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South Carolina State Senate District 45
South Carolina State Senate District 45 is represented by Margie Bright Matthews (D).
As of the 2020 Census, South Carolina state senators represented an average of 111,407 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 100,999 residents.
About the chamber
Members of the South Carolina State Senate serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. South Carolina legislators assume office the Monday after the election.[1]
Qualifications
To be eligible to serve in the South Carolina State Senate a candidate must be:[2]
- A U.S. citizen at the time of filing
- A registered voter
- 25 years old at the filing deadline time
- A resident of the district at the filing deadline time
- Not have been convicted of a felony or offense against election laws unless it has been 15 years since the completion of the sentence for the crime or unless the person has been pardoned
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[3] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $10,400/year | $231/day |
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the South Carolina Legislature, the presiding officer of the chamber in which the vacancy happens must call for a special election. If candidates plan to seek the nomination through a political party primary or a political party convention, the filing period begins on the third Friday after the vacancy occurs. The qualifying deadline is eight days after the filing period opens.[4]
If a candidate plans to seek the nomination via petition, all signatures must be submitted to the appropriate filing officer no later than 60 days before the election. All signatures must be verified by the filing officer no later than 45 days before the election.[5]
A primary election must be held on the eleventh Tuesday after the vacancy occurs. If necessary, a primary runoff must be held on the thirteenth Tuesday after the vacancy occurs. The special election is held on the twentieth Tuesday after the vacancy occurs. If the twentieth Tuesday after the vacancy occurs is less than 60 days prior to the general election, the special election must be held on the same day as the general election.[5][6]
See sources: South Carolina Const. Art. III, § 25 and South Carolina Code Ann. § 7-13-190
2016 pivot county
This district was one of 710 state legislative districts that, based on boundaries adopted after the 2010 census, intersected with one or more Pivot Counties. These 206 Pivot Counties voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012.
The 206 Pivot Counties were located in 34 states. Iowa, with 31, had the most such counties. At that time, the partisan makeup of state legislative districts intersecting with Pivot Counties was slightly more Republican than the overall partisan makeup of state legislatures throughout the country.[7]
District map
Redistricting
2020 redistricting cycle
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.[8]
The House maps were updated on June 28, 2022, by Senate Bill 1024. The updated maps became effective for the 2024 elections.[9][10]
How does redistricting in South Carolina work? In South Carolina, congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the state legislature. These lines are subject to veto by the governor.[11]
South Carolina's legislative redistricting committees adopted redistricting guidelines in 2011. These guidelines recommend that all congressional and state legislative districts be contiguous and "attempt to preserve communities of interest and cores of incumbents' existing districts." Further, the guidelines suggest that districts should "adhere to county, municipal, and voting precinct boundary lines." These guidelines may modified by the legislature at its discretion.[11]
South Carolina State Senate District 45
until November 10, 2024
Click a district to compare boundaries.
South Carolina State Senate District 45
starting November 11, 2024
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2024
See also: South Carolina State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for South Carolina State Senate District 45
Incumbent Margie Bright Matthews won election in the general election for South Carolina State Senate District 45 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Margie Bright Matthews (D) | 97.7 | 31,710 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 2.3 | 746 | ||
| Total votes: 32,456 | |||
 = 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 election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Margie Bright Matthews advanced from the Democratic primary for South Carolina State Senate District 45.
2020
General election
General election for South Carolina State Senate District 45
Incumbent Margie Bright Matthews defeated Rodney Buncum in the general election for South Carolina State Senate District 45 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Margie Bright Matthews (D) | 59.4 | 28,767 |
 | Rodney Buncum (R) | 40.5 | 19,608 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 47 | ||
| Total votes: 48,422 | |||
| = 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 election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Margie Bright Matthews advanced from the Democratic primary for South Carolina State Senate District 45.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Rodney Buncum advanced from the Republican primary for South Carolina State Senate District 45.
2016
Elections for the South Carolina State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 14, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The primary runoff election was held on June 28, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 30, 2016.
Incumbent Margie Bright Matthews ran unopposed in the South Carolina State Senate District 45 general election.[12][13]
| South Carolina State Senate, District 45 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Margie Bright Matthews Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 29,994 | |
| Total Votes | 29,994 | |||
| Source: South Carolina State Election Commission | ||||
Incumbent Margie Bright Matthews ran unopposed in the South Carolina State Senate District 45 Democratic primary.[14][15]
| South Carolina State Senate, District 45 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Margie Bright Matthews Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2015
A special election for the position of South Carolina State Senate District 45 was called for October 20. A primary election took place on September 1. A primary runoff election took place on September 15. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was July 13.[16]
The seat was vacant following the death of Clementa Pinckney (D) on June 17, 2015, in a mass shooting at an AME church in Charleston, South Carolina.[17]
Margie Bright Matthews, R. Keith Horton, Richmond Truesdale, Korey Williams, John E. Washington, Kenneth Hodges, William Bowman, Chauncey Barnwell, Sheree Darien, Libbie Henry Green and Kent Fletcher faced off in the Democratic primary. Since no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters, Bright Matthews and Hodges, met in a runoff election, which Bright Matthews won.[18] Alberto Fernandez was unopposed in the Republican primary. Leilani Bessinger withdrew from the race before the Republican primary.[16][19] Bright Matthews defeated Fernandez in the special election.[20]
| South Carolina State Senate, District 45, Special election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Margie Bright Matthews |
88.5% | 5,763 | |
| Republican | Alberto Fernandez | 11.5% | 750 | |
| Write-ins | Write-ins | 0% | 2 | |
| Total Votes | 6,515 | |||
| South Carolina State Senate, District 45, Democratic Runoff, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Margie Bright Matthews |
56.2% | 3,908 | |
| Democratic | Kenneth Hodges | 43.8% | 3,042 | |
| Total Votes | 6,950 | |||
| South Carolina State Senate, District 45 Democratic Primary, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|
Margie Bright Matthews (advanced to runoff) |
36.9% | 2,622 |
| Kenneth Hodges (advanced to runoff) |
34.7% | 2,467 |
| Korey Williams | 9.3% | 663 |
| Kent Fletcher | 4.4% | 316 |
| William Bowman | 4% | 288 |
| Sheree Darien | 3.6% | 253 |
| R. Keith Horton | 3.4% | 245 |
| John E. Washington | 1.4% | 99 |
| Libbie Henry Green | 1.1% | 78 |
| Chauncey Barnwell | 0.7% | 53 |
| Richmond Truesdale | 0.4% | 29 |
| Total Votes | 7,113 | |
2012
Elections for the office of South Carolina State Senate consisted of a primary election on June 12, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 30, 2012. Incumbent Clementa Pinckney (D) defeated Leilani Bessinger (R) in the general election. Neither candidate faced opposition in their primary.[21][22]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Clementa Pinckney Incumbent |
66.1% | 26,825 | |
| Republican | Leilani Bessinger | 33.6% | 13,652 | |
| Other | Write-Ins | 0.3% | 110 | |
| Total Votes | 40,587 | |||
Campaign contributions
From 2000 to 2024, candidates for South Carolina State Senate District 45 raised a total of $324,264. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $20,266 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, South Carolina State Senate District 45 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2024 | $76,912 | 1 | $76,912 |
| 2020 | $79,192 | 2 | $39,596 |
| 2016 | $14,764 | 1 | $14,764 |
| 2012 | $9,804 | 2 | $4,902 |
| 2010 | $750 | 1 | $750 |
| 2008 | $46,676 | 3 | $15,559 |
| 2006 | $1,000 | 1 | $1,000 |
| 2004 | $20,850 | 1 | $20,850 |
| 2002 | $2,550 | 1 | $2,550 |
| 2000 | $71,766 | 3 | $23,922 |
| Total | $324,264 | 16 | $20,266 |
Other election results in district
The map below highlight's this state legislative district and provides election results from the most recent election. Using the dropdown on the left, you can choose to view results for the most recent presidential election or U.S. House district election instead. This will show you the votes cast in this district for that election. The dropdown on the right will let you see either the map colored by the percentage of votes the winning candidate received or let you know the number and type of votes cast by size and shade of the circle in each county.
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See also
- South Carolina State Legislature
- South Carolina State Senate
- South Carolina House of Representatives
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ South Carolina Legislature, "Article III - Legislative Department," accessed October 4, 2021
- ↑ South Carolina Election Commission, "Candidates," accessed May 23, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ South Carolina State Legislature, "South Carolina Code," accessed February 17, 2021 (Statute 7-13-190 (A)-(B))
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 South Carolina State Legislature, "South Carolina Code," accessed February 17, 2021 (Statute 7-13-190 (B))
- ↑ South Carolina State Legislature, "South Carolina Constitution," accessed February 17, 2021 (Article 3, Section 25)
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 All About Redistricting, "South Carolina," accessed May 8, 2015
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Candidate listing for the 11/8/2016 statewide general election," accessed August 26, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "2016 Statewide General Election," accessed November 28, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina Election Commission, "Candidate Tracking," accessed March 31, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Unofficial primary election results," accessed June 14, 2016
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 scvotes.org, "State Senate District 45 Special Election," accessed June 26, 2015
- ↑ NBC News, "'This Is a Hate Crime': Nine People Killed at Historic South Carolina Church," June 18, 2015
- ↑ scvotes.org, "State Senate District 45 Democratic Primary Runoff," accessed September 16, 2015
- ↑ scvotes.org, "State Senate District 45 Democratic Primary," accessed September 16, 2015
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "State Senate District 45 Special Election," accessed October 21, 2015
- ↑ "South Carolina State Election Commission - Official General Election Results," accessed October 29, 2013
- ↑ "South Carolina State Election Commission - Official Primary Results," accessed October 29, 2013
