The Green Papers: South Carolina 2025 General Election
 
Flag images courtesy of The World Flag Database. Copyright http://www.flags.net/ South Carolina
Elections for Statewide offices and Congress
Senators:2(Electoral Classes 2 and 3)
Governor:1 
2020 Census:5,124,712 (1.65% of 309,785,186)
2024, 2028 Electoral Votes:9(0.00% of 538)
2022-2030 Representatives:7(1.61% of 435)
Capital:Columbia
 

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South Carolina State and Local Government


If no candidate receives at least 50% of the vote in the primary, a runoff will be held between the top two vote-getters.

Voters who voted in a party's primary, can vote only in the runoff of the same party. Voters who did not vote in the primary, may vote in either party's runoff.

The primary is for Democratic and Republican candidates only. Candidates running unopposed for their Party's nomination will not appear on primary ballots.

A defeated primary candidate may not actively offer or campaign as a write-in candidate for the ensuing election. The use of posters or stickers on the ballot is not permitted. The voting machine provides for a voter to write-in a candidate. Write-in votes are not allowed in primary elections or the election of President or Vice-president.

Write-in votes for President of the United States are not allowed by law.

13 May 2022: Governor Henry D. McMaster (Republican) signed S 0108 {Rat #165} that bans fusion voting (candidates can run under the banner of multiple parties) effective in 2023.

The Alliance, Constitution, Green, Independence, Labor, Libertarian, United Citizens, and Working Families Parties may nominate by convention.

 
           

U.S. Senate  6 year term. No Term Limit. 119th Senate  Senate Electoral Classes

Class 2 Republican Senator  Lindsey Olin Graham
First elected: 2002; re-elected: 2008, 2014, 2020.
Seat up for regular election: Tuesday 3 November 2026
 Candidate list (4)
  Candidate Democratic     Kyle Odonnell Freeman
FEC S6SC04197
  Candidate Republican     Senator  Lindsey Olin Graham
FEC S0SC00149
  Candidate Republican     Ethan Clay Holliman
FEC S6SC04189
  Candidate Nonpartisan     Reece Wright-McDonald
FEC S6SC04205

Class 3 Republican Senator  Timothy E. "Tim" Scott
Served in U.S. House- first elected: 2010; re-elected: 2012. Appointed to the U.S. Senate: 2 January 2013 (re: resignation of Senator James W. "Jim" DeMint [Republican]); first elected in a special election: 4 November 2014; re-elected: 2016, 2022.
Seat up for regular election: Tuesday 7 November 2028

Governor  4 year term, Election Cycle: 2022, 2026. Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms, All Governors

  Republican Governor  Henry Dargan McMaster
24 January 2017: Ascended to the Governor's Chair following the resignation of Governor Nikki Randhawa Haley (Republican) who became United Nations Ambassador; first elected: 2018; re-elected: 2022.
Chair up for regular election: Tuesday 3 November 2026
The current Governor is affected by a term limit and cannot run for re-election.
Open Chair - At term limit.

Lieutenant Governor  4 year term, Election Cycle: 2022, 2026. (Beginning in 2018, the Lieutenant Governor will be elected on same ticket with the Governor.)

  Republican Lieutenant Governor  Pamela S. Evette
First elected: 2018; re-elected: 2022.
Seat up for regular election: Tuesday 3 November 2026

119th U.S. House of Representatives  2-year term. Election Cycle 2026, 2028. No Term Limit. 119th House
Partisan Composition (primary disposition):
6 Republican (6 Undetermined);
1 Democratic (1 Undetermined)

Incumbent - 119th Congress
CD 1 Republican Member of Congress  Nancy Ruth Mace
First elected: 2020
Seat up for regular election: Tuesday 3 November 2026

Incumbent - 119th Congress
CD 2 Republican Member of Congress  Addison Graves "Joe" Wilson, Sr.
First Elected 18 December 2001 in a special election to fill the seat vacated by the death of Floyd Spence.
Seat up for regular election: Tuesday 3 November 2026
 9 September 2024: Member of Congress Addison Graves "Joe" Wilson, Sr. is hospitalized in Washington, D.C. with symptoms of a stroke.

Incumbent - 119th Congress
CD 3 Republican Member of Congress Sheryl S. "Sheri" Biggs
First elected: 2024.
Seat up for regular election: Tuesday 3 November 2026

Incumbent - 119th Congress
CD 4 Republican Member of Congress  William Richardson Timmons, IV
First elected: 2018
Seat up for regular election: Tuesday 3 November 2026

Incumbent - 119th Congress
CD 5 Republican Member of Congress  Ralph W. Norman, Jr.
First elected in a Special Election: 20 June 2017 [re: resignation of Member of Congress John Michael "Mick" Mulvaney (Republican) to become Director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Trump Administration]
Seat up for regular election: Tuesday 3 November 2026

Incumbent - 119th Congress
CD 6 Democratic Member of Congress  James Enos "Jim" Clyburn
First elected: 1992
Seat up for regular election: Tuesday 3 November 2026

Incumbent - 119th Congress
CD 7 Republican Member of Congress  Russell W. Fry
First elected: 2022.
Seat up for regular election: Tuesday 3 November 2026

Secretary of State  4 year term, Election Cycle: 2022, 2026

  Republican Secretary of State  John Mark "Mark" Hammond
First elected: 2002; re-elected: 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022.
Seat up for regular election: Tuesday 3 November 2026

Attorney General  4 year term, Election Cycle: 2022, 2026

  Republican Attorney General  Michael Alan "Alan" Wilson
First elected: 2010; re-elected: 2014, 2018, 2022.
Seat up for regular election: Tuesday 3 November 2026

Treasurer  4 year term, Election Cycle: 2022, 2026

  Republican Treasurer  Curtis M. "Curt" Loftis, Jr.
First elected: 2010; re-elected: 2014, 2018, 2022.
Seat up for regular election: Tuesday 3 November 2026

Comptroller General  4 year term, Election Cycle: 2022, 2026

  Democratic Comptroller General Brian J. Gains
Appointed 12 May 2023 by Governor Henry D. McMaster (Republican) [re: resignation of Comptroller General Richard A. Eckstrom]. As this was a recess appointment, he will serve until such time as the General Assembly shall elect a successor.
Seat up for regular election: Tuesday 3 November 2026
 Candidate list (1)
  Candidate Republican     Kirkman Finlay, III
 23 March 2023: Comptroller General Richard A. Eckstrom, who was first elected in 2002; re-elected in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022, announced his resignation effective 30 April 2023 following a $3.5 billion error in the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report. The state legislature will elect a replacement to fill the remainder of the 4 year term which ends in January 2027.

Commissioner of Agriculture  4 year term, Election Cycle: 2022, 2026

  Republican Agriculture Commissioner  Hugh E. Weathers
Named Interim Commissioner of Agriculture for the State of South Carolina on 14 September 2004 by Governor Mark Sanford upon the suspension of Republican Agriculture Commissioner Charles "Charlie" Sharpe; first elected: 2006; re-elected: 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022.
Seat up for regular election: Tuesday 3 November 2026

Superintendent of Education  4 year term, Election Cycle: 2022, 2026

  Republican Education Superintendent  Ellen Weaver
First elected: 2022.
Seat up for regular election: Tuesday 3 November 2026
 

Political Parties    Parties appear in parenthesis and italics when a candidate receives the endorsement of a given Party and/or official sources indicate a candidate's association with a particular Party but only where the Party in question does not appear on the actual ballot as such.

Major Parties   Those parties which received electoral votes through winning a plurality of a state's [or the District of Columbia's] popular vote in any presidential election between 1984 and 2016. See Classification of Political parties.
  Democratic (affiliates): 2 incumbents, 1 candidate
  Republican: 15 incumbents, 3 candidates
Major Third Parties   Any Party, other than a Major Party, receiving a minimum of 15/100ths of 1 percent of the nationwide popular vote in any presidential election between 1984 and 2016. See Classification of Political parties.
  Constitution (affiliates)
  Green (affiliates)
Other Third Parties
  American
  Labor
  Unity
  Workers Party
  Working Families
Independents
  Nonpartisan: 1 candidate
 
Candidates running under the banner of more than one party are counted towards each party's total. A candidate who has lost a primary or is apparently no longer a candidate is not counted.

Notes

Candidates for office appear on this page in italics where 'The Green Papers' does not yet have independent confirmation from a legal election authority that the person has been officially certified to appear on the ballot.

Primary dates marked "presumably" and polling times marked "reportedly" are based on unofficial or estimated data (especially as regards local variations from a jurisdictionwide statutory and/or regulatory standard) and are, thereby, subject to change.

"FEC" indicates the Federal Election Commission (FEC) Campaign Finance Summary.

When available, we post each candidate's FEC identification number, the date of their most recently filed Report of Receipts and Disbursements, their "Tot" [Total Receipts (contributions received or what came in: FEC Form 3, Line 16, Column B)] and their "Dsb" [Total Disbursements (expenditures or what was spent: FEC Form 3, Line 23, Column B)]. A link is provided to the Federal Election Commission's Summary Report for those who might wish to explore the details.

If a candidate raises or spends $5,000 or less, he or she is not subject to FEC reporting requirements.


Links Links to other web sites

Election Authority
  South Carolina State Election Commission
Democratic
  South Carolina Democratic Party
  South Carolina House Democratic Caucus
  South Carolina Senate Democratic Caucus
Republican
  South Carolina Republican Party
  The South Carolina Senate Republican Caucus
Third Party
  Alliance Party formerly called The American Party of South Carolina
  Labor Party
  South Carolina Green Party
  South Carolina Workers Party
  South Carolina Working Families Party
  The Constitution Party of South Carolina
  The Unity Party of South Carolina
Media & others
  FITSNews - Sic Willie
  Greenville Magazine
  Lexington County Chronicle
  Politics1.com - South Carolina
  South Carolina Citizens for Life (SCCL is a non-partisan, non-sectarian pro-life organization and is the state affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee)
  Statehouse Report - Charleston
  The Item - Sumter
  The Lancaster News
  The News & Reporter - Chester County
  The Post and Courier - Charleston
  The Times and Democrat - Orangeburg
  The Union Daily Times
  WCIV TV - ABC - Mount Pleasant
  WCSC TV - CBS - Charleston
  WIS TV - NBC - Columbia
  WLTX TV - CBS - Columbia

 


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