James Hovis Hodges is an American businessman, attorney, and politician who served as the 114th governor of South Carolina from 1999 to 2003. A former member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, Hodges is the most recent Democrat to serve as the state's governor.
William Michael Daley is an American lawyer, politician and former banker who served as the 24th White House Chief of Staff from January 2011 to January 2012 under President Barack Obama. Prior to this, he served as the 32nd U.S. Secretary of Commerce from 1997 to 2000 under President Bill Clinton.
James Enos Clyburn is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for South Carolina's 6th congressional district. First elected in 1992, Clyburn is in his 17th term, representing a congressional district that includes most of the majority-black precincts in and around Columbia and Charleston, as well as most of the majority-black areas outside Beaufort and nearly all of South Carolina's share of the Black Belt. Since Joe Cunningham's departure in 2021, Clyburn has been the only Democrat in South Carolina's congressional delegation and as well as the dean of this delegation since 2011 after fellow Democrat John Spratt lost re-election.
Addison Graves "Joe" Wilson Sr. is an American politician and attorney serving as the U.S. representative for South Carolina's 2nd congressional district since 2001. A member of the Republican Party, his district stretches from Columbia to the Georgia–South Carolina border. He served as the South Carolina state senator from the 23rd district from 1985 to 2001.
Henry Dargan McMaster is an American politician and attorney serving as the 117th governor of South Carolina since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 50th attorney general of South Carolina from 2003 to 2011 and the 91st lieutenant governor of South Carolina from 2015 to 2017 under Governor Nikki Haley.
The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) is a Washington, D.C.–based 527 organization founded in 1983, consisting of U.S. state and territorial governors affiliated with the Democratic Party. The main purpose of the organization is to provide party support to the election and re-election of Democratic gubernatorial candidates. The DGA's Republican counterpart is the Republican Governors Association. The DGA is not directly affiliated with the non-partisan National Governors Association.
Robert D. "Bob" Coble is a former mayor of Columbia, South Carolina. Coble has been a resident of Columbia for most of his life having graduated from Dreher High School in 1971 where he was student body president. Coble and Frannie Heizer won the 1971 South Carolina State High School Debate Championship. Coble graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1975 cum laude and the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1978 cum laude. Coble was elected to the Richland County Council in 1985 and served until 1988. Coble was elected Mayor of Columbia South Carolina in 1990 and served until 2010. Mayor Coble was elected Mayor five times and in his last re-election in 2006 received 64% of the citywide vote. He was succeeded as mayor by Steve Benjamin. Coble is married to Beth Coble, the daughter of former South Carolina Attorney General Daniel R. McLeod in 1978. They are the parents of six children and twelve grandchildren.
Ralph Warren Norman Jr. is an American real estate developer and politician who has served as the U.S. representative for South Carolina's 5th congressional district since 2017. His district includes most of the South Carolina side of the Charlotte metropolitan area, along with outer portions of the Upstate and Midlands. A member of the Republican Party, Norman served as the South Carolina state representative for the 48th district from 2005 to 2007 and from 2009 to 2017.
Adam Paul Ebbin is an American politician who is the senator from the 39th District of the Virginia Senate since January 2024. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented the 39th Senate District from 2012 to 2024 and served in the Virginia House of Delegates from the 49th District from 2004 to 2012.
Stephen Kent, MHA, is a former Canadian politician in Newfoundland and Labrador. Kent served as the deputy premier, Minister of Health and Community Services, Minister Responsible for the Office of Public Engagement in the cabinet of Paul Davis. Previously he served as the Minister of Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs, the Minister Responsible for Fire and Emergency Services – Newfoundland and Labrador, and Registrar General in the cabinets of Kathy Dunderdale and Tom Marshall. He served as the Member of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly for the District of Mount Pearl North from 2007 until 2017.
Cedric Levan Richmond is an American attorney, politician, and political advisor who is serving as senior advisor to the Democratic National Committee. Richmond was previously a senior advisor to the president and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement in the Biden administration. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representative for Louisiana's 2nd congressional district from 2011 to 2021. His district included most of New Orleans.
Alvin Brown is an American politician from Florida who served as mayor of Jacksonville, Florida, from 2011 to 2015. He was the first African American to be elected to that position. Brown succeeded John Peyton as mayor after winning the 2011 mayoral election. In the 2015 race, he lost his re-election bid to Republican Lenny Curry.
The 2018 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 2018, to elect the governor of South Carolina. Incumbent Republican governor Henry McMaster, who took office after Nikki Haley resigned to become U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, ran for election to a full term. The primary was held on June 12, with the Democrats nominating State Representative James E. Smith Jr. McMaster failed to win a majority of the vote, and then defeated John Warren in the Republican runoff on June 26. In the general election, McMaster defeated Smith, winning election to a full term.
Keisha Lance Bottoms is an American attorney and politician who served as the 60th mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, from 2018 to 2022. She was elected mayor in 2017. Before becoming mayor, she was a member of the Atlanta City Council, representing part of Southwest Atlanta. Bottoms did not run for a second term as mayor. President Joe Biden nominated Bottoms as vice chair of civic engagement and voter protection at the DNC for the 2021–2025 term. In June 2022, Bottoms joined the Biden administration as senior advisor and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement where she served until February 2023. Bottoms formerly served as a member of the President's Export Council.
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.
The 2022 South Carolina gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of South Carolina. Incumbent Republican governor Henry McMaster ran for re-election for a second full term in office and secured the Republican nomination in the June 14 primary. Joe Cunningham, former United States Representative from South Carolina's 1st congressional district, was the Democratic nominee. McMaster won the general election with 58% of the vote — a larger margin than in 2018.
Daniel Rickenmann is an American businessman and politician, serving as the 71st Mayor of Columbia, South Carolina.
DeAndrea Gist Benjamin is an American lawyer serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. She previously served as a judge of the South Carolina Circuit Court for the fifth district.
Mayoral elections in Columbia are held every four years to elect the mayor of Columbia, South Carolina.
