Democrats tout full slate of candidates in 2026 elections

If elections had opening bells, South Carolina’s would have rung at noon on March 30, as the filing period for state, federal and local races officially closed — meaning that June’s 9th’s 2026 Republican and Democratic primary slates are set.

And for the first time in a generation, Democrats will be contesting every race on the ballot, including all 124 S.C. House seats.

“After years of failed Republican leadership that has driven up costs and limited opportunity, we are stepping up with candidates who are ready to fight for South Carolinians and deliver real results in Columbia,” House Democratic Leader Rep. Todd Rutherford said in a release. “I am proud of our caucus and the South Carolina Democratic Party for building a slate that reflects our state and is ready to lead.”

But Republicans were quick to note that they currently enjoy supermajority status in the S.C. House for a reason — and that their already swollen ranks actually grew on filing day, when Marion County Democratic Rep. Lucas Atkinson switched parties and filed for reelection as a Republican.

In a March 30 release, S.C. GOP spokesperson Leighton Gray Smith called the party’s 2026 candidate slate “an overwhelming show of Republican strength, enthusiasm, and grassroots momentum.”

“The growing number of Republican candidates reflects a broader movement across South Carolina, as voters and community leaders increasingly align with the Party’s commitment to conservative principles, economic growth, and individual liberty,” Smith said.

Winthrop political science professor Scott Huffmon told Statehouse Report the full slate of Democratic candidates represents progress for a party that hasn’t won a statewide election since the early 2000s.

“One of things we’ve seen over this period has been a weakening of the Democratic bench,” Huffmon said, referring to the party’s potential pool of candidates. “So being able to say, ‘Hey, we’re running candidates in every race’ is definitely a big deal, even if they don’t have an incredible showing on election day.”

Major state and federal contests on this year’s ballot

High-profile state and federal 2026 races include a hotly contested gubernatorial race to replace the term-limited Gov. Henry McMaster, a large Republican primary field challenging incumbent U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, and an even larger group of 18 Democrats and Republicans running in the U.S. 1st Congressional District — including former GOP Gov. and Congressman Mark Sanford.

In the governor’s race, most polling to date has shown incumbent Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson and retiring U.S. 1st District Rep. Nancy Mace locked in a tight three-way race on the GOP side, though most political observers say a large undecided vote means the contest is still wide open. Other GOP candidates include Spartanburg Sen. Josh Kimbrell, 5th District U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, businessman Rom Reddy and Hartsville businesswoman Jacqueline Hicks DuBose.

For the Democrats, Richland County Rep. Jermaine Johnson, Upstate businessman and former Clinton administration official Billy Webster, and Lowcountry attorney Mullins McLeod are vying for the party’s gubernatorial nod.

In the U.S. Senate race, Graham will face six GOP opponents, including former Trump administration official Paul Dans. And on the Democratic side, former 1st Congressional District candidate and physician Annie Andrews is squaring off against Brandon Brown and Kyle Freeman.

And in the contest to fill Wilson’s attorney general post, Lowcountry Democratic lawyer Richard Hricik will face the victor of a Republican primary that includes Georgetown Sen. Stephen Goldfinch and longtime First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe, who switched parties last year.

But it was the 1st Congressional District contest that got most of the attention on filing day, when Sanford made a last-minute surprise appearance in the race. The former two-term governor will be running in the GOP primary against Charleston County Councilwoman Jenny Costa Honeycutt, Berkeley County Rep. Mark Smith and a field of eight other candidates.

Huffmon, the Winthrop political scientist, said Sanford’s prospects would likely turn on how GOP primary voters process his complicated political history, which includes periods of real popularity, a longshot 2020 primary challenge to President Donald Trump, and an infamous hike down the Appalachian Trail that almost drove him from the governor’s office.

“It’s really just a question of whether voters still remember what they liked about him or whether they still remember what they didn’t approve of about him, and whether that even matters,” he said. “We’ll have to see how all that plays out.”

Meanwhile, across the aisle, a total of seven Democrats are running for the Lowcountry seat, including Charleston attorney and Coast Guard veteran Mac Deford, Beaufort nonprofit counselor Mayra Rivera-Vazquez and Charleston Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore (ret.).

The state’s other open congressional race is in GOP gubernatorial candidate Ralph Norman’s 5th district, where York County Sen. Wes Climer will face the winner of a Democratic primary between Andrew Clough and Mallory Dittmer.

Before filing day was out, the leaders of both major party chairs were claiming victory in the candidate recruitment competition.

“We’ve had a near record number of 464 candidates file to run on the Republican ticket for the mid-term elections versus only 384 who are willing to be associated with the Democrat Party,” S.C. GOP Chairman Drew McKissick said. “The reason for that is the same as why so many people are leaving the Democrats behind: because the Republican Party represents the vast majority of voters in South Carolina and our shared conservative values.”

But Democrats touted the strength of their candidates in every race — an accomplishment they ascribed to hard work and “the corruption, the failures and the broken promises that Republicans have delivered decade after decade.”

“South Carolina families deserve a real choice at the ballot box in every county and every district, and this year, we are making that a reality,” Democratic Chair Christale Spain said. “The South Carolina Democratic Party has recruited a historic slate of candidates who reflect the full diversity and shared values of this state, and we intend to compete everywhere.”

Looking forward, Winthrop’s Huffmon said he expects the campaigns to start engaging more aggressively now that the filing period is over.

“What I’m looking for now is who starts spending money where, and who starts raising money from whom,” Huffmon said. “And then, of course, we’ll all be looking to see who starts lobbing grenades.”

For a full list of 2026 candidates, visit the state elections website at scvotes.gov.