akashic
1876–2024
State House District 8·South Carolina

South Carolina 8th State House District changed its political identity in living memory.

One of South Carolina's most lopsided legislative districts by presidential margin

18762024·38 elections
SC
Latest
R+47
in 2024
Archetype
Realigner
since the recent cycles
Population
38,481
2024 ACS

South Carolina 8th State House District, South Carolina: Realigner district. In 2024, voted R+47%. Democratic peak: D+99 in 1916.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
R+47MIT Election Lab
Political archetype
RealignerAkashic typology
Population
38,4812024 5-year
Median household income
$66,6512024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
76.5%2024 5-year
Black
13.6%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
5.2%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+99 in 1916MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin
R+53 in 1972MIT Election Lab
1 counties · 0 D · 1 R
R+60
D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
R
−47.4%
4,62213,13217,971
R
−42.0%
4,96712,35317,569
R
−43.7%
3,85710,28114,715
R
−36.4%
4,0968,90513,202
R
−33.3%
4,4128,90213,490
R
−35.0%
3,7847,92711,833
R
−28.6%
3,5856,55010,363
R
−14.6%
3,1924,4138,368
R
−18.2%
2,9384,5338,770
R
−35.6%
2,2454,7427,017
R
−39.8%
1,8884,4106,342
D
+8.9%
3,4372,8646,455
D
+33.2%
3,4741,7365,239
R
−52.7%
9583,2024,258
O
−1.9%
9541,0354,253
D
+16.3%
2,1341,5353,669
D
+56.7%
2,5417033,244
D
+62.0%
2,0744002,701
D
+55.5%
2,1336102,743
D
+61.5%
47219736
D
+87.3%
49116544
D
+95.5%
68816704
D
+99.3%
7360741
D
+99.3%
7440749
D
+93.2%
32511337
D
+98.5%
2662268
D
+97.4%
4556461
D
+99.4%
4771479
D
+95.4%
3950414
D
+94.4%
38411395
D
+93.5%
35712369
D
+93.2%
34012352
D
+78.4%
56867639
D
+79.5%
41135473
No data
No data
No data
No data

Demographics

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
14.7%
American
12.5%
Irish
11.2%
German
8.8%
Scottish
2.9%
Italian
2.5%
Polish
1.8%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
95.0%
speak English only
Spanish2.8%
Other Indo-European1.3%
Other languages0.5%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.4%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Baptist
48.2%
Other Christian
11.1%
Methodist
4.4%
Catholic & Orthodox
3.3%
Pentecostal & Holiness
3.1%
Mainline Protestant
2.2%
Non-Christian
0.2%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 27.5% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

With a 2024 presidential margin of R+41.6, this rural district ranks among the most one-sided in the state, leaving little competitive pressure in legislative contests and reflecting deep partisan sorting across its 41,000 residents.

The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in South Carolina 8th State House District peaked at ninety-nine points in 1916; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 1984 election delivered the district to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of forty points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.

The economic and demographic context is severe. The median household income of $66,651 is among the lowest at this geographic scale; 15% of residents live below the federal poverty line.

Compare two places, side by side

Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →

Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
State House District 8, South Carolina. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/45008/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did State House District 8, South Carolina vote in 2024?
In 2024, State House District 8, South Carolina voted Republican by 47.4 points (R+47), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 17,971 votes cast, 4,622 went Democratic and 13,132 went Republican.
What is State House District 8, South Carolina's political archetype?
Akashic classifies State House District 8, South Carolina as a "Realigner" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 21 times, Republican 12 times, and other 1 times.
When did State House District 8, South Carolina last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which State House District 8, South Carolina voted Democratic was 1980.
How many people live in State House District 8, South Carolina?
State House District 8, South Carolina has a population of 38,481 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in State House District 8, South Carolina?
Median household income in State House District 8, South Carolina is $66,651 — below the national median of $80,734. The South Carolina state median is $69,324.
What is the political history of State House District 8, South Carolina?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in State House District 8, South Carolina from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 21 went Democratic and 12 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Realigner" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.