South Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2026
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| 2026 South Carolina House Election |
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Seats up: 124 |
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Elections for the South Carolina House of Representatives will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026.
The South Carolina House of Representatives is one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2026. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.
Party control
| Party | As of September 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 36 | |
| Republican Party | 86 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 2 | |
| Total | 124 | |
Candidates
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
Primary
Democratic
RepublicanGeneral election
Voting information
- See also: Voting in South Carolina
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Competitiveness
This section will be updated with information about the competitiveness of state legislative elections in South Carolina. For more information about Ballotpedia's Competitiveness Analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.
Process to become a candidate
See statutes: Title 7, Chapter 11 of the South Carolina Code
In South Carolina, a candidate can run as the nominee of a political party, as an independent, or as a write-in.
For partisan candidates
Non-presidential candidates seeking a party nomination for a general or special election must file the State Election Commission’s Statement of Intention of Candidacy/Party Pledge Form (SICPP) and pay the required fee—or submit a fee-petition signed by registered voters equal to the fee—between noon on March 16 and noon on March 30 (with the deadline extended to the next business day if the 30th falls on a weekend or holiday). Federal, statewide, and multi-county district candidates file with the State Election Commission; those running for State Senate, House, or county offices file with their home-county election commission. A candidate who files as a Democrat or Republican must pay a filing fee.[1]
Upon receipt, the filing officer stamps each form and fee receipt with the date and time received, retains the original, provides a copy to the candidate, and forwards a copy to the appropriate party executive committee. No name may appear on any primary ballot, convention slate, or general/special election ballot until certification by that committee, and any minor error or omission in filings must be construed in the candidate’s favor if statutory qualifications are otherwise met.
If, after the close of filing, two or fewer candidates remain for an office and one withdraws or dies, the party committee—or, for legislative seats, the state committee—may at its discretion reopen nominations. Both the county party chair and the state executive committee chair may designate observers to monitor filings. These rules do not apply to nonpartisan school-trustee elections governed by local law, which prevail in the event of any conflict.[2][1]
For independent candidates
An independent candidate must be nominated by petition. The petition must contain signatures equaling at least 5 percent of the qualified registered electors in the geographical area of the office being sought. No petition candidate is required to collect more than 10,000 signatures for any office.[3][4]
Petition candidates for multi-county offices must file their petitions with the South Carolina State Election Commission. All petition candidates for the state legislature also file with the State Election Commission. A petition candidate must also file a statement of economic interests with the State Ethics Commission. Signature requirements are detailed in the table below.[4]
| Petition signature requirements for independent candidates in South Carolina | ||
|---|---|---|
| Office sought | Number of signatures needed | |
| Governor and other statewide offices | 5 percent of the qualified registered voters in the state | |
| State legislators | 5 percent of the qualified registered voters in the district or area to be represented | |
No candidates is required to collect more than 10,000 signatures.[3]
For write-in candidates
Generally, there are no filing forms or fees required to run as a write-in candidate. However, a write-in candidate should notify the appropriate election commission in writing that he or she is conducting a write-in campaign. A candidate who was defeated in a political party's primary may not actively campaign as a write-in candidate for the ensuing election.[4][5]
Qualifications
To be eligible to serve in the South Carolina House of Representatives, a candidate must be:[6]
- A U.S. citizen at the time of filing
- 21 years old at the filing deadline time
- A resident of the district at the filing deadline time
Salaries and per diem
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[7] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $10,400/year | $231/day |
When sworn in
South Carolina legislators assume office the Monday after the election.[8]
South Carolina political history
Trifectas
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.
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 |
Presidential politics in South Carolina
2024
- See also: Presidential election, 2024
Presidential election in South Carolina, 2024
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
||
| ✔ |
 
| Donald Trump/J.D. Vance (R) |
58.2
|
1,483,747 | 9 |
 
| Kamala D. Harris/Tim Walz (D) |
40.4
|
1,028,452 | 0 | |
 
| Chase Oliver/Mike ter Maat (L) |
0.5
|
12,669 | 0 | |
 
| Jill Stein/Butch Ware (G) |
0.3
|
8,117 | 0 | |
 
| Cornel West/Melina Abdullah (United Citizens Party) |
0.3
|
6,744 | 0 | |
 
| Randall Terry/Stephen E. Broden (Constitution Party) |
0.2
|
5,352 | 0 | |
 
| Claudia De La Cruz/Karina Garcia (South Carolina Workers Party) |
0.1
|
3,059 | 0 | |
 |
Total votes: 2,548,140 |
2020
- See also: Presidential election, 2020
Presidential election in South Carolina, 2020
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
||
| ✔ |
| Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R) |
55.1
|
1,385,103 | 9 |
| Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D) |
43.4
|
1,091,541 | 0 | |
 
| Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L) |
1.1
|
27,916 | 0 | |
 
| Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (G) |
0.3
|
6,907 | 0 | |
 
| Roque De La Fuente/Darcy Richardson (Alliance Party) |
0.1
|
1,862 | 0 | |
|
Total votes: 2,513,329 |
2016
- See also: Presidential election, 2016
| U.S. presidential election, South Carolina, 2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine | 40.7% | 855,373 | 0 | |
| Republican |  Donald Trump/Mike Pence |
54.9% | 1,155,389 | 9 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Bill Weld | 2.3% | 49,204 | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka | 0.6% | 13,034 | 0 | |
| Constitution | Darrell Castle/Scott Bradley | 0.3% | 5,765 | 0 | |
| Independence | Evan McMullin/Nathan Johnson | 1% | 21,016 | 0 | |
| American | Peter Skewes/Michael Lacy | 0.2% | 3,246 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 2,103,027 | 9 | |||
| Election results via: South Carolina Election Commission | |||||
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[9] | D | D | D | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Redistricting following the 2020 census
South Carolina enacted new state legislative district maps on December 10, 2021, when Gov. McMaster signed a proposal approved by the South Carolina House and Senate into law. The South Carolina Senate approved House and Senate map proposals in a 43-1 vote on December 7, 2021, and the House approved the new districts in a 75-27 vote on December 9, 2021. Gov. McMaster signed the bill into law the next day.[10]
The House maps were updated on June 28, 2022, by Senate Bill 1024. The updated maps became effective for the 2024 elections.[11][12]
See also
| South Carolina | State Legislative Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 South Carolina Code, "Title 7-11-15(a)," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Filing instructions for partisan candidates," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 South Carolina Code, "Title 7-11-70," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 South Carolina State Election Commission, "Candidates," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ South Carolina Code, "Title 7-11-210," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ South Carolina Secretary of State, "Qualifications for office," accessed December 18, 2013
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ South Carolina Constitution, "Article III, Section 10," accessed November 1, 2021
- ↑ States' Rights Democratic Party
- ↑ LegiScan, "South Carolina House Bill 4493," accessed December 14, 2021
- ↑ South Carolina Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office, "SC General Assembly," accessed March 17, 2025
- ↑ LegiScan, "South Carolina Senate Bill 1024," accessed March 17, 2025
