Former President Trump wins South Carolina. Here’s how the victory affects other races
South Carolina will cast nine electoral votes for President-elect Donald Trump, according to a call by the Associated Press.
The AP called the race in South Carolina for Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris at 8:01 p.m. Tuesday as results of the election began coming in.
According to Tuesday’s unofficial results, Trump received 1.4 million votes representing 58% of the vote in the Palmetto State. Harris received about 1 million votes, for 40% of the vote in the state.
The 18-point margin in South Carolina for the once and future president helped buoy the Republican Party to a supermajority in the state Senate with at least 32 seats, and possibly 34 seats, of the 46 seats in the upper chamber. Republicans kept 88 of the 124 seats in the state House.
As of Thursday morning, Trump is projected to win the national popular vote and to carry at least 295 electoral votes. Harris will receive 226 electoral votes, according to Associated Press. Two states, Arizona and Nevada have yet to be called.
Trump has been popular in the Palmetto State and also carried the state in 2016 and 2020, as well the GOP presidential primaries in 2016 and 2024.
Trump won South Carolina in the general election in 2020 by 12 points. He carried the state in 2016 by 14 points.
Going into Tuesday’s election, Trump led in the handful of polls of Palmetto State voters.
A Winthrop University poll in September had Trump leading by 10 percentage points.
The Citadel Poll, conducted between Oct. 17 and Oct. 25, had Trump leading by 12 points
Eastern Carolina University, in a poll conducted from Oct. 18-22, had a 13-point lead for Trump.
A Claflin University poll, in a poll conducted from Oct. 5-10, had Trump leading by 7 points.
Because of the influence by the top of the ticket and straight party ticket voting, the margin of Trump’s victory is key on influencing down ballot races.
Republicans as expected kept control of the General Assembly, but the state had a handful of competitive Legislative races this year.
Going into Tuesday’s elections, Republicans held 88 seats in the House and 30 in the Senate.
A smaller margin for Trump would have been beneficial for Democrats in the state who hoped to gain seats in the House and defend seats in the Senate as only a handful of seats were truly competitive in this year’s elections.
In 2022, Republicans flipped several House seats that were expected to be held by Democratic lawmakers because of the size of their Black populations, including three within Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn’s district.
This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 8:03 PM.
