2008 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina

Last updated

2008 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina
Flag of South Carolina.svg
  2006 November 4, 2008 (2008-11-04) 2010  

All 6 South Carolina seats to the United States House of Representatives
 Majority partyMinority party
 
Party Republican Democratic
Last election42
Seats won42
Seat changeSteady2.svgSteady2.svg
Popular vote939,703919,529
Percentage50.15%49.07%
SwingDecrease2.svg 5.05%Increase2.svg 5.55%

2002-2008 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina results map by winner.svg
2008 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina results map by vote share.svg
2008 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina by county.svg
South Carolina's 6 congressional districts SC-districts-108.JPG
South Carolina's 6 congressional districts

The 2008 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina were held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. The primary elections were held on June 10 and the runoff elections were held two weeks later on June 24. The composition of the state delegation before the election was four Republicans and two Democrats.

Contents

All seats were considered safe for their incumbent parties except for districts 1 and 2. This was the last time that Democrats won more than one congressional district from South Carolina until 2018.

Overview

United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 2008 [1]
PartyVotesPercentageSeats+/–
Republican 939,70350.15%4
Democratic 919,52949.07%2
Green 7,3320.39%0
Others7,3260.39%0
Totals1,873,890100.00%6

District 1

United States House of Representatives, South Carolina District 1 map.png

Incumbent Republican Congressman Henry E. Brown, Jr. defeated Democratic candidate Linda Ketner by a surprisingly thin margin to win a fifth term in Congress. Ketner's performance was the strongest performance by a Democrat that Brown had seen in his career and was made all the more surprising by the fact that she was openly lesbian and the 1st district, stretching across the coast of South Carolina, was strongly conservative.

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
The Cook Political Report [2] Lean RNovember 6, 2008
Rothenberg [3] Lean RNovember 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball [4] Lean RNovember 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics [5] Safe RNovember 7, 2008
CQ Politics [6] Lean RNovember 6, 2008
South Carolina's 1st congressional district election, 2008
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Henry E. Brown, Jr. (incumbent) 177,540 51.93
Democratic Linda Ketner 163,72447.89
Write-ins6150.18
Total votes341,879 100.00
Republican hold

District 2

United States House of Representatives, South Carolina District 2 map.png

Incumbent Republican Congressman Joe Wilson defeated Democrat and Iraq War Veteran Rob Miller by the thinnest margin of his electoral career. Miller's performance in this conservative district rooted in eastern and southern South Carolina was surprising, though ultimately was not strong enough to unseat Wilson in his bid for a fifth term.

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
The Cook Political Report [2] Likely RNovember 6, 2008
Rothenberg [3] Safe RNovember 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball [4] Safe RNovember 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics [5] Safe RNovember 7, 2008
CQ Politics [6] Likely RNovember 6, 2008
South Carolina's 2nd congressional district election, 2008
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Joe Wilson (incumbent) 184,583 53.74
Democratic Rob Miller158,62746.18
Write-ins2760.08
Total votes343,486 100.00
Republican hold

District 3

United States House of Representatives, South Carolina District 3 map.png

Though two of his fellow Republican Congressman faced tougher-than-expected bids for re-election, incumbent Republican Congressman J. Gresham Barrett easily dispatched Democratic nominee Jane Ballard Dyer, a pilot, in this staunchly conservative district based in western South Carolina.

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
The Cook Political Report [2] Safe RNovember 6, 2008
Rothenberg [3] Safe RNovember 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball [4] Safe RNovember 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics [5] Safe RNovember 7, 2008
CQ Politics [6] Safe RNovember 6, 2008
South Carolina's 3rd congressional district election, 2008
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican J. Gresham Barrett (incumbent) 186,799 64.69
Democratic Jane Ballard Dyer 101,72435.23
Write-ins2180.08
Total votes288,741 100.00
Republican hold

District 4

United States House of Representatives, South Carolina District 4 map.png

Incumbent Republican Congressman easily defeated Democratic candidate Paul Corden and Green Party candidate C. Faye Walters in this very conservative district rooted in Upstate South Carolina.

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
The Cook Political Report [2] Safe RNovember 6, 2008
Rothenberg [3] Safe RNovember 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball [4] Safe RNovember 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics [5] Safe RNovember 7, 2008
CQ Politics [6] Safe RNovember 6, 2008
South Carolina's 4th congressional district election, 2008
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Bob Inglis (incumbent) 184,440 60.09
Democratic Paul Corden113,29136.91
Green C. Faye Walters7,3322.39
Write-ins1,8650.61
Total votes306,928 100.00
Republican hold

District 5

United States House of Representatives, South Carolina District 5 map.png

Long-serving incumbent Democratic Congressman John Spratt has been able to maintain popularity in this conservative district based in northern South Carolina, enabling to repeatedly win re-election despite the national mood. This year proved no different, with Spratt easily winning a fourteenth term over Republican challenger Albert Spencer and Constitution Party candidate Frank Waggoner.

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
The Cook Political Report [2] Safe DNovember 6, 2008
Rothenberg [3] Safe DNovember 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball [4] Safe DNovember 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics [5] Safe DNovember 7, 2008
CQ Politics [6] Safe DNovember 6, 2008
South Carolina's 5th congressional district election, 2008
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic John Spratt (incumbent) 188,785 61.64
Republican Albert Spencer113,28236.99
Constitution Frank Waggoner4,0931.42
Write-ins1250.04
Total votes306,285 100.00
Democratic hold

District 6

United States House of Representatives, South Carolina District 6 map.png

Incumbent Democratic Congressman Jim Clyburn, the House Majority Whip, easily won a ninth term in this very liberal, African-American majority district in central South Carolina. Clyburn won re-election over Republican Nancy Harrelson by the largest margin out of anyone in the South Carolina congressional delegation.

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
The Cook Political Report [2] Safe DNovember 6, 2008
Rothenberg [3] Safe DNovember 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball [4] Safe DNovember 6, 2008
Real Clear Politics [5] Safe DNovember 7, 2008
CQ Politics [6] Safe DNovember 6, 2008
South Carolina's 6th congressional district election, 2008
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Jim Clyburn (incumbent) 193,378 67.48
Republican Nancy Harrelson93,05932.47
Write-ins1340.05
Total votes286,571 100.00
Democratic hold

See also

References

  1. "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives".
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "2008 Competitive House Race Chart". House: Race Ratings. The Cook Political Report. November 6, 2006. Archived from the original on November 6, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "2008 House Ratings". House Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. November 2, 2006. Archived from the original on November 6, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "2008 House". Sabato's Crystal Ball. November 6, 2008. Archived from the original on November 6, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Battle for the House of Representatives". realclearpolitics.com. Real Clear Politics. November 7, 2008. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Race Ratings Chart: House". cqpolitics.com. Congressional Quarterly Inc. Archived from the original on November 6, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2023.