By Jack O’Toole, Statehouse bureau | A longshot bet by S.C. Democrats to field candidates in all 124 state House races for the first time in decades paid off Tuesday night when the party picked up 10 seats, breaking the GOP’s supermajority lock on the chamber.
And while that modest achievement may not shine quite as brightly as Annie Andrews’ U.S. Senate shocker or Nancy Lacore’s First Congressional District victory, state party officials were quick to claim the win as the smoke cleared Wednesday morning.
“It’s the largest single net pickup that we can find in modern history,” S.C. Democratic Party Executive Director Jay Parmley told reporters, according to the S.C. Daily Gazette. “These numbers are just really through the roof for us.”
The biggest Republican loss of the night? Recently elected House Majority Leader Micah Caskey of Lexington County, who went down by just over 100 votes to Democratic challenger Joe Madge.
In a Wednesday social media post, Caskey noted that an automatic recount would be required since the margin was within 1%, but said he didn’t expect it to change the outcome.
“I’m proud of the work I’ve done on election integrity in the General Assembly,” Caskey wrote, “and we all have every reason to expect the final results to be exactly what the Election Commission says they are.”
The rest of Tuesday’s Democratic state House flips were spread across districts from the Upstate to the Lowcountry.
House District 12: In this district spanning McCormick and parts of Greenwood counties, Democratic candidate Jumelle Brooks defeated second-term Republican Rep. Daniel Gibson with 55% of the vote.
House District 57: Democratic nominee Cynthia Ford bested Republican Rep. Lucas Atkinson, a 10-year incumbent who switched parties this year, 52%-48% in this Pee Dee region seat.
House District 64: In Clarendon County, Democratic candidate Michele Demery captured 52% of the vote to beat two-term incumbent GOP Rep. Fawn Pedalino.
House District 66: Democratic challenger Heather Hart bested first-term incumbent Republican Rep. Jackie Terribile, a member of the S.C. Freedom Caucus, 51%-49%.
House District 92: In this Goose Creek-area district, Democratic nominee Byron Walters defeated two-term Republican Rep. Brandon Cox with 52% of the vote.
House District 98: In a rematch of the January special election that first put Republican Rep. Greg Ford in this Summerville-area seat, Democratic candidate Sonja Ogletree Satani beat the still-freshly-minted incumbent 55%-45%.
House District 102: Democratic challenger Montez Aiken defeated first-term GOP Rep. Harriet Holman 57%-43% in a district that reaches across upper Berkeley and Dorchester counties.
House District 116: In this Charleston-area seat, Democratic nominee Clay Middleton bested first-term Republican Rep. James Teeple 56%-44%.
House District 122: Democratic candidate Korey Williams captured 52% of the vote to beat two-term GOP Rep. Bill Hager in the Hampton County district.
In other recent news
U.S. SENATE: Andrews flips seat over Graham in blue wave. Annie Andrews, the Lowcountry pediatrician who campaigned for more than a year as a Democratic challenger to a four-term Republican in the U.S. Senate, accomplished something Tuesday that most didn’t think was possible – a major victory as a Democrat in ruby-red South Carolina.
- Dems take U.S. Senate seat in S.C.
- How S.C. voters’ support shifted to flip the U.S. Senate seat
- Rural S.C. voters propelled Democrat to the Senate
- Andrews says she’ll focus on ending war, cutting fuel prices, funding Medicaid
S.C.-1: Lacore claims First District for Democrats. Retired Adm. Nancy Lacore, fired without explanation last year by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, will return to D.C. after defeating Charleston County Councilmember Jenny Honeycutt.
- Lacore flips S.C.-1 for Democrats
- Lacore’s upset fueled by wins in GOP strongholds
- Clyburn wins 18th term in U.S. House
- Republicans Wilson, Biggs, Timmons, Fry and Climer win U.S. House races
Citizens crave bipartisanship, bemoan high prices, rancor. Charleston City Paper editor Andy Brack took a pre-election road trip across America to listen to and share what everyday Americans were saying about the trajectory of the country. They didn’t hold back.
State’s flags flown at half-staff to honor Sanders. The state’s flags were at half-staff Thursday to honor former S.C. Court of Appeals Chief Judge and former College of Charleston President Alex Sanders.
S.C. grocery aid no longer covers candy, sodas, other sugary foods. Grocery assistance in South Carolina no longer covers candy, sodas and other sugary drinks after a change in the program took effect Sunday.
S.C. Arts Commission board expands role in grant approval, policing language. At a special-called meeting on Nov. 5, the S.C. Arts Commission voted to adopt obscenity guidelines that are more strict than those required by South Carolina law.
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