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| South Carolina State Senate District 20 | ||
| Current incumbent | Dick Harpootlian  | |
South Carolina's twentieth state senate district is represented by Democratic Senator Dick Harpootlian.
South Carolina state senators represent an average of 100,551 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 87,218 residents.
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.
To be eligible to serve in the South Carolina State Senate a candidate must be:
| State legislators | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $10,400/year | $202.03/legislative day |
If there is a vacancy in the senate, a special election must be held to fill the vacant seat. If candidates plan to seek the nomination through a party convention, the filing period begins on the third Friday after the vacancy happened. The qualifying deadline is ten days after the filing period opens.
If a candidate plans to seek the nomination via petition, all signatures must submitted to the appropriate filing officer no later than sixty days before the election. All signatures must be verified by the filing officer no later than 45 days before the election.
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 eighteenth Tuesday after vacancy occurs. No special election can be held less than 60 days before the general election.
Elections for the office of South Carolina State Senate will take place in 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020. A primary is scheduled for June 9, 2020, and a primary runoff is scheduled for June 23, 2020. The filing deadline is March 30, 2020.
Dick Harpootlian (D) defeated Benjamin Dunn (R) in the special general election for South Carolina State Senate District 20 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Dick Harpootlian (D) |
52.3
|
21,408 |
|
|
Benjamin Dunn (R) |
47.6
|
19,481 | |
| Other/Write-in votes |
0.1
|
55 | ||
|
|
Total votes: 40,944 |
Benjamin Dunn defeated John Holler in the special Republican primary runoff for South Carolina State Senate District 20 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Benjamin Dunn (R) |
57.2
|
1,750 |
|
|
John Holler (R) |
42.8
|
1,312 | |
|
|
Total votes: 3,062 |
Dick Harpootlian defeated Dayna Alane Smith and Kyle Lacio in the special Democratic primary for South Carolina State Senate District 20 on August 14, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Dick Harpootlian (D) |
80.7
|
2,662 |
|
|
Dayna Alane Smith (D) |
11.0
|
362 | |
|
|
Kyle Lacio (D) |
8.3
|
275 | |
|
|
Total votes: 3,299 |
Benjamin Dunn and John Holler advanced to a runoff. They defeated Christian Stegmaier and Bill Turbeville in the special Republican primary for South Carolina State Senate District 20 on August 14, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Benjamin Dunn (R) |
32.3
|
1,254 |
| ✔ |
|
John Holler (R) |
24.7
|
960 |
|
|
Christian Stegmaier (R) |
21.6
|
838 | |
|
|
Bill Turbeville (R) |
21.3
|
827 | |
|
|
Total votes: 3,879 |
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 election runoff was held on June 28, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 30, 2016.
Incumbent John Courson defeated Scott West in the South Carolina State Senate District 20 general election.South Carolina State Senate, District 20 General Election, 2016
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  John Courson Incumbent |
74.86% | 30,267 | |
| Green | Scott West | 25.14% | 10,166 | |
| Total Votes | 40,433 | |||
| Source: South Carolina State Election Commission | ||||
South Carolina State Senate, District 20 Democratic Primary, 2016
| Party | Candidate | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Reddick (unopposed) |
South Carolina State Senate, District 20 Republican Primary, 2016
| Party | Candidate | |
|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Courson Incumbent (unopposed) |
South Carolina State Senate, District 20 Green Primary, 2016
| Party | Candidate | |
|---|---|---|
| Green | Scott West (unopposed) |
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 John E. Courson (R) defeated Robert Rikard (D) and Scott West (G) in the general election and was unopposed in the Republican primary. Rikard defeated Norman Jackson in the Democratic primary.
South Carolina State Senate, District 20, General Election, 2012
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Courson Incumbent |
59.1% | 25,363 | |
| Democratic | Robert Rikard | 38.1% | 16,359 | |
| Green | Scott West | 2.7% | 1,158 | |
| Other | Write-Ins | 0.1% | 43 | |
| Total Votes | 42,923 | |||
South Carolina State Senate District 20 Democratic Primary, 2012
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Robert Rikard |
64.4% | 1,084 |
| Norman Jackson | 35.6% | 600 |
| Total Votes | 1,684 | |
From 2002 to 2016, candidates for South Carolina State Senate District 20 raised a total of $1,382,078. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $106,314 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.
Campaign contributions, South Carolina State Senate District 20
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $199,446 | 2 | $99,723 | |
| 2012 * | $438,139 | 3 | $146,046 | |
| 2010 | $44,225 | 1 | $44,225 | |
| 2008 | $160,039 | 1 | $160,039 | |
| 2006 | $72,711 | 1 | $72,711 | |
| 2004 | $269,889 | 2 | $134,945 | |
| 2002 | $7,100 | 1 | $7,100 | |
| 2000 | $190,529 | 2 | $95,265 | |
| Total | $1,382,078 | 13 | $106,314 | |
| * Campaign finance data for 2012 is incomplete for this district. | ||||
