South Carolina presidential election results and history
South Carolina has voted in 50 presidential elections in this record and backed the national winner in 22 of the 40 with a recorded winner (55%).
Current members of Congress from South Carolina (9)
- Darline Graham Senator · Republican
- Tim Scott Senator · Republican
- Nancy Mace District 1 · Republican
- Joe Wilson District 2 · Republican
- Sheri Biggs District 3 · Republican
- William R. Timmons IV District 4 · Republican
- Ralph Norman District 5 · Republican
- James E. Clyburn District 6 · Democrat
- Russell Fry District 7 · Republican
- Latest (2024)
- Donald J. Trump17.9 pts
- Electoral votes
- 9
- Democratic wins
- 21
- Republican wins
- 18
Counties in 2024
Full 2024 resultsEvery presidential election in South Carolina
Download CSV| Year | Carried by | Share | Runner-up | Margin | EV | Votes counted | National winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Donald J. Trump | 58.2% | Kamala Harris | 17.9 | 9 | 2,548,140 | Donald J. Trump ✓ |
| 2020 | Donald J. Trump | 55.1% | Joseph R. Biden | 11.7 | 9 | 2,513,329 | Joseph R. Biden ✗ |
| 2016 | Donald J. Trump | 54.9% | Hillary Clinton | 14.3 | 9 | 2,103,027 | Donald J. Trump ✓ |
| 2012 | Mitt Romney | 54.6% | Barack Obama | 10.5 | 9 | 1,964,118 | Barack Obama ✗ |
| 2008 | John McCain | 53.9% | Barack Obama | 9.0 | 8 | 1,920,969 | Barack Obama ✗ |
| 2004 | George W. Bush | 58.0% | John Kerry | 17.1 | 8 | 1,617,730 | George W. Bush ✓ |
| 2000 | George W. Bush | 56.8% | Albert Gore, Jr. | 15.9 | 8 | 1,382,717 | George W. Bush ✓ |
| 1996 | Robert Dole | 49.8% | William J. Clinton | 5.8 | 8 | 1,151,689 | William J. Clinton ✗ |
| 1992 | George H. W. Bush | 48.0% | William J. Clinton | 8.2 | 8 | 1,202,527 | William J. Clinton ✗ |
| 1988 | George H. W. Bush | 61.5% | Michael Dukakis | 23.9 | 8 | 986,009 | George H. W. Bush ✓ |
| 1984 | Ronald Reagan | 63.6% | Walter Mondale | 28.0 | 8 | 968,529 | Ronald Reagan ✓ |
| 1980 | Ronald Reagan | 49.4% | Jimmy Carter | 1.3 | 8 | 894,071 | Ronald Reagan ✓ |
| 1976 | Jimmy Carter | 56.2% | Gerald R. Ford | 13.0 | 8 | 802,583 | Jimmy Carter ✓ |
| 1972 | Richard M. Nixon | 70.8% | George McGovern | 43.1 | 8 | 673,960 | Richard M. Nixon ✓ |
| 1968 | Richard M. Nixon | 38.1% | George Wallace | 5.8 | 8 | 666,978 | Richard M. Nixon ✓ |
| 1964 | Barry Goldwater | 58.9% | Lyndon B. Johnson | 17.8 | 8 | 524,779 | Lyndon B. Johnson ✗ |
| 1960 | John F. Kennedy | 51.2% | Richard M. Nixon | 2.5 | 8 | 386,688 | John F. Kennedy ✓ |
| 1956 | Adlai Stevenson | 45.4% | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 20.2 | 8 | 300,583 | Dwight D. Eisenhower ✗ |
| 1952 | Adlai Stevenson | 50.7% | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 47.9 | 8 | 341,087 | Dwight D. Eisenhower ✗ |
| 1948 | Strom Thurmond | 72.0% | Harry S Truman | 47.8 | 8 | 142,571 | Harry S Truman ✗ |
| 1944 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 87.6% | Thomas E. Dewey | 83.2 | 8 | 103,382 | Franklin D. Roosevelt ✓ |
| 1940 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 95.6% | Wendell L. Willkie | 91.3 | 8 | 99,830 | Franklin D. Roosevelt ✓ |
| 1936 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 98.6% | Alfred M. Landon | 97.2 | 8 | 115,437 | Franklin D. Roosevelt ✓ |
| 1932 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 98.0% | Herbert Hoover | 96.1 | 8 | 104,407 | Franklin D. Roosevelt ✓ |
| 1928 | Alfred E. Smith | 91.4% | Herbert Hoover | 82.9 | 9 | 68,605 | Herbert Hoover ✗ |
| 1924 | John W. Davis | 96.6% | Calvin Coolidge | 94.4 | 9 | 50,755 | Calvin Coolidge ✗ |
| 1920 | James M. Cox | 96.1% | Warren G. Harding | 92.1 | 9 | 66,808 | Warren G. Harding ✗ |
| 1916 | Woodrow Wilson | 96.7% | Charles E. Hughes | 94.3 | 9 | 63,950 | Woodrow Wilson ✓ |
| 1912 | Woodrow Wilson | 95.9% | Theodore Roosevelt | 93.4 | 9 | 50,403 | Woodrow Wilson ✓ |
| 1908 | William Jennings Bryan | 93.8% | William Howard Taft | 87.9 | 9 | 66,379 | William Howard Taft ✗ |
| 1904 | Alton B. Parker | 95.4% | Theodore Roosevelt | 90.8 | 9 | 55,890 | Theodore Roosevelt ✗ |
| 1900 | William Jennings Bryan | 93.0% | William McKinley | 86.1 | 9 | 50,698 | William McKinley ✗ |
| 1896 | William Jennings Bryan | 85.3% | William McKinley | 71.8 | 9 | 68,938 | William McKinley ✗ |
| 1892 | Grover Cleveland | 77.6% | Benjamin Harrison | 58.6 | 9 | 70,504 | Grover Cleveland ✓ |
| 1888 | Grover Cleveland | 82.3% | Benjamin Harrison | 65.1 | 9 | 79,997 | Benjamin Harrison ✗ |
| 1884 | Grover Cleveland | 75.3% | James G. Blaine | 51.8 | 9 | 92,812 | Grover Cleveland ✓ |
| 1880 | Winfield S. Hancock | 65.5% | James A. Garfield | 31.4 | 7 | 169,793 | James A. Garfield ✗ |
| 1876 | Rutherford B. Hayes | 50.2% | Samuel Tilden | 0.5 | 7 | 182,683 | Rutherford B. Hayes ✓ |
| 1872 | Ulysses S. Grant | 75.7% | Horace Greeley | 52.0 | 7 | 95,452 | Ulysses S. Grant ✓ |
| 1868 | Ulysses S. Grant | 57.9% | Horatio Seymour | 15.9 | 6 | 107,538 | Ulysses S. Grant ✓ |
| 1860 | 8 electors chosen by state legislature and awarded to John Breckinridge | — | — | — | — | — | Abraham Lincoln |
| 1856 | 8 electors chosen by state legislature and awarded to James Buchanan | — | — | — | — | — | James Buchanan |
| 1852 | 8 electors chosen by state legislature and awarded to Franklin Pierce | — | — | — | — | — | Franklin Pierce |
| 1848 | 9 electors chosen by state legislature and awarded to Lewis Cass | — | — | — | — | — | Zachary Taylor |
| 1844 | 9 electors chosen by state legislature and awarded to James K. Polk | — | — | — | — | — | James K. Polk |
| 1840 | 11 electors chosen by state legislature and awarded to Martin van Buren | — | — | — | — | — | William Henry Harrison |
| 1836 | 11 electors chosen by state legislature and awarded to Willie Person Mangum | — | — | — | — | — | Martin Van Buren |
| 1832 | 11 electors chosen by state legislature and awarded to John Floyd | — | — | — | — | — | Andrew Jackson |
| 1828 | 11 electors chosen by state legislature and awarded to Andrew Jackson | — | — | — | — | — | Andrew Jackson |
| 1824 | 11 electors chosen by state legislature and awarded to Andrew Jackson | — | — | — | — | — | John Quincy Adams |
Counties
- Abbeville County
- Aiken County
- Allendale County
- Anderson County
- Bamberg County
- Barnwell County
- Beaufort County
- Berkeley County
- Calhoun County
- Charleston County
- Cherokee County
- Chester County
- Chesterfield County
- Clarendon County
- Colleton County
- Darlington County
- Dillon County
- Dorchester County
- Edgefield County
- Fairfield County
- Florence County
- Georgetown County
- Greenville County
- Greenwood County
- Hampton County
- Horry County
- Jasper County
- Kershaw County
- Lancaster County
- Laurens County
- Lee County
- Lexington County
- Marion County
- Marlboro County
- McCormick County
- Newberry County
- Oconee County
- Orangeburg County
- Pickens County
- Richland County
- Saluda County
- Spartanburg County
- Sumter County
- Union County
- Williamsburg County
- York County
Questions and answers
How has South Carolina voted in recent presidential elections?
2024: Donald J. Trump by 17.9 points; 2020: Donald J. Trump by 11.7 points; 2016: Donald J. Trump by 14.3 points; 2012: Mitt Romney by 10.5 points; 2008: John McCain by 9.0 points.
When did South Carolina last vote Democratic for president?
In 1976, for Jimmy Carter.
When did South Carolina last vote Republican for president?
In 2024, for Donald J. Trump.
How often does South Carolina vote for the winning presidential candidate?
South Carolina backed the national winner in 22 of 40 elections in this record (55%).
Is South Carolina a swing state?
No. It has been safely one-sided: in 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024 its margins were Republican by 10.5 points, Republican by 14.3 points, Republican by 11.7 points and Republican by 17.9 points.
Official results As published by The American Presidency Project (UC Santa Barbara) and the state documents it links. How we use this data