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| Elections in South Carolina |
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The 1980 South Carolina United States Senate election was held on November 4, 1980 to select the U.S. Senator from the state of South Carolina. Incumbent Democratic Senator Fritz Hollings easily defeated Republican challenger Marshall Mays to win his fourth (his third full) term.
The South Carolina Democratic Party held their primary for Senator on June 10, 1980. Fritz Hollings, the incumbent Senator, won the Democratic primary against two minor candidates; Nettie Durant Dickerson and William Kreml.
| Democratic Primary | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Fritz Hollings | 266,796 | 81.2% |
| Nettie Durant Dickerson | 34,720 | 10.6% |
| William P. Kreml | 27,049 | 8.2% |
The South Carolina Republican Party held their primary on June 10, 1980. Marshall Mays, a former state legislator, emerged as the frontrunner and went on to defeat Charlie Rhodes in the runoff election on June 24.
| Republican Primary | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Marshall Mays | 14,075 | 42.6% |
| Charlie Rhodes | 11,395 | 34.5% |
| Robert Carley | 7,575 | 22.9% |
| Republican Primary Runoff | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Marshall Mays | 6,853 | 64.8% | +22.2% |
| Charlie Rhodes | 3,717 | 35.2% | +0.7% |
The Republican Party did not see the race as winnable and Mays received little assistance for his campaign. Hollings did little campaigning for the race and easily won re-election in the midst of an otherwise strong Republican year.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Fritz Hollings (incumbent) | 612,556 | 70.36% | +0.92% | |
| Republican | Marshall Mays | 257,946 | 29.63% | +0.95% | |
| No party | Write-Ins | 94 | 0.01% | N/A | |
| Majority | 354,610 | 40.73% | -0.03% | ||
| Turnout | 870,596 | 70.5% | +19.2% | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
Ernest Frederick "Fritz" Hollings was an American politician who served as a United States senator from South Carolina from 1966 to 2005. A conservative Democrat, he was also the 106th governor of South Carolina, the 77th lieutenant governor of South Carolina, and a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives. He served alongside Democrat-turned-Republican Senator Strom Thurmond for 36 years, making them the longest-serving duo in U.S. Senate history. At the time of his death, he was the oldest living former U.S. senator.
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The 1966 United States Senate elections were elections on November 8, 1966 for the United States Senate which occurred midway through the second term of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The 33 seats of Class 2 were contested in regular elections. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies. With divisions in the Democratic base over the Vietnam War, and with the traditional mid-term advantage of the party not holding the presidency, the Republicans took three Democratic seats, thereby breaking Democrats' 2/3rds supermajority. Despite Republican gains, the balance remained overwhelmingly in favor of the Democrats, who retained a 64–36 majority. Democrats were further reduced to 63-37, following the death of Robert F. Kennedy in June 1968.
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The 1956 United States Senate elections were elections for the United States Senate that coincided with the re-election of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The 32 seats of Class 3 were contested in regular elections, and three special elections were held to fill vacancies. Although Democrats gained two seats in regular elections, the Republicans gained two seats in special elections, leaving the party balance of the chamber unchanged.
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The 1996 South Carolina United States Senate election was held on November 5, 1996 to select the U.S. Senator from the state of South Carolina. Popular incumbent Republican Senator Strom Thurmond, won re-election against Democratic challenger Elliott Springs Close for a seventh full term in office. The margin, however, was one of the closest in Thurmond’s 48-year Senate career. At the age of 93 years, 11 months and 3 days, Thurmond became the oldest person ever to be re-elected to the United States Senate. He eventually served out the entirety of what would be his final term and left the Senate on January 3, 2003, at age 100 years and 29 days.
The 1966 South Carolina United States Senate special election was held on November 8, 1966 to select the U.S. Senator from the state of South Carolina. The election resulted from the death of Senator Olin D. Johnston in 1965. Then Governor Donald S. Russell entered in a prearranged agreement with Lieutenant Governor Robert Evander McNair in which Russell would resign his post so that he could be appointed Senator. However, former Governor Fritz Hollings won the Democratic primary election and went on to beat Republican state senator Marshall Parker in the general election to win his right to fill the remaining two years of the unexpired term.
The 1998 United States Senate election in South Carolina was held November 3, 1998. Incumbent Senator Fritz Hollings won reelection to his seventh term. As of 2023, this is the last time that a Democrat has won a U.S. Senate election in South Carolina. This is also the last time the Democratic nominee for this Senate seat was a white man, as in future elections Democrats would either nominate a woman and/or a person of color.
The 2004 United States Senate election in South Carolina was held on November 2, 2004. Longtime incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Fritz Hollings retired, and Republican U.S. Representative Jim DeMint won the open seat. DeMint was the first Republican to hold this Senate seat since 1879, and the first Republican to ever be popularly elected to the seat.
The 1966 South Carolina United States Senate election was held on November 8, 1966 to select the U.S. Senator from the state of South Carolina simultaneously with the special election to fill out the remainder of Olin D. Johnston's term.
The 1968 South Carolina United States Senate election was held on November 5, 1968, to select the U.S. Senator from the state of South Carolina. Incumbent Democratic Senator Fritz Hollings easily defeated Republican state senator Marshall Parker in a rematch of the election two years earlier to win his second,, term.
The 1986 South Carolina United States Senate election was held on November 4, 1986 to select the U.S. Senator from the state of South Carolina. Popular incumbent Democratic Senator Fritz Hollings easily defeated Republican challenger Henry McMaster to win his fifth term. This is also the last US Senate election in South Carolina where the Democrat won with a double-digit margin. McMaster would much later be elected Governor in 2018
The 1962 South Carolina United States Senate election was held on November 6, 1962 to select the U.S. Senator from the state of South Carolina. Incumbent Democratic Senator Olin D. Johnston defeated Governor Fritz Hollings in the Democratic primary and Republican W. D. Workman, Jr. in the general election.
The 1974 South Carolina United States Senate election was held on November 5, 1974 to select the U.S. Senator from the state of South Carolina. Incumbent Democratic Senator Fritz Hollings easily defeated Republican challenger Gwen Bush to win his third term.
