South Carolina gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022

Elections in South Carolina, 2022

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← 2018
Governor and Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 30, 2022
Primary: June 14, 2022 Primary runoff: June 28, 2022 General: November 8, 2022 Pre-election incumbent(s): Gov. Henry McMaster (Republican) Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in South Carolina
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2022 Impact of term limits in 2022 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022
South Carolina executive elections
Governor Lieutenant Governor Attorney General Secretary of State Treasurer Comptroller Superintendent of Education Agriculture Commissioner

South Carolina held an election for governor and lieutenant governor on November 8, 2022. The primary was scheduled for June 14, 2022, and a primary runoff was scheduled for June 28, 2022. The filing deadline was March 30, 2022. This was one of 36 gubernatorial elections that took place place in 2022. The governor serves as a state's top executive official and is the only executive office that is elected in all 50 states. At the time of the 2022 elections, there were 28 Republican governors and 22 Democratic governors. Click here for a map with links to our coverage of all 50 states' responses to the pandemic and here for an overview of all 36 gubernatorial elections that took place in 2022.

Heading into the 2022 elections, there were 23 Republican trifectas, 14 Democratic trifectas, and 13 divided governments where neither party held trifecta control. There were 23 Republican triplexes, 18 Democratic triplexes, and nine divided governments where neither party held triplex control.

A state government trifecta refers to a situation where one party controls a state's governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. A state government triplex refers to a situation where the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all members of the same political party.

Incumbent Henry McMaster won election in the general election for Governor of South Carolina.

Incumbent Pamela Evette won election in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

• South Carolina gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022 (June 14 Republican primary)
• South Carolina gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022 (June 14 Democratic primary)

Candidates and election results

Governor

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

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	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.
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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

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	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.
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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

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	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)

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	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)

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	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.

Lieutenant Governor

General election

General election for Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina

Incumbent Pamela Evette defeated Tally Parham Casey and Jessica Ethridge in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pamela Evette (R)	58.0	988,501
		Tally Parham Casey (D)	40.7	692,691
		Jessica Ethridge (L)	1.2	20,826
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	1,174

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	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

• Harold Geddings III (Labor Party)

Voting information

See also: Voting in South Carolina

Election information in South Carolina: Nov. 8, 2022, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: Oct. 7, 2022
• By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 11, 2022
• Online: Oct. 9, 2022

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

No

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: Oct. 28, 2022
• By mail: Received by Oct. 28, 2022
• Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 8, 2022
• By mail: Received by Nov. 8, 2022

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 24, 2022 to Nov. 5, 2022

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

K.A.

When were polls open on Election Day?

7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

Election competitiveness

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

• Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
• Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
• Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.
• Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.

Race ratings: South Carolina gubernatorial election, 2022
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 8, 2022	November 1, 2022	October 25, 2022	October 18, 2022
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates in South Carolina in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in South Carolina, click here.

Filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates, 2022
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source	Notes
South Carolina	Governor	Democratic or Republican	K.A.	$4,243.12	3/30/2022	Source
South Carolina	Governor	Unaffiliated	5% of active, registered voters	K.A.	7/15/2022	Source

Past elections

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

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	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

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	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

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	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

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	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.

2014

See also: South Carolina gubernatorial election, 2014 and South Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2014

Governor

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

Lieutenant governor

Republican Henry McMaster won election on November 4, 2014.

Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Henry McMaster	58.8%	726,821
	Democratic	Bakari Sellers	41.1%	508,807
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.1%	1,514
Total Votes				1,237,142
Election results via South Carolina State Election Commission

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

• Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
• Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
• State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
• Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.

Presidential elections

See also: Presidential voting trends in South Carolina and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for South Carolina, 2022
District	Incumbent	Party	PVI
South Carolina's 1st	Nancy Mace	Republican	R+7
South Carolina's 2nd	Joe Wilson	Republican	R+8
South Carolina's 3rd	Jeff Duncan	Republican	R+21
South Carolina's 4th	William Timmons	Republican	R+12
South Carolina's 5th	Ralph Norman	Republican	R+12
South Carolina's 6th	Jim Clyburn	Democratic	D+14
South Carolina's 7th	Tom Rice	Republican	R+11

2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, South Carolina
District	Joe Biden	Donald Trump
South Carolina's 1st	44.9%	53.5%
South Carolina's 2nd	43.9%	54.5%
South Carolina's 3rd	30.6%	68.0%
South Carolina's 4th	39.8%	58.4%
South Carolina's 5th	40.2%	58.4%
South Carolina's 6th	65.3%	33.2%
South Carolina's 7th	40.2%	58.8%

2012-2020

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:

County-level voting pattern categories
Democratic
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Democratic	D	D	D
Trending Democratic	R	D	D
Battleground Democratic	D	R	D
New Democratic	R	R	D
Republican
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Republican	R	R	R
Trending Republican	D	R	R
Battleground Republican	R	D	R
New Republican	D	D	R

Following the 2020 presidential election, 71.8% of South Carolinians lived in one of the state's 25 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 23.6% lived in one of 13 Solid Democratic counties. Overall, South Carolina was Solid Republican, having voted for Mitt Romney (R) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Donald Trump (R) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in South Carolina following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

South Carolina county-level statistics, 2020
Solid Republican	25	71.8%
Solid Democratic	13	23.6%
Trending Republican	6	3.5%
New Republican	2	1.2%
Total voted Democratic	13	23.6%
Total voted Republican	33	76.4%

Historical voting trends

South Carolina presidential election results (1900-2020)

• 16 Democratic wins
• 14 Republican wins
• 1 other win

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020
Winning Party	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	SR	D	D	D	R	R	R	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

Statewide elections

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from South Carolina

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in South Carolina.

U.S. Senate election results in South Carolina
Race	Winner	Runner up
2020	54.5%	44.2%
2016	60.5%	37.0%
2014	54.3%	38.8%
2014	61.1%	37.1%
2010	62.4%	28.2%
Average	58.6	37.1

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of South Carolina

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in South Carolina.

Gubernatorial election results in South Carolina
Race	Winner	Runner up
2018	54.0%	45.9%
2014	55.9%	41.4%
2010	51.4%	46.9%
2006	55.1%	44.8%
2002	52.9%	47.0%
Average	53.9	45.2

State partisanship

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of South Carolina's congressional delegation as of November 2022.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from South Carolina, November 2022
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	0	1	1
Republican	2	6	8
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	7	9

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in South Carolina's top four state executive offices as of November 2022.

State executive officials in South Carolina, November 2022
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Henry McMaster
Lieutenant Governor	Pamela Evette
Secretary of State	Mark Hammond
Attorney General	Alan Wilson

State legislature

The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the South Carolina State Legislature as of November 2022.

South Carolina State Senate

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	16
	Republican Party	30
	Vacancies	0
Total		46

South Carolina House of Representatives

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	43
	Republican Party	80
	Vacancies	1
Total		124

Trifecta control

As of November 2022, South Carolina was a Republican trifecta, with majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and control of the governorship. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.

South Carolina Party Control: 1992-2022
No Democratic trifectas  •  Twenty years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22
Governor	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
Senate	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
House	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

Demographics

The table below details demographic data in South Carolina and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.

Demographic Data for South Carolina
	South Carolina	Vereinigte Staaten
Population	4,625,364	308,745,538
Land area (sq mi)	30,064	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White	67.2%	72.5%
Black/African American	26.8%	12.7%
Asian	1.6%	5.5%
Native American	0.4%	0.8%
Pacific Islander	0.1%	0.2%
Two or more	2.3%	3.3%
Hispanic/Latino	5.7%	18%
Bildung
High school graduation rate	87.5%	88%
College graduation rate	28.1%	32.1%
Income
Median household income	$53,199	$62,843
Persons below poverty level	15.2%	13.4%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019).
**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.

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Governor of South Carolina official website
• Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina official website