Columbia is the capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-most populous city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. It is the center of the Columbia, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 858,302 in 2023, and is the 70th-most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States. The name Columbia is a poetic term used for the United States, derived from the name of Christopher Columbus, who explored for the Spanish Crown. Columbia is often abbreviated as Cola, leading to its nickname as "Soda City".
Richland County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 416,147, making it the second-most populous county in South Carolina, behind only Greenville County. The county seat and largest community is Columbia, the state capital. The county was established on March 12, 1785. Richland County is part of the Columbia, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2020, the center of population of South Carolina was located in Richland County, in the city of Columbia. The county is also the location of the geographic center of South Carolina, southeast of Columbia.
Duncan McLauchlin "Lauch" Faircloth was an American politician from North Carolina. He served as a member of the United States Senate for only a single term from 1993 to 1999. He was a Democrat for most of his career in North Carolina politics until he joined the Republican Party in 1991.
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is an American politician and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator representing New York from 2001 to 2009, and the first lady of the United States as the wife of Bill Clinton from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the party's nominee in the 2016 presidential election, becoming the first woman to win a presidential nomination by a major U.S. political party and the only woman to win the popular vote for U.S. president. She is the only first lady of the United States to have run for elected office.
John L. Scott Jr. was an American politician who served as a member of the South Carolina Legislature from 1991 until his death.
Nina Hudson Turner is an American politician, and television personality. A member of the Democratic Party, she was a Cleveland City Council member from 2006 to 2008 and a member of the Ohio Senate from 2008 until 2014. Turner was the Democratic nominee for Ohio Secretary of State in 2014, but lost in the general election against incumbent Jon Husted, receiving 35.5 percent of the vote. A self-described democratic socialist, her politics have been variously described as progressive, left-wing, or far-left.
The 2016 United States Senate election in South Carolina was held on November 8, 2016, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of South Carolina, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Both major parties held their primaries on June 14.
The 2014 United States Senate special election in South Carolina took place on November 4, 2014, concurrently with the regular election for the other South Carolina Senate seat. The special-election Senate seat was formerly held by Republican Jim DeMint, who resigned on January 2, 2013, to become president of The Heritage Foundation.
Katrina Frye Shealy is an American politician, and a member of the South Carolina State Senate. She is a Republican but was elected as a petition candidate from District 23 in Lexington County. At the time of her election in 2012, she was the only woman in the South Carolina Senate and in May of 2023, was one of six women serving in the South Carolina State Senate. She was defeated in a runoff in 2024.
Mia S. McLeod is an independent American politician serving as a member of the South Carolina Senate from the 22nd district. On June 3, 2021, McLeod announced her candidacy for the 2022 South Carolina gubernatorial election, becoming the first Black woman to run for Governor of South Carolina, generating national and international headlines.
Beth Bernstein is a Democratic member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing House District 78, Richland County, Columbia, SC. She was first elected in November 2012.
Rick Wade is a South Carolina businessman and politician.
Julia Ratti is an American politician who served as a member of the Nevada Senate from 2016 to 2021. She represented the 13th district, which covers parts of Washoe County, including much of Sparks and Reno.
Margie Bright Matthews is a Democratic member of the South Carolina Senate, representing the 45th District since 2015, when she won a special election to succeed Clementa Pinckney, who was killed in the Charleston church shooting in 2015. She is an attorney who founded a law firm.
Richard A. "Dick" Harpootlian is an American attorney and politician who served as a member of the South Carolina Senate from the 20th district from 2018 to 2024. He served as the chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party from 1998 to 2003 and again from 2011 to 2013. He also previously served as solicitor for the Fifth Judicial Circuit of South Carolina from 1991 until 1995.
Hong Qi is an American politician who represents the 15th legislative district in the Maryland House of Delegates. Qi previously worked as a chief administrator for economic development under Isiah Leggett.
Kambrell Houston Garvin is an American injury attorney and politician from South Carolina. He serves as a Democratic member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing House District 77, Richland County, Columbia, SC. He was first elected in 2018.
Catherine Fleming Bruce is an American author, preservationist, activist and politician of the Democratic Party.
Tameika Isaac Devine is an American attorney and politician. Since 2024, she has represented the 19th Senate District in the South Carolina Senate. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
Joan B. Brady is an American politician. She was a Republican member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing House District 78, Richland County, Columbia, SC.
