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South Carolina held an election for agriculture commissioner on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was March 30, 2018.
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.
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 |  Donald Trump |
54.9% |  Hillary Clinton |
40.7% | 14.2% |
| 2012 | Mitt Romney |
54.6% | Barack Obama |
44.1% | 10.5% |
| 2008 | John McCain |
53.9% | Barack Obama |
44.9% | 9.0% |
| 2004 | George W. Bush |
58.0% | John Kerry |
40.9% | 17.1% |
| 2000 | George W. Bush |
56.8% | Al Gore |
40.9% | 15.9% |
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 | Tim Scott |
60.6% | Thomas Dixon |
36.9% | 23.7% |
| 2014 | Tim Scott |
61.1% | Joyce Dickerson |
37.1% | 24.0% |
| 2014 | Lindsey Graham |
54.3% | Brad Hutto |
38.8% | 15.5% |
| 2010 | Jim DeMint |
61.5% | Alvin Greene |
27.7% | 33.8% |
| 2008 | Lindsey Graham |
57.5% | Bob Conley |
42.3% | 15.2% |
| 2004 | Jim DeMint |
53.7% | Inez Tenenbaum |
44.1% | 9.6% |
| 2002 | Lindsey Graham |
54.4% | Alex Sanders |
44.2% | 10.2% |
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 | Nikki Haley |
55.9% | Vincent Sheheen |
41.4% | 14.5% |
| 2010 | Nikki Haley |
51.4% | Vincent Sheheen |
46.9% | 4.5% |
| 2006 | Mark Sanford |
55.1% | Kerry Healey |
44.8% | 10.3% |
| 2002 | Mark Sanford |
52.8% | Jim Hodges |
47.0% | 5.8% |
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 | 6 |
85.7% | 1 |
14.3% | R+5 |
| 2014 | 6 |
85.7% | 1 |
14.3% | R+5 |
| 2012 | 6 |
85.7% | 1 |
14.3% | R+5 |
| 2010 | 5 |
83.3% | 1 |
16.7% | R+4 |
| 2008 | 4 |
66.7% | 2 |
33.3% | R+2 |
| 2006 | 4 |
66.7% | 2 |
33.3% | R+2 |
| 2004 | 4 |
66.7% | 2 |
33.3% | R+2 |
| 2002 | 4 |
66.7% | 2 |
33.3% | R+2 |
| 2000 | 4 |
66.7% | 2 |
33.3% | R+2 |
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 trifectas • Eighteen 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 |
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 |
| 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).
