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United States · Election results history · 1978 Senate · South Carolina
Election 1978 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.

1978 US Senate election in South Carolina

Strom Thurmond (Republican) beat Charles D. Ravenel (Democrat) in South Carolina in 1978, 55.7% to 44.3%, a margin of 11.4 points and 71,771 votes.

The Republican hold continued from 1972, when Strom Thurmond also won.

Republicans led in 36 of the 46 counties as they stood then and Democrats in 10. The largest, Richland, cast 60,740 votes and went to the Republican by 3.5 points. The closest was Allendale, where 19 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 351,917 55.7%
Charles D. Ravenel Democratic 280,146 44.3%
Total632,063

Every county

CountyDemocratRepublicanOthersTotalMargin
Richland 29,297 48.2% 31,443 51.8% 60,740 R+3.5
Greenville 24,851 41.1% 35,574 58.9% 60,425 R+17.7
Charleston 28,151 48.3% 30,083 51.7% 58,234 R+3.3
Spartanburg 15,718 40.3% 23,276 59.7% 38,994 R+19.4
Lexington 9,165 29.6% 21,848 70.4% 31,013 R+40.9
Aiken 9,072 38.2% 14,659 61.8% 23,731 R+23.5
Florence 11,032 46.8% 12,558 53.2% 23,590 R+6.5
Anderson 10,195 45.4% 12,259 54.6% 22,454 R+9.2
Orangeburg 10,713 53.7% 9,221 46.3% 19,934 D+7.5
Horry 6,675 40.3% 9,891 59.7% 16,566 R+19.4
Sumter 7,336 47.2% 8,201 52.8% 15,537 R+5.6
Berkeley 7,341 48.0% 7,955 52.0% 15,296 R+4.0
York 7,219 48.7% 7,594 51.3% 14,813 R+2.5
Darlington 5,943 46.5% 6,830 53.5% 12,773 R+6.9
Greenwood 5,087 42.1% 7,010 57.9% 12,097 R+15.9
Pickens 4,874 40.5% 7,159 59.5% 12,033 R+19.0
Dorchester 5,456 46.3% 6,336 53.7% 11,792 R+7.5
Beaufort 5,031 44.6% 6,254 55.4% 11,285 R+10.8
Laurens 4,005 39.4% 6,157 60.6% 10,162 R+21.2
Lancaster 4,108 40.7% 5,995 59.3% 10,103 R+18.7
Kershaw 3,911 39.6% 5,976 60.4% 9,887 R+20.9
Williamsburg 5,205 54.5% 4,352 45.5% 9,557 D+8.9
Georgetown 5,029 54.1% 4,273 45.9% 9,302 D+8.1
Oconee 4,242 47.7% 4,651 52.3% 8,893 R+4.6
Newberry 2,740 34.1% 5,285 65.9% 8,025 R+31.7
Cherokee 3,179 40.6% 4,646 59.4% 7,825 R+18.7
Colleton 3,452 45.8% 4,093 54.2% 7,545 R+8.5
Union 2,798 37.5% 4,654 62.5% 7,452 R+24.9
Chesterfield 3,332 48.7% 3,503 51.3% 6,835 R+2.5
Clarendon 3,370 52.2% 3,089 47.8% 6,459 D+4.4
Marion 3,197 53.9% 2,732 46.1% 5,929 D+7.8
Chester 2,330 41.3% 3,315 58.7% 5,645 R+17.4
Dillon 2,367 42.6% 3,193 57.4% 5,560 R+14.9
Marlboro 3,030 54.9% 2,493 45.1% 5,523 D+9.7
Lee 2,596 47.7% 2,849 52.3% 5,445 R+4.6
Abbeville 1,950 39.1% 3,041 60.9% 4,991 R+21.9
Fairfield 2,781 58.1% 2,008 41.9% 4,789 D+16.1
Barnwell 1,766 39.3% 2,726 60.7% 4,492 R+21.4
Hampton 2,131 49.2% 2,201 50.8% 4,332 R+1.6
Edgefield 1,902 44.7% 2,351 55.3% 4,253 R+10.6
Bamberg 1,642 42.6% 2,209 57.4% 3,851 R+14.7
Saluda 1,270 33.4% 2,532 66.6% 3,802 R+33.2
Calhoun 1,466 46.2% 1,705 53.8% 3,171 R+7.5
Jasper 1,689 57.7% 1,236 42.3% 2,925 D+15.5
Allendale 1,443 50.3% 1,424 49.7% 2,867 D+0.7
McCormick 1,032 53.6% 893 46.4% 1,925 D+7.2

Counties as they stood in 1978; 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