South Carolina 2024 Elections: Breaking Down Races to Watch | Palmetto Politics

South Carolina may not be a top presidential battleground with Donald Trump and Kamala Harris vying for 270 electoral votes, but voters in the Palmetto State still face decisions that could change the political landscape here and even make history.

Will South Carolina add a second Republican woman to its federal delegation?

Can a Democrat defy the odds in the Upstate — a conservative stronghold that has long been hostile ground for the party — and pull off a shocking upset?

Is Charleston County getting a new sheriff? Will a former prosecutor defeat his former boss in the Charleston-Berkeley attorney race?

And who will keep their seats in the Statehouse — and which upstarts will bring their ideas to Columbia in the next legislative session, which begins in January?

Here are the South Carolina races to watch on election night when results are announced on November 5th.

congress

What kind of mistake? This year, incumbent members of Congress who are on the ballot are widely expected to advance to re-election, in part because of redistricting. But not everyone is interested in returning to Washington.

Earlier this year, Upstate Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan of Laurens announced he would not run for re-election after 14 years in Washington, a defection that attracted a throng of Republican candidates in the state's most conservative congressional district.

Republican Sheri Biggs beat six other candidates in a crowded GOP primary that ended in a runoff against MAGA pastor Mark Burns, the leader of a multinational Christian television company in Easley whose campaign is in debt of nearly $1 million. had dollars.

But in deep-red South Carolina, where state legislatures set the political boundaries for their own legislative districts and congressional maps after every decennial census, the June GOP primary is often the deciding contest.

More than half of these races have now been decided: the files show that 19 of the 46 seats in the Senate and 70 of the 124 seats in the House of Representatives are uncontested.

This year, Democrats in the House are on the offensive, trying to expand their influence where they can, while in the Senate they are on defense to keep their seats.

Here are the most important races:

State House

Democrats are hoping that enthusiasm for the presidential race will translate into electoral victories this year. Things will still be uphill: the Democrats only have 35 seats compared to the Republicans, who represent 87 seats. (There are two vacancies.)

In an interview earlier this year, Jay Parmley, executive director of the state Democratic Party, told The Post and Courier he believes the party could actually win some seats in the Legislature if it manages to match President Joe Biden's turnout in the House to achieve or exceed 2020.

Most of the action will take place in the Lowcountry.

House District 115

After a narrow 1.6 percent victory in 2020, incumbent Folly Beach Democratic Rep. Spencer Wetmore will run in a reshaped (and geographically larger) district that is the most competitive district in the state, according to census data. She faces a challenge from Republican Warren Sloane, who unsuccessfully ran for mayor of James Island in 2010.

House District 116

In the battle to represent western Charleston County, drama took center stage. The race between Democrat Charlie Murray and Republican James Teeple has been marred by multiple ethics allegations, a lawsuit against an opponent's family member and a disturbing video that has surfaced of a candidate threatening a parent during a school bus incident in 2022.

The Nov. 5 race for the open statehouse seat is one of the biggest political showdowns in South Carolina this year.

Republicans are desperate to retain the seat they won two years ago when Johns Island Republican Matt Leber narrowly defeated Hollywood Democrat Chardale Murray, the first black woman ever elected to the office, and Charlie Murray's sister. (Leber is now running for a state Senate seat.) Democrats view this seat as one of their best chances to take over.

House District 75

Over the past decade, this seat in Richland County has been the rare competitive seat where political contests have not prevailed. In 2012, 2020 and 2022, the winner's margin was determined by fewer than 300 votes.

This year will see a rematch between former Republican Rep. Kirkman Finlay and current Democratic Rep. Heather Bauer. In 2022, abortion was the dominant issue. For both candidates, the main focus was on problems with the administration of the local school district Richland One and the state education system.

The district — a compact urban area that includes several young and affluent neighborhoods in downtown Columbia — could be another thrill.

State Senate

Senate District 26

There are a handful of Senate seats that will be contested on election night, particularly in the Midlands. But among them, the Senate District 26 race between Democrat Russell Ott and Republican Jason Guerry will be among the most scrutinized of the evening.

Ott, who has served in the House of Representatives since taking over from his father, former House Minority Leader Harry Ott, in 2013, is one of the Democrats' strongest candidates. He demonstrated his adeptness at winning tough races in a brutal primary with former state Democratic Party chairman and Alex Murdaugh attorney Dick Harpootlian. Because it is a competitive district, Guerry will likely draw strong support from deep-red Lexington County and rural parts of the district.

Senate District 41

On paper, Senate District 41 in western Charleston County is not expected to be competitive. Census data shows Republicans have an advantage here by about a dozen points. But the big question here may not be whether the Republican will win, but by how much.

Republican Matt Leber won a narrow victory over more moderate incumbent Sandy Senn in June in one of the state's most hotly contested primaries, in part over her views on abortion.

His opponent, Democrat Rita Adkins, avoided attacking Leber in the final weeks of the election. So it remains to be seen whether Senn's opposition from the primary will hinder Leber on Tuesday evening.

Voting: Sheriffs, Lawyers and More

Voters can also vote in various county elections across the state, including county council elections and court positions such as sheriff, attorney, clerk, probate judge and coroner.

In Charleston County, the sheriff's race is the most closely watched contest and has the potential to be one of the most competitive races on the ballot.

Sheriff Kristin Graziano, who stunned many in 2020 when she became the first Democratic sheriff elected here in 32 years and the first openly gay sheriff ever elected in South Carolina, is running against former Mount Pleasant Chief Carl Ritchie , a Republican whose successful campaign focused on his more than three decades of experience in local law enforcement.

Dorchester County also has a high-profile sheriff's race that has the potential to make history. If elected, Republican Sam Richardson, who is supported by Attorney General Alan Wilson, would be the only black Republican sheriff in South Carolina.

For more information about your local elections and to confirm your vote and voter registration, visit scvotes.gov, the SC State Election Commission website.

Polling stations are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m

Reporter Nick Reynolds contributed to this report from Columbia, S.C