South Carolina — Elections 1892–2024

presidential history

Presidential margin, 1892–2024

Democratic minus Republican, by election

Presidential margin over time
Year	Margin (D minus R)
1892	+58.6%
1896	+71.8%
1900	+86.0%
1904	+90.8%
1908	+87.8%
1912	+95.9%
1916	+94.3%
1920	+92.1%
1924	+94.3%
1928	+82.9%
1932	+98.0%
1936	+98.6%
1940	+91.3%
1944	+83.2%
1948	+20.4%
1952	+1.4%
1956	+20.2%
1960	+2.5%
1964	−17.8%
1968	−8.5%
1972	−42.7%
1976	+13.1%
1980	−1.5%
1984	−28.0%
1988	−23.9%
1992	−8.1%
1996	−6.0%
2000	−15.9%
2004	−17.1%
2008	−9.0%
2012	−10.5%
2016	−14.3%
2020	−11.7%
2024	−17.9%

DemocraticRepublican

34 presidential elections

Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
Year	Won	Democratic	Republican	Other	Margin	Total
2024	R	40.4%Harris1,028,452	58.2%Trump1,483,747	0.5%Oliver12,669	−17.9%	2,548,140
2020	R	43.4%Biden1,091,541	55.1%Trump1,385,103	1.1%Jorgensen27,916	−11.7%	2,513,329
2016	R	40.7%Clinton855,373	54.9%Trump1,155,389	2.3%Johnson49,204	−14.3%	2,103,027
2012	R	44.1%Obama865,941	54.6%Romney1,071,645	0.8%Johnson16,321	−10.5%	1,964,118
2008	R	44.9%Obama862,449	53.9%McCain1,034,896	0.4%Barr7,283	−9.0%	1,920,969
2004	R	40.9%Kerry661,699	58.0%Bush937,974	0.3%Nader5,520	−17.1%	1,617,730
2000	R	40.9%Gore566,039	56.8%Bush786,426	1.5%Nader20,279	−15.9%	1,383,777
1996	R	43.9%Clinton504,051	49.9%Dole573,458	5.6%Perot64,377	−6.0%	1,149,457
1992	R	39.9%Clinton479,514	48.0%Bush577,507	9.9%Perot119,257	−8.1%	1,202,527
1988	R	37.6%Dukakis370,554	61.5%Bush606,443	0.5%Paul4,935	−23.9%	986,009
1984	R	35.6%Mondale344,470	63.6%Reagan615,539	0.5%Bergland4,359	−28.0%	968,540
1980	R	48.0%Carter427,559	49.6%Reagan441,206	1.6%Anderson13,868	−1.5%	890,105
1976	D	56.2%Carter450,825	43.2%Ford346,140	0.4%Anderson2,996	+13.1%	801,913
1972	R	27.9%McGovern189,270	70.6%Nixon478,427	1.5%Schmitz10,166	−42.7%	677,863
1968	R	29.6%Humphrey197,486	38.1%Nixon254,062	32.3%Wallace215,434	−8.5%	666,982
1964	R	41.1%Johnson215,699	58.9%Goldwater309,048	0.0%Hass8	−17.8%	524,755
1960	D	51.2%Kennedy198,129	48.8%Nixon188,558	0.0%Byrd1	+2.5%	386,688
1956	D	45.4%Stevenson136,372	25.2%Eisenhower75,700	29.4%Andrews88,511	+20.2%	300,583
1952	D	50.7%Stevenson173,004	49.3%Eisenhower168,082	0.0%	+1.4%	341,086
1948	O	24.1%Truman34,423	3.8%Dewey5,386	72.1%Thurmond102,762	Thurmond +47.9	142,571
1944	D	87.6%Roosevelt90,601	4.5%Dewey4,617	7.9%Thomas8,164	+83.2%	103,382
1940	D	95.6%Roosevelt95,470	4.4%Willkie4,360	0.0%Thomas2	+91.3%	99,832
1936	D	98.6%Roosevelt113,791	0.0%Landon0	1.4%Lemke1,646	+98.6%	115,437
1932	D	98.0%Roosevelt102,347	0.0%Hoover0	2.0%Thomas2,060	+98.0%	104,407
1928	D	91.4%Smith62,700	8.5%Hoover5,858	0.1%Thomas47	+82.9%	68,605
1924	D	96.6%Davis49,008	2.2%Coolidge1,123	1.2%La Follette624	+94.3%	50,755
1920	D	96.1%Cox64,170	3.9%Harding2,610	0.0%Debs28	+92.1%	66,808
1916	D	96.7%Wilson61,846	2.4%Hughes1,550	0.9%Benson556	+94.3%	63,952
1912	D	95.9%Wilson48,357	0.0%Taft0	4.1%Roosevelt2,048	+95.9%	50,405
1908	D	93.8%Bryan62,290	6.0%Taft3,963	0.2%Debs152	+87.8%	66,405
1904	D	95.4%Parker53,304	4.6%Roosevelt2,570	0.0%	+90.8%	55,874
1900	D	93.0%Bryan47,233	7.0%McKinley3,559	0.0%	+86.0%	50,792
1896	D	85.3%Bryan58,799	13.5%McKinley9,313	1.2%Palmer828	+71.8%	68,940
1892	D	77.6%Cleveland54,698	19.0%Harrison13,384	3.4%Weaver2,407	+58.6%	70,489

2026 election

On the ballot

Governoropen seat

Alan WilsonnomineeJermaine Johnsonnominee

OPEN seat: incumbent Gov. Henry McMaster (R) is term-limited (capitalization: McMaster) - first open SC governor's race since 2010. The crowded GOP primary (June 9) went to a June 23 2026 runoff, which Attorney General Alan Wilson won over Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (~66-34), defeating the candidate Trump backed late. State Rep. Jermaine Johnson won the Democratic primary outright June 9 (~58%). Both nominees set.

Full 2026 forecast →

U.S. Senate

Lindsey GrahamnomineeAnnie AndrewsnomineeKasie WhitenernomineeMark Hackettnominee

Primary 2026-06-09. Graham won GOP 56.8%; Andrews won Dem 61.5%.

Full 2026 forecast →

Source · Akashic 2026 forecast.

Congressional elections · 157 House races · 16 Senate races

U.S. House

Source · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL), House. CC-BY 4.0. Seat totals count district winners; vote shares aggregate every district.
Seats won	D %	R %	Total
D 1 · R 6	39.0%	59.6%	2,474,904
D 1 · R 6	32.3%	65.9%	1,602,341
D 1 · R 6	43.0%	56.4%	2,505,442
D 2 · R 5	44.4%	54.3%	1,709,292

U.S. Senate

Source · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL), Senate. CC-BY 4.0.
Year	Won	Democratic	Republican	Total
2022	R	37.0%627,616	62.9%1,066,274	1,695,702
2020	R	44.2%1,110,828	54.5%1,369,137	2,512,810
2016	R	34.4%704,540	60.6%1,241,609	2,048,036
2014	R	37.0%456,726	54.5%672,941	1,235,301
2010	R	28.1%364,598	62.5%810,771	1,296,841
2008	R	42.3%790,621	57.7%1,076,534	1,867,155
2004	R	44.1%704,384	53.7%857,167	1,595,935
2002	R	44.2%487,359	54.4%600,010	1,102,245
1998	D	52.7%563,377	45.7%488,238	1,068,606
1996	R	44.0%510,951	53.4%619,859	1,161,231
1992	D	50.1%591,030	47.0%554,175	1,179,735
1990	R	32.5%244,112	64.2%482,032	750,266
1986	D	63.1%465,500	35.6%262,886	737,763
1984	R	31.8%306,982	66.8%644,815	965,130
1980	D	70.4%612,554	29.6%257,946	870,500
1978	R	44.3%280,146	55.7%351,917	632,063

voter registration

Registered voters

Total registered voters, over time

Registered voters

Voter registration in South Carolina
Year	Total registered
2016	3,157,027
2018	3,538,580
2020	3,854,209
2022	3,740,723
2024	3,851,187

Source: U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAVS)

Black residents make up 24.6 percent of South Carolina, among the largest shares of any state, and the Democratic vote runs where that share is highest — Allendale by 44.7 points, Columbia’s Richland County by 34.6 — even as the state moved 6.2 points toward Trump.

Republican, and widening: R+11.7 (2020) → R+17.9 (2024) — a 6.2-point move toward Trump; 1,483,747 to 1,028,452 · MIT Election Lab
One of the largest Black shares: 24.6% of residents are Black — among the largest shares of any state; the Democratic vote runs where it is highest · ACS 2024 5-year (B03002)
The Lowcountry, Pee Dee, and Columbia: Allendale D+44.7 (bluest), Richland — Columbia — D+34.6, Orangeburg D+24.6, Williamsburg D+21.7; Harris carried 12 of 46 counties · MIT Election Lab 2024
The Republican Upstate: Pickens R+52.7 (reddest); Greenville County cast 158,541 Republican votes, the largest county total in the state · MIT Election Lab 2024
The coast and Upstate moved: Horry — the Grand Strand — R+33.2 (2020) → R+38.5 (2024); Spartanburg R+27.3 → R+33.6 · MIT Election Lab / Akashic county returns
Open governor in 2026: McMaster term-limited — Alan Wilson (R), the attorney general, vs Jermaine Johnson (D); Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) seeks a 5th term · Akashic 2026 forecast

Political twins — states

The states whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.

Mississippi

93.8twin score

2000–2024 trajectory≠ % Black

Alabama

93.4twin score

% Black2000 margin% Catholic≠ % Evangelical

Tennessee

84.7twin score

% Evangelical2008 marginmedian income≠ American ancestry

Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.

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 →

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All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.

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Largest cities in South Carolina

South Carolina at the ballot boxAll elections →

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Places within South Carolina

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Frequently asked questions

How did South Carolina vote in 2024?

In 2024, South Carolina voted Republican by 17.9 points (R+17.9), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 2,548,140 votes cast, 1,028,452 went Democratic and 1,483,747 went Republican.

When did South Carolina last vote Democratic?

The most recent presidential election in which South Carolina voted Democratic was 1976.

How many people live in South Carolina?

South Carolina has a population of 5,296,225 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.

What is the median household income in South Carolina?

Median household income in South Carolina is $69,324 — below the national median of $80,734. The South Carolina state median is $69,324.

What is the political history of South Carolina?

Akashic tracks 34 presidential elections in South Carolina from 1892 to 2024. Of those, 18 went Democratic and 15 went Republican.

South Carolina, South Carolina

U.S. House

U.S. Senate

Compare two places, side by side

Places within South Carolina

Frequently asked questions