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South Carolina, Secretary of State

South Carolina held an election for secretary of state on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was March 30, 2018.

SETTING THE STAGE
  • Heading into the 2018 election, the secretary of state of South Carolina was Mark Hammond (R), who was first elected in 2002 and was re-elected in 2006, 2010, and 2014. Hammond announced on May 2, 2017, that he would seek election to a fifth term in 2018.
  • In 2018, South Carolina was under a Republican trifecta. It had held this status since former Gov. Mark Sanford (R) took office in 2003. South Carolina was also a Republican triplex.
  • South Carolina was won by the Republican candidate in each of the presidential elections between 2000 and 2016. The widest margin of victory was George W. Bush's 17 percent margin in 2004, while the narrowest was John McCain's nine percent margin in 2008.

  • State election history

    This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in South Carolina from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the South Carolina Election Commission.

    Historical elections

    Presidential elections, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the results of the presidential election in South Carolina every year from 2000 to 2016.

    Election results (President of the United States), South Carolina 2000-2016

    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2016 Republican Party Donald Trump 54.9% Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 40.7% 14.2%
    2012 Republican Party Mitt Romney 54.6% Democratic Party Barack Obama 44.1% 10.5%
    2008 Republican Party John McCain 53.9% Democratic Party Barack Obama 44.9% 9.0%
    2004 Republican Party George W. Bush 58.0% Democratic Party John Kerry 40.9% 17.1%
    2000 Republican Party George W. Bush 56.8% Democratic Party Al Gore 40.9% 15.9%

    U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in South Carolina from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

    Election results (U.S. Senator), South Carolina 2000-2016

    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2016 Republican Party Tim Scott 60.6% Democratic Party Thomas Dixon 36.9% 23.7%
    2014 Republican Party Tim Scott 61.1% Democratic Party Joyce Dickerson 37.1% 24.0%
    2014 Republican Party Lindsey Graham 54.3% Democratic Party Brad Hutto 38.8% 15.5%
    2010 Republican Party Jim DeMint 61.5% Democratic Party Alvin Greene 27.7% 33.8%
    2008 Republican Party Lindsey Graham 57.5% Democratic Party Bob Conley 42.3% 15.2%
    2004 Republican Party Jim DeMint 53.7% Democratic Party Inez Tenenbaum 44.1% 9.6%
    2002 Republican Party Lindsey Graham 54.4% Democratic Party Alex Sanders 44.2% 10.2%

    Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in South Carolina.

    Election results (Governor), South Carolina 2000-2016

    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2014 Republican Party Nikki Haley 55.9% Democratic Party Vincent Sheheen 41.4% 14.5%
    2010 Republican Party Nikki Haley 51.4% Democratic Party Vincent Sheheen 46.9% 4.5%
    2006 Republican Party Mark Sanford 55.1% Democratic Party Kerry Healey 44.8% 10.3%
    2002 Republican Party Mark Sanford 52.8% Democratic Party Jim Hodges 47.0% 5.8%

    Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent South Carolina in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

    Congressional delegation, South Carolina 2000-2016

    Year Republicans Republicans (%) Democrats Democrats (%) Balance of power
    2016 Republican Party 6 85.7% Democratic Party 1 14.3% R+5
    2014 Republican Party 6 85.7% Democratic Party 1 14.3% R+5
    2012 Republican Party 6 85.7% Democratic Party 1 14.3% R+5
    2010 Republican Party 5 83.3% Democratic Party 1 16.7% R+4
    2008 Republican Party 4 66.7% Democratic Party 2 33.3% R+2
    2006 Republican Party 4 66.7% Democratic Party 2 33.3% R+2
    2004 Republican Party 4 66.7% Democratic Party 2 33.3% R+2
    2002 Republican Party 4 66.7% Democratic Party 2 33.3% R+2
    2000 Republican Party 4 66.7% Democratic Party 2 33.3% R+2

    Trifectas, 1992-2017

    A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

    South Carolina Party Control: 1992-2020
    No Democratic trifectasEighteen years of Republican trifectas

    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
    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
    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
    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


    Demographics

    Demographic data for South Carolina

    South CarolinaU.S.
    Total population:4,894,834316,515,021
    Land area (sq mi):30,0613,531,905
    Gender
    Female:51.4%50.8%
    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)
    for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in South Carolina.

    As of July 2016, South Carolina's three largest cities were Charleston (pop. est. 135,000), Columbia (pop. est. 133,000), and North Charleston (pop. est. 111,000).