Governor of South Carolina

South Carolina Governor
General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$106,078
2024 FY Budget:	$4,395,115
Term limits:	Two consecutive terms
Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	South Carolina Constitution, Article IV, Section I
Selection Method:	Elected
Current Officeholder
Governor of South Carolina Henry McMaster Republican Party Assumed office: January 24, 2017
Elections
Next election:	November 3, 2026
Last election:	November 8, 2022
Other South Carolina Executive Offices
Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Comptroller • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Superintendent of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Commissioner • Labor Commissioner • Public Service Commission

The Governor of the State of South Carolina is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch and the holder of the highest state office in South Carolina. The Governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and is limited to two consecutive terms.

South Carolina has a Republican trifecta. The Republican Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.

South Carolina has a Republican triplex. The Republican Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.

See also: South Carolina State Legislature, South Carolina House of Representatives, South Carolina State Senate

Current officer

The current governor is Henry McMaster, a Republican. McMaster succeeded former Governor Nikki Haley (R), who was confirmed as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations on January 24, 2017. McMaster served the remainder of Haley's term, which expired in January 2019.

Authority

The state Constitution addresses the office of the governor in Article IV, the Executive Department.

Under Article IV, Section I:

The supreme executive authority of this State shall be vested in a Chief Magistrate, who shall be styled "The Governor of the State of South Carolina."

Qualifications

State Executives
Current Governors
Gubernatorial Elections
2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014
Current Lt. Governors
Lt. Governor Elections
2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014

A candidate for the governor must be:

• at least 30 years old
• a citizen of the United States
• a resident of South Carolina for at least five years
• believe in the existence of the "Supreme Being" (unenforceable)

Additionally, the Governor may not hold office or a commission under any other power, excepting that of a militia.

In 1996, a man named Herb Silverman challenged the portion of the state constitution that required a belief in the "Supreme Being," arguing that it violated the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and the constitutional prohibition on religious tests being required to hold public office. The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that the requirement for gubernatorial candidates to believe in the "Supreme Being" did violate the United States Constitution. While the requirement has not technically been repealed, it is unenforceable.

Vacancies

See also: How gubernatorial vacancies are filled

Details of vacancy appointments are addressed under Article IV, Sections 6 and 7 and under Article IV, Section 11 and 12

If a governor-elect dies or declines to take office, the lieutenant governor-elect shall take office as the governor and serve the full term. If the governor-elect is temporarily unable to take the oath, the lieutenant governor-elect takes office as acting governor only until the governor-elect is able to take the oath.

If the governor-elect and the lieutenant governor-elect are both unable to take office, the gubernatorial powers devolve through the line of succession, subject to the dual-office holding provision of the Constitution.

The lieutenant governor is acting governor and has the powers to act in an emergency in the event of the temporary absence or disability of the governor. The governor declares her or his temporary or permanent disability to discharge the office in writing to the President Pro Tem of the Senate and the Speaker of the House. In the case of a temporary disability, she or he also declares her or his ability to resume the office in the same manner.

If a majority of the officers serving as attorney general, the secretary of state, the comptroller general, and the state treasurer transmit, in writing, a declaration to the Senate President Pro Tem and the Speaker of the House, that the governor is unfit the serve, the Lieutenant Governor shall immediately become the acting governor.

The governor then may declare to the General Assembly that no such inability exists and will resume the office unless a majority of the members of the Assembly transmit their written declaration to the contrary to the President Pro Tem and the Senate. In that case, the Assembly has 21 days, excluding Sundays, to convene and vote on the issue, requiring a two-thirds vote to remove the governor.

The lieutenant governor also becomes the acting governor in the event of the death, resignation, or removal of the governor, and acts as governor during an impeachment until a judgment is rendered in the impeachment trial.

Elections

South Carolina state government organizational chart

South Carolina elects governors in the midterm elections, that is, even years that are not presidential election years. For South Carolina, 2018, 2022, 2026, 2030, and 2034 are all gubernatorial election years. Legally, the gubernatorial inauguration is always set for the first Wednesday following the second Tuesday in the January following an election.

If there is a tie, a joint session of the legislature shall cast ballots to choose the governor from the two highest vote-getters.

As of 2018, the governor and lieutenant governor are elected on a joint ticket. The change is the result of a ballot measure passed by voters in 2012.

Term limits

See also: States with gubernatorial term limits

South Carolina governors are restricted to two consecutive terms in office, after which they must wait one term before being eligible to run again.

South Carolina Constitution, Article IV, Section 3

No person shall be elected Governor for more than two successive terms.

Partisan composition

The chart below shows the partisan breakdown of South Carolina governors from 1992 to 2013.

2022

See also: South Carolina gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022

General election

General election for Governor of South Carolina

Incumbent Henry McMaster defeated Joe Cunningham and Morgan Bruce Reeves in the general election for Governor of South Carolina on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Henry McMaster (R)	58.0	988,501
		Joe Cunningham (D)	40.7	692,691
		Morgan Bruce Reeves (L)	1.2	20,826
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	1,174

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,703,192
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jokie Beckett Jr. (Independence Party)
• Michael Copland (Independence Party)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of South Carolina

Joe Cunningham defeated Mia McLeod, Carlton Boyd, William Williams, and Calvin McMillan in the Democratic primary for Governor of South Carolina on June 14, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joe Cunningham	56.4	102,473
		Mia McLeod	31.1	56,406
		Carlton Boyd	5.3	9,579
		William Williams	3.8	6,829
		Calvin McMillan	3.5	6,303

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 181,590
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of South Carolina

Incumbent Henry McMaster defeated Harrison Musselwhite in the Republican primary for Governor of South Carolina on June 14, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Henry McMaster	83.3	306,543
		Harrison Musselwhite	16.7	61,462

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 368,005
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Al BellaVance (R)
• Mindy Steele (R)

Independence Party convention

Independence Party convention for Governor of South Carolina

Jokie Beckett Jr. and Michael Copland advanced from the Independence Party convention for Governor of South Carolina on May 27, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Jokie Beckett Jr. (Independence Party)
✔		Michael Copland (Independence Party)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Gary Votour (Labor Party)

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Governor of South Carolina

Morgan Bruce Reeves advanced from the Libertarian convention for Governor of South Carolina on June 18, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Morgan Bruce Reeves (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2018

See also: South Carolina gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018

General election

General election for Governor of South Carolina

Incumbent Henry McMaster defeated James Smith Jr. in the general election for Governor of South Carolina on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Henry McMaster (R)	54.0	921,342
		James Smith Jr. (D)	45.9	784,182
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	2,045

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,707,569
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Martin Barry (American Party)

Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for Governor of South Carolina

Incumbent Henry McMaster defeated John Warren in the Republican primary runoff for Governor of South Carolina on June 26, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Henry McMaster	53.6	184,286
		John Warren	46.4	159,349

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 343,635
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of South Carolina

James Smith Jr. defeated Marguerite Willis and Phil Noble in the Democratic primary for Governor of South Carolina on June 12, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		James Smith Jr.	61.8	148,633
		Marguerite Willis	27.5	66,248
		Phil Noble	10.6	25,587

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 240,468
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of South Carolina

Incumbent Henry McMaster and John Warren advanced to a runoff. They defeated Catherine Templeton, Kevin Bryant, and John McGill in the Republican primary for Governor of South Carolina on June 12, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Henry McMaster	42.3	155,723
✔		John Warren	27.8	102,390
		Catherine Templeton	21.4	78,705
		Kevin Bryant	6.7	24,790
		John McGill	1.7	6,375

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 367,983
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Full history

2014

See also: South Carolina gubernatorial election, 2014

Republican incumbent Nikki Haley won re-election on November 4, 2014.

Governor of South Carolina, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Nikki Haley Incumbent	55.9%	696,645
	Democratic	Vincent Sheheen	41.4%	516,166
	Libertarian	Steve French	1.2%	15,438
	Independent	Tom Ervin	0.9%	11,496
	United Citizens	Morgan Reeves	0.5%	5,622
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.1%	934
Total Votes				1,246,301
Election results via South Carolina State Election Commission

To view the electoral history dating back to 2002 for the office of Governor of South Carolina, click [show] to expand the section.

2010 On November 2, 2010, Nikki Haley won election to the office of South Carolina Governor. She defeated Vincent A. Sheheen and Morgan Bruce Reeves in the general election. South Carolina Governor, 2010 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Nikki Haley 51.4% 690,525      Democratic Vincent A. Sheheen 46.9% 630,534      Green Morgan Bruce Reeves 0.9% 12,483      UNC Morgan Bruce Reeves 0.6% 7,631      Write-In Various 0.2% 3,025 Total Votes 1,344,198 Election results via South Carolina Election Commission. 2006 On November 7, 2006, Mark Sanford won re-election to the office of South Carolina Governor. He defeated Tommy Moore in the general election. South Carolina Governor, 2006 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Mark Sanford Incumbent 55.1% 601,868      Democratic Tommy Moore 44.8% 489,076      Write-In Various 0.1% 1,012 Total Votes 1,091,956 Election results via South Carolina State Election Commission. 2002 On November 5, 2002, Mark Sanford won election to the office of South Carolina Governor. He defeated Jim Hodges in the general election. South Carolina Governor, 2002 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Mark Sanford 52.8% 585,422      Democratic Jim Hodges Incumbent 47% 521,140      Write-In Various 0.1% 1,163 Total Votes 1,107,725 Election results via South Carolina State Election Commission.

Duties

Under the South Carolina Constitution, the Governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the South Carolina executive branch. The governor is the ex officio Commander-in-Chief of the state National Guard when not called into federal use and of the state's unorganized militia (§ 13).

The governor's responsibilities include making yearly "State of the State" addresses to the South Carolina General Assembly, submitting an executive state budget and ensuring that state laws are enforced (§ 15).

Other duties and privileges of the office include:

• Commuting death sentences to life imprisonment (§ 14); all other clemency matters are regulated by statute

• Requiring written reports from the officers of any agency or institute in the executive branch on any aspect of their duties (§ 17)

• Periodically addressing the General Assembly on the state of the state and making recommendations concerning legislation (§ 18)

• Convening special session of the legislation and, when the legislature is five days without a quorum, adjourning them (§ 19)

• Residing at the official Governor's Residence, the South Carolina Executive Mansion, except in cases of epidemic, natural disaster, or war (§ 20)

• Vetoing bills and joint resolutions, subject to a two-thirds legislative override (§ 21)

Divisions

Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for information that describes the divisions (if any exist) of a state executive office. That information for the Governor of South Carolina has not yet been added. After extensive research we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.

State budget

Role in state budget

See also: South Carolina state budget and finances

The state operates on an annual budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows

1. In August of the year preceding the start of the new fiscal year, the governor sends budget instructions to state agencies.
2. Between September and October, agencies submit their budget requests to the governor.
3. Budget hearings are held with state agencies in October.
4. In January, the governor submits his or her proposed budget to the state legislature.
5. Both the House and the Senate pass a budget. If these versions do not match, a conference committee consisting of both House and Senate members is assembled to reconcile the differences.
6. The legislature adopts a budget in May. The fiscal year begins July 1.

South Carolina is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.

The governor is constitutionally required to submit a balanced budget to the legislature. In turn, the legislature must pass a balanced budget, and any budget signed into law by the governor must be balanced.

Governor's office budget

The budget for the Governor's Office (Executive Control of State only) in Fiscal Year 2024 was $4,395,115.

Compensation

See also: Comparison of gubernatorial salaries and Compensation of state executive officers

See statutes: SC Code § 1-1-1210 (2013)

The governor is entitled to receive annual compensation, paid bi-monthly, in accordance with Title 1, Chapter 1, Section 1210 of the South Carolina Code of Laws. Pursuant to Article IV, Section 16 of the South Carolina Constitution, the governor's salary shall not be increased or diminished effective during his elected term.

2022

In 2022, the officer's salary was $106,078, according to the Council of State Governments.

2021

In 2021, the governor received a salary of $106,078, according to the Council of State Governments.

2020

In 2020, the governor received a salary of $106,078, according to the Council of State Governments.

2019

In 2019, the governor received a salary of $106,078, according to the Council of State Governments.

2018

In 2018, the governor received a salary of $106,078, according to the Council of State Governments.

2017

In 2017, the governor received a salary of $106,078, according to the Council of State Governments.

2016

In 2016, the governor received a salary of $106,078, according to the Council of State Governments.

2015

In 2015, the governor received a salary of $106,078, according to the Council of State Governments.

2014

In 2014, the governor received a salary of $106,078, according to the Council of State Governments.

2013

In 2013, the governor's salary remained at $106,078.

2010

In 2010, the governor was paid $106,078 a year, the 38th highest gubernatorial salary in America at the time.

Historical officeholders

There have been 89 governors of South Carolina since 1776. Of the 89 officeholders, 56 were Democrats, 13 were Democratic-Republicans, nine were Republican, five had no party affiliation, five were Federalists, and one was Conservative.

List of officeholders from 1776-present
#	Name	Tenure	Party
31	John Rutledge	1776 - 1778	No Party
32	Rawlins Lowndes	1778 - 1779	No Party
31	John Rutledge	1779 - 1782	No Party
33	John Mathews	1782 - 1783	No Party
34	Benjamin Guerard	1783 - 1785	No Party
35	William Moultrie	1785 - 1787	Federalist
36	Thomas Pinckney	1787 - 1789	Federalist
37	Charles Pinckney	1789 - 1792	Democratic-Republican
35	William Moultrie	1792 – 1794	Federalist
38	Arnoldus Vandershorst	1794 - 1796	Federalist
36	Charles Pinckney	1796 - 1798	Democratic-Republican
39	Edward Rutledge	1798 - 1800	Federalist
40	John Drayton	1800 - 1802	Democratic-Republican
41	James Burchill Richardson	1802 - 1804	Democratic-Republican
42	Paul Hamilton	1804 - 1806	Democratic-Republican
36	Charles Pinckney	1806 - 1808	Democratic-Republican
40	John Drayton	1808 - 1810	Democratic-Republican
43	Henry Middleton	1810 - 1812	Democratic-Republican
44	Joseph Alston	1812 - 1814	Democratic-Republican
45	David Rogerson Williams	1814 - 1816	Democratic-Republican
46	Andrew Pickens	1816 - 1818	Democratic-Republican
47	Geddes John	1818 - 1820	Democratic-Republican
48	Thomas Bennett	1820 - 1822	Democratic-Republican
49	John Lyde Wilson	1822 - 1824	Democratic-Republican
50	Richard Irvine Manning	1824 - 1826	Democratic-Republican
51	John Taylor	1826 - 1828	Democratic-Republican
52	Stephen Decatur Miller	1828 - 1830	Democratic
53	James Jr. Hamilton	1830 - 1832	Democratic
54	Robert Young Hayne	1832 - 1834	Democratic
55	George McDuffie	1834 - 1836	Democratic
56	Pierce Mason Butler	1836 - 1838	Democratic
57	Patrick Noble	1838 - 1840	Democratic
58	Barnabas Kelet Henagan	1840 - 1840	Democratic
59	John Peter Richardson II	1840 - 1842	Democratic
60	James Henry Hammond	1842 - 1844	Democratic
61	William Aiken	1844 - 1846	Democratic
62	David Johnson	1846 - 1848	Democratic
63	Whitemarsh Benjamin Seabrook	1848 - 1850	Democratic
64	John Hugh Means	1850 - 1852	Democratic
65	John Laurence Manning	1852 - 1854	Democratic
66	James Hopkins Adams	1854 - 1856	Democratic
67	Robert Francis Withers Allston	1856 - 1858	Democratic
68	William Henry Gist	1858 - 1860	Democratic
69	Francis Wilkinson Pickens	1860 - 1862	Democratic
70	Milledge Luke Bonham	1862 - 1864	Democratic
71	Andrew Gordon MacGrath	1864 - 1865	Democratic
72	Benjamin Franklin Perry	1865 - 1865	Democratic
73	James Lawrence Orr	1865 - 1868	Conservative
-	Edward R. S. Canby	1868 - 1868	-
74	Robert Kingston Scott	1868 - 1872	Republican
75	Franklin J. Moses	1872 - 1874	Republican
76	Daniel Henry Chamberlain	1874 - 1876	Republican
77	Wade Hampton III	1876 - 1879	Democratic
78	William Dunlap Simpson	1879 - 1880	Democratic
79	Thomas Bothwell Jeter	1880 - 1880	Democratic
80	Johnson Hagood	1880 - 1882	Democratic
81	Hugh Smith Thompson	1882 - 1886	Democratic
82	John Calhoun Sheppard	1886 - 1886	Democratic
83	John Peter Richardson	1886 - 1890	Democratic
84	Benjamin Ryan Tillman	1890 - 1894	Democratic
85	John Gary Evans	1894 - 1897	Democratic
86	William Haselden Ellerbe	1897 - 1899	Democratic
87	Miles Benjamin McSweeney	1899 - 1903	Democratic
88	Duncan Clinch Heyward	1903 - 1907	Democratic
89	Martin Frederick Ansel	1907 - 1911	Democratic
90	Coleman Livingston Blease	1911 - 1915	Democratic
91	Charles A. Smith	1915 - 1915	Democratic
92	Richard Irvine Manning III	1915 - 1919	Democratic
93	Robert Archer Cooper	1919 - 1922	Democratic
94	Wilson Godfrey Harvey	1922 - 1923	Democratic
95	Thomas Gordon McLeod	1923 - 1927	Democratic
96	John Gardiner Richards	1927 - 1931	Democratic
97	Ibra Charles Blackwood	1931 - 1935	Democratic
98	Olin De Witt Talmadge Johnston	1935 - 1939	Democratic
99	Burnet Rhett Maybank	1939 - 1941	Democratic
100	Joseph Emile Harley	1941 - 1942	Democratic
101	Richard Manning Jeffries	1942 - 1943	Democratic
102	Ransome Judson Williams	1945 - 1947	Democratic
103	James Strom Thurmond	1947 - 1951	Democratic
104	James Francis Byrnes	1951 - 1955	Democratic
105	George Bell Timmerman	1955 - 1959	Democratic
106	Ernest Frederick Hollings	1959 - 1963	Democratic
107	Donald Stuart Russell	1963 - 1965	Democratic
108	Robert Evander McNair	1965 - 1971	Democratic
109	John Carl West	1971 - 1975	Democratic
110	James Burrows Edwards	1975 - 1979	Republican
111	Richard Wilson Riley	1979 - 1987	Democratic
112	Carroll A. Campbell	1987 - 1995	Republican
113	David M. Beasley	1995 - 1999	Republican
114	Jim Hodges	1999 - 2003	Democratic
115	Mark Sanford	2003 - 2011	Republican
116	Nikki Haley	2011 - 2017	Republican
117	Henry McMaster	2017 – present	Republican

History

Partisan balance 1992-2013

See also: Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States and Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States, South Carolina

Partisan breakdown of the South Carolina governorship from 1992-2013

From 1992-2013, in South Carolina there were Democratic governors in office for four years while there were Republican governors in office for 18 years, including the last 11. South Carolina is one of eight states that were run by a Republican governor for more than 80 percent of the years between 1992-2013. South Carolina was under Republican trifectas for the final 11 years of the study.

Across the country, there were 493 years of Democratic governors (44.82%) and 586 years of Republican governors (53.27%) from 1992 to 2013.

Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states had divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.

The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of South Carolina, the South Carolina State Senate and the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.

SQLI and partisanship

South Carolina was one of eight states to demonstrate a dramatic partisan shift in the 22 years studied. A dramatic shift was defined by a movement of 40 percent or more toward one party over the course of the study period. South Carolina was Republican-dominated during the years of the study but experienced a shift toward much stronger Republican control, resulting in Republican trifectas from 2003-2013.

The chart below depicts the partisanship of the South Carolina state government and the state's SQLI ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. South Carolina ranked in the bottom-10 during every year of the study except the most recent. In 2012 it improved, finishing at 38th. The state's worst ranking, finishing 47th, occurred during both divided government and Republican trifectas.

• SQLI average with Democratic trifecta: N/A
• SQLI average with Republican trifecta: 44.30
• SQLI average with divided government: 45.00

Chart displaying the partisanship of the South Carolina government from 1992-2013 and the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI).

State profile

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
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) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in South Carolina. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in South Carolina

South Carolina voted Republican in all six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, five are located in South Carolina, accounting for 2.43 percent of the total pivot counties.

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. South Carolina had five Retained Pivot Counties, 2.76 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.

More South Carolina coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in South Carolina
• United States congressional delegations from South Carolina
• Public policy in South Carolina
• Endorsers in South Carolina
• South Carolina fact checks
• More...

Contact information

The Honorable Henry McMaster
State House
1100 Gervais Street
Columbia, South Carolina 29201
Phone: 803-734-2100
Fax: 803-734-5167

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Office of the South Carolina Governor