While he lost South Carolina by more than 200,000 votes in Tuesday’s election, there was some good news for President Barack Obama: The incumbent Democratic president took 21 of South Carolina’s 46 counties, up from 20 counties four years ago.

And Obama ran neck and neck with GOP nominee Mitt Romney in three Midlands counties.

According to unofficial returns, Romney took 1,055,580 S.C. votes to win the state’s nine electoral votes. That was about 20,000 more votes than GOP nominee John McCain won in 2008.

Obama took 848,325 S.C. votes, about 14,000 fewer than he won four years ago, according to the state Election Commission.

In the Midlands, Obama won Richland County by a 47,625-vote margin – 94,350 to 46,725. Obama’s winning margin in Richland was down 90 votes from 2008. However, both Obama and Romney received about 10,000 fewer votes each than Obama and McCain tallied in Richland in 2008.

Romney carried Lexington County by a 42,385-vote margin – 76,392 to 34,007. That was up about 700 votes from McCain’s winning margin in 2008.

Romney also won Kershaw County by about 5,000 votes – 15,846 to 10,821. However, his margin of victory was down by about 200 votes from McCain’s 2008 win.

Obama took the three Midlands counties combined by about 200 votes.

Statewide, Obama won Darlington County this time around, adding it to the 20 S.C. counties that he took in 2008.