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United States · Election results history · 1996 Senate · South Carolina
Election 1996 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.

1996 US Senate election in South Carolina

Strom Thurmond (Republican) beat Elliot Springs Close (Democrat) in South Carolina in 1996, 53.4% to 44.0%, a margin of 9.4 points and 108,908 votes.

The Republican hold continued from 1990, when Strom Thurmond also won.

Republicans led in 29 of the 46 counties and Democrats in 17. The largest, Greenville, cast 122,931 votes and went to the Republican by 22.3 points. The closest was Colleton, where 77 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 619,859 53.4%
Elliot Springs Close Democratic 510,951 44.0%
All other candidates 30,421 2.6%
Total1,161,231

Every county

CountyDemocratRepublicanOthersTotalMargin
Greenville 45,767 37.2% 73,170 59.5% 3,994 122,931 R+22.3
Richland 51,041 53.9% 41,822 44.1% 1,905 94,768 D+9.7
Charleston 43,388 46.2% 47,860 51.0% 2,565 93,813 R+4.8
Spartanburg 26,169 39.5% 38,051 57.5% 1,977 66,197 R+17.9
Lexington 20,625 31.6% 43,099 66.0% 1,617 65,341 R+34.4
Horry 26,681 49.6% 24,616 45.8% 2,456 53,753 D+3.8
Anderson 19,033 40.2% 26,676 56.3% 1,644 47,353 R+16.1
York 21,248 48.3% 21,712 49.3% 1,041 44,001 R+1.1
Aiken 11,022 25.1% 31,987 72.8% 927 43,936 R+47.7
Florence 16,402 44.9% 19,556 53.5% 579 36,537 R+8.6
Beaufort 13,952 41.8% 18,382 55.1% 1,032 33,366 R+13.3
Berkeley 13,415 41.3% 17,947 55.2% 1,135 32,497 R+13.9
Orangeburg 18,424 59.1% 12,371 39.7% 396 31,191 D+19.4
Pickens 9,373 33.1% 17,925 63.4% 997 28,295 R+30.2
Sumter 12,490 46.6% 13,787 51.4% 525 26,802 R+4.8
Dorchester 10,173 38.5% 15,397 58.3% 846 26,416 R+19.8
Oconee 8,098 39.5% 11,666 56.9% 742 20,506 R+17.4
Lancaster 9,802 52.5% 8,569 45.9% 309 18,680 D+6.6
Darlington 8,576 47.6% 9,147 50.8% 279 18,002 R+3.2
Greenwood 8,129 45.3% 9,312 51.9% 490 17,931 R+6.6
Laurens 7,309 41.1% 10,027 56.4% 452 17,788 R+15.3
Georgetown 9,101 52.8% 7,685 44.5% 465 17,251 D+8.2
Kershaw 6,698 39.8% 9,551 56.8% 575 16,824 R+17.0
Cherokee 5,882 41.6% 7,883 55.7% 389 14,154 R+14.1
Williamsburg 6,521 53.8% 5,319 43.9% 278 12,118 D+9.9
Chesterfield 5,448 48.4% 5,618 49.9% 200 11,266 R+1.5
Union 4,949 45.4% 5,708 52.3% 253 10,910 R+7.0
Clarendon 6,094 56.2% 4,609 42.5% 134 10,837 D+13.7
Newberry 4,491 41.7% 6,074 56.4% 214 10,779 R+14.7
Colleton 4,910 48.5% 4,987 49.2% 230 10,127 R+0.8
Marion 5,800 58.4% 3,978 40.1% 152 9,930 D+18.3
Chester 5,413 55.8% 4,102 42.3% 179 9,694 D+13.5
Abbeville 3,638 46.8% 3,925 50.5% 212 7,775 R+3.7
Barnwell 2,801 37.3% 4,623 61.5% 92 7,516 R+24.2
Edgefield 2,814 38.2% 4,461 60.5% 97 7,372 R+22.3
Marlboro 4,330 59.7% 2,740 37.8% 178 7,248 D+21.9
Fairfield 4,327 60.8% 2,679 37.6% 116 7,122 D+23.1
Dillon 4,018 57.1% 2,936 41.7% 83 7,037 D+15.4
Hampton 3,983 57.9% 2,764 40.2% 127 6,874 D+17.7
Lee 3,750 56.5% 2,786 42.0% 105 6,641 D+14.5
Saluda 2,328 37.3% 3,812 61.1% 102 6,242 R+23.8
Jasper 3,559 58.3% 2,399 39.3% 144 6,102 D+19.0
Calhoun 2,709 46.0% 3,055 51.9% 127 5,891 R+5.9
Bamberg 2,965 57.8% 2,097 40.9% 64 5,126 D+16.9
McCormick 1,321 40.6% 1,849 56.8% 87 3,257 R+16.2
Allendale 1,984 62.5% 1,140 35.9% 51 3,175 D+26.6

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