2008 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina

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2008 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina

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All 6 South Carolina seats to the United States House of Representatives
  Majority party Minority party
 
Party Republican Democratic
Last election 4 2
Seats won 4 2
Seat change Steady Steady
Popular vote 939,703 919,529
Percentage 50.15% 49.07%
Swing Decrease 5.05% Increase 5.55%

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.

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]
Party Votes Percentage Seats +/–
Republican 939,703 50.15% 4
Democratic 919,529 49.07% 2
Green 7,332 0.39% 0
Others 7,326 0.39% 0
Totals 1,873,890 100.00% 6

District 1

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.

South Carolina's 1st congressional district election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Henry E. Brown, Jr. (incumbent) 177,540 51.93
Democratic Linda Ketner 163,724 47.89
Write-ins 615 0.18
Total votes 341,879 100.00
Republican hold

District 2

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.

South Carolina's 2nd congressional district election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Joe Wilson (incumbent) 184,583 53.74
Democratic Rob Miller 158,627 46.18
Write-ins 276 0.08
Total votes 343,486 100.00
Republican hold

District 3

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.

South Carolina's 3rd congressional district election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican J. Gresham Barrett (incumbent) 186,799 64.69
Democratic Jane Ballard Dyer 101,724 35.23
Write-ins 218 0.08
Total votes 288,741 100.00
Republican hold

District 4

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.

South Carolina's 4th congressional district election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bob Inglis (incumbent) 184,440 60.09
Democratic Paul Corden 113,291 36.91
Green C. Faye Walters 7,332 2.39
Write-ins 1,865 0.61
Total votes 306,928 100.00
Republican hold

District 5

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.

South Carolina's 5th congressional district election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John Spratt (incumbent) 188,785 61.64
Republican Albert Spencer 113,282 36.99
Constitution Frank Waggoner 4,093 1.42
Write-ins 125 0.04
Total votes 306,285 100.00
Democratic hold

District 6

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.

South Carolina's 6th congressional district election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jim Clyburn (incumbent) 193,378 67.48
Republican Nancy Harrelson 93,059 32.47
Write-ins 134 0.05
Total votes 286,571 100.00
Democratic hold

See also

References

  1. ^ "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives".

External links