South Carolina Secretary of State election, 2026 (June 9 Democratic primary)
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← 2022
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| South Carolina Secretary of State |
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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. |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2026 Impact of term limits in 2026 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| South Carolina executive elections |
| Governor Lieutenant Governor |
A Democratic Party primary takes place on June 9, 2026, in South Carolina to determine which candidate will earn the right to run as the party's nominee in the state's secretary of state election on November 3, 2026.
This page focuses on South Carolina's Democratic Party Secretary of State primary. For more in-depth information on South Carolina's Republican Secretary of State primary and the general election, see the following pages:
- South Carolina Secretary of State election, 2026 (June 9 Republican primary)
- South Carolina Secretary of State election, 2026
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
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 analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
- Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
- State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
- Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.
Cook PVI by congressional district
| District | Incumbent | PVI |
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina's 1st | Nancy Mace | R+6 |
| South Carolina's 2nd | Joe Wilson | R+7 |
| South Carolina's 3rd | Sheri Biggs | R+21 |
| South Carolina's 4th | William Timmons | R+11 |
| South Carolina's 5th | Ralph Norman | R+11 |
| South Carolina's 6th | Jim Clyburn | D+13 |
| South Carolina's 7th | Russell Fry | R+12 |
2024 presidential results by 2026 congressional district lines
| District | Kamala Harris  | Donald Trump  |
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina's 1st | 43.0% | 56.0% |
| South Carolina's 2nd | 42.0% | 56.0% |
| South Carolina's 3rd | 28.0% | 71.0% |
| South Carolina's 4th | 37.0% | 61.0% |
| South Carolina's 5th | 38.0% | 61.0% |
| South Carolina's 6th | 61.0% | 38.0% |
| South Carolina's 7th | 36.0% | 63.0% |
| Source: The Downballot | ||
2016-2024
How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:
| County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
| Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
| Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
| New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
| Republican | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
| Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
| Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
| New Republican | D | D | R | ||||
Following the 2024 presidential election, 76% of South Carolinians lived in one of the state's 31 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2016 to 2024, and 22.2% lived in one of 12 Solid Democratic counties. Overall, South Carolina was Solid Republican, having voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016, Donald Trump (R) in 2020, and Donald Trump (R) in 2024. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in South Carolina following the 2024 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.
| South Carolina county-level statistics, 2024 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Republican | 31 | 76.0% | |||||
| Solid Democratic | 12 | 22.2% | |||||
| Trending Republican | 2 | 1.1% | |||||
| New Republican | 1 | 0.6% | |||||
| Total voted Democratic | 12 | 22.2% | |||||
| Total voted Republican | 34 | 77.8% | |||||
Historical voting trends
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[1] | D | D | D | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.
U.S. Senate elections
The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in South Carolina.
Gubernatorial elections
- See also: Governor of South Carolina
The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in South Carolina.
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.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor | Henry McMaster |
| Lieutenant Governor | Pamela Evette |
| Secretary of State | Mark Hammond |
| Attorney General | 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 |
The table below details demographic data in South Carolina and compares it to the broader United States as of 2023.
| Demographic Data for South Carolina | ||
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | United States | |
| Population | 5,118,425 | 331,449,281 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 30,063 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 64.1% | 63.4% |
| Black/African American | 25.3% | 12.4% |
| Asian | 1.7% | 5.8% |
| Native American | 0.3% | 0.9% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.4% |
| Other (single race) | 2.7% | 6.6% |
| Multiple | 5.8% | 10.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 7.1% | 19% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 89.6% | 89.4% |
| College graduation rate | 31.5% | 35% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $66,818 | $78,538 |
| Persons below poverty level | 14.2% | 12.4% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2018-2023). | ||
| **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. | ||
State profile
| Demographic data for South Carolina | ||
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 4,894,834 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 30,061 | 3,531,905 |
| 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. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
South Carolina voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, five are located in South Carolina, accounting for 2.43 percent of the total pivot counties.[2]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. South Carolina had five Retained Pivot Counties, 2.76 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More South Carolina coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in South Carolina
- United States congressional delegations from South Carolina
- Public policy in South Carolina
- Endorsers in South Carolina
- South Carolina fact checks
- More...
See also
| South Carolina | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ States' Rights Democratic Party
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
