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United States · Election results history · 1972 Senate · South Carolina
Election 1972 Results

Each election opens in its own mode: the forecast before the votes are counted, the live count while races are still too close to call, and the results once every race is decided.

1972 US Senate election in South Carolina

Strom Thurmond (Republican) beat Eugene N. Zeigler (Democrat) in South Carolina in 1972, 63.3% to 36.7%, a margin of 26.6 points and 174,750 votes.

The Republican hold continued from 1966, when Strom Thurmond also won.

Republicans led in 45 of the 46 counties as they stood then and Democrats in 1. The largest, Charleston, cast 60,741 votes and went to the Republican by 25.3 points. The closest was Williamsburg, where 123 votes separated the two parties.

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Early projection, based on early and incomplete polling: the likely matchups, each weighted by the betting markets' odds of both nominations, not a result. Each county is its 2024 presidential margin moved by its state's projected swing; set a national vote and every state, district and county moves by the same amount from our projection. Colours run in 100 steps from a safe Republican to a safe Democratic margin. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

Senate

CandidatePartyVotesShare
Strom Thurmond won Republican 415,806 63.3%
Eugene N. Zeigler Democratic 241,056 36.7%
All other candidates 172 0.0%
Total657,034

Every county

CountyDemocratRepublicanOthersTotalMargin
Charleston 22,681 37.3% 38,060 62.7% 60,741 R+25.3
Richland 24,041 39.7% 36,569 60.3% 60,610 R+20.7
Greenville 16,217 27.2% 43,429 72.8% 44 59,690 R+45.6
Spartanburg 13,554 32.8% 27,743 67.2% 41,297 R+34.4
Lexington 6,921 23.2% 22,839 76.7% 23 29,783 R+53.4
Aiken 9,977 36.2% 17,565 63.8% 27,542 R+27.6
Florence 9,958 39.8% 15,034 60.2% 24,992 R+20.3
Anderson 8,845 37.9% 14,483 62.1% 23,328 R+24.2
York 9,501 45.7% 11,305 54.3% 20,806 R+8.7
Orangeburg 8,433 42.5% 11,400 57.5% 19,833 R+15.0
Horry 6,473 33.1% 13,088 66.9% 19,561 R+33.8
Sumter 6,742 40.3% 10,003 59.7% 1 16,746 R+19.5
Darlington 5,927 36.7% 10,207 63.3% 16,134 R+26.5
Pickens 3,695 26.0% 10,523 74.0% 14,218 R+48.0
Berkeley 5,458 39.8% 8,272 60.2% 13,730 R+20.5
Greenwood 4,779 37.1% 8,116 62.9% 12,895 R+25.9
Dorchester 4,462 37.9% 7,296 62.1% 11,758 R+24.1
Lancaster 4,043 35.7% 7,290 64.3% 11,333 R+28.7
Union 3,481 32.0% 7,396 68.0% 10,877 R+36.0
Kershaw 3,648 33.8% 7,066 65.4% 93 10,807 R+31.6
Williamsburg 5,269 49.4% 5,392 50.6% 10,661 R+1.2
Georgetown 5,139 48.8% 5,400 51.2% 10,539 R+2.5
Cherokee 3,121 32.1% 6,591 67.9% 9,712 R+35.7
Newberry 2,748 29.1% 6,703 70.9% 9,451 R+41.8
Beaufort 3,340 38.3% 5,378 61.7% 8,718 R+23.4
Laurens 2,723 31.5% 5,926 68.5% 8,649 R+37.0
Oconee 2,915 33.8% 5,717 66.2% 8,632 R+32.5
Chesterfield 3,903 47.4% 4,329 52.6% 8,232 R+5.2
Colleton 2,654 33.0% 5,379 67.0% 8,033 R+33.9
Clarendon 3,502 47.9% 3,802 52.1% 7,304 R+4.1
Chester 3,063 42.7% 4,107 57.3% 7,170 R+14.6
Marion 2,943 41.2% 4,198 58.8% 7,141 R+17.6
Dillon 2,031 34.5% 3,856 65.5% 5,887 R+31.0
Marlboro 2,414 41.6% 3,385 58.4% 5,799 R+16.7
Barnwell 1,697 30.2% 3,915 69.8% 5,612 R+39.5
Fairfield 2,844 54.5% 2,378 45.5% 1 5,223 D+8.9
Hampton 2,429 47.6% 2,670 52.4% 5,099 R+4.7
Lee 2,264 44.7% 2,802 55.3% 5,066 R+10.6
Abbeville 1,862 39.5% 2,856 60.5% 4,718 R+21.1
Bamberg 1,803 42.1% 2,476 57.9% 4,279 R+15.7
Edgefield 1,605 38.5% 2,546 61.1% 18 4,169 R+22.6
Saluda 1,320 31.7% 2,843 68.2% 3 4,166 R+36.6
Calhoun 1,351 43.3% 1,763 56.5% 5 3,119 R+13.2
Allendale 1,398 45.0% 1,709 55.0% 3,107 R+10.0
Jasper 1,306 44.8% 1,611 55.2% 2,917 R+10.5
McCormick 977 45.2% 1,185 54.8% 2,162 R+9.6

Counties as they stood in 1972; some have since been split, merged or renamed. Margin: the Democrat's share of all votes minus the Republican's. Sources and how the results were checked.

South Carolina Senate elections we hold

YearWinnerMargin
2022 Tim Scott (R) R+25.9
2020 Lindsey Graham (R) R+10.3
2016 Tim Scott (R) R+23.6
2014 Lindsey Graham (R) R+15.5
2010 Jim DeMint (R) R+33.8
2008 Lindsey Graham (R) R+15.3
2004 Jim Demint (R) R+9.6
2002 Lindsey O. Graham (R) R+10.2
1998 Ernest F. Hollings (D) D+7.0
1996 Strom Thurmond (R) R+9.4
1992 Ernest F. Hollings (D) D+3.1
1990 Strom Thurmond (R) R+31.7
1986 Ernest Fritz Hollings (D) D+27.5
1984 Strom Thurmond (R) R+35.0
1980 Ernest Fritz Hollings (D) D+40.7
1978 Strom Thurmond (R) R+11.4
1974 Ernest F. Hollings (D) D+40.9
1972 Strom Thurmond (R) R+26.6
1968 Ernest F. Hollings (D) D+23.8
1966 Strom Thurmond (R) R+24.4
1962 Olin D. Johnston (D) D+14.3
1960 Strom Thurmond (D) D+100.0
1956 Olin D. Johnston (D) D+64.5
1954 Strom Thurmond (other)
1950 Olin D. Johnston (D) D+99.9
1948 Burnet R. Maybank (D) D+92.9
1944 Olin D. Johnston (D) D+89.2
1942 Burnet R. Maybank (D) D+100.0
1938 Cotton Ed Smith (D) D+97.8
1936 James F. Byrnes (D) D+97.7
1932 Cotton Ed Smith (D) D+96.3
1930 James F. Byrnes (D) D+100.0
1926 Cotton Ed Smith (D) D+100.0
1924 Coleman L. Blease (D) D+100.0
1920 Cotton Ed Smith (D) D+100.0
1918 Nathaniel B. Dial (D) D+100.0
1914 Cotton Ed Smith (D) D+99.8