South Carolina 2016 Election Results

South Carolina held its general election on November 8, 2016, deciding 170 legislative seats. No chamber changed party control.

Highlights

• Republicans added two House seats, and no Senate seat changed party. The governor's office changed hands later: Henry McMaster (R) was sworn in as governor on January 24, 2017, replacing Nikki Haley (R) once the U.S. Senate confirmed her as U.N. ambassador.
• Both House pickups came in seats Democrats left open:
  • Lin Bennett (R), a former Charleston County GOP chairwoman, won West Ashley's House District 114 by about 21 points; the seat had been held by Democrat Mary Tinkler.
  • Rick Martin (R) beat Carlton Kinard (D) by about 18 points in House District 40, where Walt McLeod (D), who held the seat since 1997, stepped aside.
• Five sitting senators, four of them in June runoffs, had already lost their primaries, and the challengers who beat them all won in November: Rex Rice (R), William Timmons (R), Scott Talley (R), and Wes Climer (R), plus Mike Fanning (D), who held Senate District 17 by about 7 points.
• In Greenville, Jason Elliott (R) won House District 22 with no opponent on the ballot, becoming the state's first openly gay legislator. Democrats' closest call was Senate District 10, where Floyd Nicholson (D) held on by fewer than 1,000 votes. Mia McLeod (D) kept the open Senate District 22 by about 10 points. No incumbent lost in November, and 124 of the 170 legislative races had only one candidate on the ballot.

Legislature

• House (124 seats): 46 D, 78 R before the election, 44 D, 80 R after; control stayed with Republicans.
• Senate (46 seats): 17 D, 28 R, 1 other or vacant before the election, 18 D, 28 R after; control stayed with Republicans.

Legislative races