorRepublican Party Henry McMaster
Lieutenant GovernorRepublican Party Pamela Evette
Secretary of StateRepublican Party Mark Hammond
Attorney GeneralRepublican Party Alan Wilson

State legislature

South Carolina State Senate

Party As of January 2026
     Democratic Party 12
     Republican Party 34
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 46

South Carolina House of Representatives

Party As of January 2026
     Democratic Party 36
     Republican Party 88
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 124

Trifecta control

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

South Carolina 2026 primaries 2026 U.S. Congress elections
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South Carolina congressional delegation
Voting in South Carolina
South Carolina elections:
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Democratic primary battlegrounds
Republican primary battlegrounds
U.S. Senate Democratic primaries
U.S. Senate Republican primaries
U.S. House Democratic primaries
U.S. House Republican primaries
U.S. Congress elections
U.S. Senate elections
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Special elections
Ballot access

External links

Footnotes

  1. Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  2. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  3. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  4. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  5. Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025
  6. States' Rights Democratic Party


Senators
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
Republican Party (8)
Democratic Party (1)