2026 Midterms State GuideSouth Carolina
Hold on to your palmetto trees and blue crabs.
Polls are closed
Polls are closed in South Carolina, and results aren’t finalized yet.
Ballots are still being counted, close races can take days to call, and no result is official until it’s certified.
A prayer for South Carolina
God who removes and sets up kings, You are our confidence in election season, and Your sovereignty is our peace in a tottering world.
Read the whole prayerUpdated
Hi! It’s me, Shadrach. Apparently, I’m your civic guide today. If you’ve been complaining about how things are going (and I’ve heard you... the walls are thin), this guide will help you feel informed and able to vote in this year’s midterms. Now, hold on to your palmetto trees and blue crabs, and let’s get into it.
South Carolina at a glance
South Carolina votes on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, for governor, U.S. Senate and all 7 U.S. House seats.
- Election Day
- Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026
- Voter registration
- Oct. 2: Voter registration deadline (in person)
- Early voting
- Oct. 19 to Oct. 31: Early voting
- Governor
- 4 candidates
- U.S. Senate
- 10 candidates
- U.S. House
- 7 seats
- Statewide ballot measures
- None
What happens next
The counting continues
Election-night numbers are unofficial. Mail, provisional, and military ballots are still being counted, so close races can take days to call.
Officials double-check the count
Local election officials review the ballots and the tallies (the canvass). A very close race can go to a recount.
South Carolina certifies the results
Results become official once South Carolina certifies them, usually a few weeks after Election Day.
Winners take office
The new Congress takes office in early January. Governors and other state officials take office on dates set by state law, most of them in January too.
Important dates
- Jun. 9Primary This date has passed.
- Jun. 23Primary runoff This date has passed.
- Aug. 11US Senate Special Republican Primary This date has passed.
- Aug. 25US Senate Special Republican Primary Runoff This date has passed.
- Oct. 2Voter registration deadline (in person) This date has passed.
- Oct. 4Voter registration deadline (online/fax/email) This date has passed.
- Oct. 5Voter registration deadline (by mail, postmarked) This date has passed.
- Oct. 23Absentee ballot application deadline This date has passed.
- Oct. 19 to Oct. 31Early voting This date has passed.
- Nov. 3Absentee ballot return deadline This date has passed.
- Nov. 3Election Day This date has passed.
What’s at stake
The Palmetto State had a bumpy ride to the general election. Senator Lindsey Graham (R) died suddenly on July 11 after winning his primary. His sister, Senator Darline Graham (R), was appointed to finish out the rest of his term and is running to serve again. She faced several challengers in the special primary election, which went to a runoff, where she secured the Republican nomination. Whoever wins will inherit a state in the crunch. A majority of residents rate the economy as bad, according to a 2026 poll. 67% found grocery costs difficult or very difficult to afford, 59% found health care costs and housing costs such as rent and mortgages difficult to pay for, and 61% said going out to dinner is unaffordable.
Who’s on your ballot
Tap a race to see the candidates.
South Carolina is choosing a governor
See whose priorities line up with yours
Here are the top priorities each candidate lists, in their own words. Pick the 3 that matter most to you. Names stay hidden until you see your results.
0 of 3 picked
- Top priorities
Jermaine JohnsonDemocrat- Cutting income and property taxes and building more affordable housing
- Rebuilding roads and bridges and building more rural hospitals
- Improving schools, protecting reproductive rights and expanding mental health care
- Top priorities
Alan WilsonRepublican- Dismantling criminal networks and toughening penalties for fentanyl dealers and violent offenders
- Fully funding public schools and expanding school choice
- Investing in roads, bridges and infrastructure to keep up with South Carolina's growth
- Top priorities
Walid HakimGreen- Creating college grants for students who commit to working in South Carolina for 10–20 years
- Redirecting school resource officer funding toward other school safety improvements
- Creating a state-owned insurance company offering coverage to every resident
- Top prioritiesMichael AddisonUnited Citizens Party
- Eliminating the state income tax and closing corporate sales tax exemptions
- Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour
- Expanding access to health care through telehealth
- Get to know ’em
Annie AndrewsDemocrat - Get to know ’em
Kasie WhitenerLibertarian - Mark HackettConstitution Party
- Jack EllisonIndependent
- Cindy GlaserIndependent
- Paul SedletskyIndependent
- Edward StrungeIndependent
- Reece Wright-McDonaldIndependent
- Catherine Fleming BruceDemocrat
Write-in
All U.S. House of Representatives seats are up for election every two years. Find your district here.
- Shadrach’s big picture
South Carolinians will elect seven representatives to send to Congress. Republicans currently hold six of those seats, and Democrats hold one.
- Open seats
Two. Reps. Nancy Mace (R-1) and Ralph Norman (R-5) ran for governor but lost in the Republican primary.
- Competitive districts
None of South Carolina’s districts are competitive. SC-6 is considered solidly Democratic, SC-1 is considered likely Republican, and the rest are considered solidly Republican.
Also on the ballot
Other races South Carolina voters will decide.
- Lieutenant Governor
- Attorney General
- Secretary of State
- Agriculture Commissioner
- Comptroller
- Superintendent of Education
- Treasurer
- State House
- Special state legislative
- School boards
- Municipal government
Whose job is it?
Ten things government does. Tap the office that does each one.
Whose job is it to…
1 of 10
Declare a state of emergency after a hurricane or flood?
Pass it on
Know someone voting in South Carolina?
Send them the guide. It takes one tap, and it saves them an evening of arguing in a group chat.
From the newsroom
How TPO has covered South Carolina this cycle. Tap one to read it here.
- May 11Redistricting
- July 13Lindsey Graham passes
Lindsey Graham’s sister will finish the South Carolina Republican’s Senate term following his unexpected death Saturday. Monday, Governor McMaster (R) tapped Darline Graham Nordone, who was sworn in yesterday (read about her). Also from the Upper Chamber: Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) broke his weekslong silence Sunday, saying he was hospitalized due to a fall and can’t “return… quite yet.”
One story from that day’s newsletter.
Read the full day’s news- August 12Primary elections
- August 14Primary results
- August 31GOP Runoff
A prayer for South Carolina
God who removes and sets up kings, You are our confidence in election season, and Your sovereignty is our peace in a tottering world.
While we wait for Your soon-coming kingdom, appoint for the Palmetto State leaders who will seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly. Stabilize South Carolinians amid uncertainty; raise up qualified, upright candidates; protect them and the voting process from violence and fraud. May voters receive accurate, helpful information, and may their government earn their trust and work for their good.
King of Every Nation, though these candidates seek positions of power, their strength pales against Yours. Though officials seek to make things better, You are making all things new. South Carolina’s leaders may fumble and fight and fade, but You, my King, are immovable, unconquerable, and everlasting. So strengthen South Carolinians with forbearance to submit to imperfect leadership until all the world comes together under Your perfect rule.
Amen.