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 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%
General election campaign
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.
State Election Commission (1981). Report of the South Carolina Election Commission for the Period Ending June 30, 1981. Columbia, SC. pp. 30, 33, 35, 37.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
