South Carolina held its general election on November 8, 2022, deciding 124 legislative seats and 8 statewide offices led by the governorship. No chamber changed party control. The Senate was not up for regular election this cycle.
Highlights
- Republicans pushed past two-thirds of the state House, winning 88 of its 124 seats and a veto-proof supermajority, while Henry McMaster (R) won a second full term that positions him to become the longest-serving governor in South Carolina history.
- Before the election, Republicans sat just below the two-thirds margin needed to override a veto in both the House and the Senate, which was not on the ballot. The new House maps and a strong night for Republicans statewide closed that gap in the House: Republicans toppled five Democratic incumbents and won three newly created seats in fast-growing Charleston, Horry, and York counties. The Democrats who lost:
- The supermajority is not a monolith: about 20 of the 88 Republicans belong to the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus, most of whose members refused to sign on to the GOP caucus rules as the new session opened.
- Democrats' lone pickup came in Columbia, where gym owner Heather Bauer (D) unseated five-term Rep. Kirkman Finlay, III (R), the only Republican House incumbent to lose, in House District 75 by about 235 votes. Though outraised 3 to 1, Bauer campaigned hard against abortion restrictions after the fall of Roe v. Wade.
- McMaster beat former U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham (D) by about 17 points. Cunningham repeatedly highlighted the 35-year age gap between them, but abortion was the starkest difference: McMaster said he would likely sign further restrictions, and Cunningham pledged to veto them. Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (R) won another term on his ticket.
- In the open race for superintendent of education, school-choice advocate Ellen Weaver (R), who led the Palmetto Promise Institute think tank, beat teacher Lisa Ellis (D), founder of the advocacy group SC for Ed, by about 13 points. Weaver's candidacy had drawn questions over a master's degree newly required for the job, which she obtained shortly before the election. Republicans held every other statewide office on the ballot: Secretary of State Mark Hammond (R) won a sixth term, Treasurer Curtis Loftis (R) a fourth, and Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers (R) a fifth full term, while Attorney General Alan Wilson (R) and Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom (R) had no opponent.
- In 72 of the House races, only one candidate was on the ballot, and roughly three of every four of those unopposed winners were Republicans.
- Voters approved both constitutional amendments on the ballot, each with about 62% of the vote: Amendment 1 raises the General Reserve Fund from 5% to 7% of general fund revenue, and Amendment 2 raises the Capital Reserve Fund from 2% to 3%.
Legislature
- House (124 seats): 43 D, 81 R before the election, 36 D, 88 R after; control stayed with Republicans.
- Senate (46 seats): 16 D, 30 R before the election, 16 D, 30 R after; control stayed with Republicans.
Statewide races
Legislative races
Ballot measures
| Measure | Description | Result |
|---|
| Amendment 1 | Increase the General Reserve Fund from 5% to 7% of state general fund revenue | Passed (62% yes) |
| Amendment 2 | Increase the Capital Reserve Fund from 2% to 3% of state general fund revenue | Passed (62% yes) |