The 1992 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina were held on November 6, 1992, to elect the six
U.S. representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
from the
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
of
South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
, one from each of the state's six
congressional districts
Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts and legislative districts, electorates, or wards in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional bod ...
. The elections coincided with the
1992 U.S. presidential election, as well as
other elections to the House of Representatives,
elections
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative ...
to the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
and various
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
and local elections.
Primary elections
Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the c ...
were held on June 9. In the general election, four incumbents were re-elected; however, incumbent
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
Liz J. Patterson of the was defeated in her bid for a fourth term by
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
challenger
Bob Inglis
Robert Durden Inglis Sr. (born October 11, 1959) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 1993 to 1999 and again from 2005 to 2011. He is a moderate member of the Republican Party. Inglis was unseated in the Republic ...
. Additionally, control of the open seat was retained by Democratic newcomer
Jim Clyburn
James Enos Clyburn (born July 21, 1940) is an American politician and retired educator serving as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina. He has served as House Majority Whip since 2019. He is a two-time m ...
following the retirement of five-term incumbent
Robin Tallon
Robert Mooneyhan "Robin" Tallon Jr. (born August 8, 1946) is an American businessman and politician who served as a United States representative from South Carolina. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Early life and education
Born in He ...
after the district's racial composition was significantly altered in
redistricting. As of 2023, this is the last time South Carolina's congressional delegation comprised an equal number of Republicans and Democrats, and the last time Democrats would receive over 40% of the vote in U.S. House elections in the state until
2006.
Redistricting
Following the
1990 United States census and subsequent
redistricting cycle, South Carolina's congressional districts were redrawn by a federal court after the
state legislature failed to produce their own map.
The court's plan, which was issued on May 1, 1992,
shifted the boundaries of each of the state's six congressional districts substantially; in the 1980s, South Carolina's districts were largely made up of whole counties, with only one (
Berkeley County) being split between two districts. In contrast, the court-drawn lines split a total of 13 counties, 11 of which were divided and dispersed to create the new 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 6th districts. This splitting of counties was done largely to shift the 6th district, then-consisting of a predominantly white electorate, into a
majority-minority
A majority-minority or minority-majority area is a term used to refer to a subdivision in which one or more racial, ethnic, and/or religious minorities (relative to the whole country's population) make up a majority of the local population.
Ter ...
seat that would allow the state's large black population to elect an
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
to
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
.
Overview
District 1
The 1st district stretches from the coastal regions of the
Pee Dee
The Pee Dee is a region in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of South Carolina. It lies along the lower watershed of the Pee Dee River, which was named after the Pee Dee, a Native American tribe that historically inhabited the region.
Hi ...
into the upper parts of the
Lowcountry
The Lowcountry (sometimes Low Country or just low country) is a geographic and cultural region along South Carolina's coast, including the Sea Islands. The region includes significant salt marshes and other coastal waterways, making it an impor ...
, including all of
Georgetown and
Horry counties, and taking in a sizable portion of
Berkeley County; due to redistricting, the 1st lost a significant amount of its share of
Charleston and
Dorchester counties, in addition to all of
Beaufort,
Colleton,
Hampton
Hampton may refer to:
Places Australia
*Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia
*Hampton, New South Wales
*Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region
* Hampton, Victoria
Canada
* Hampton, New Brunswick
*Ha ...
, and
Jasper
Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> ...
counties.
The incumbent was Republican
Arthur Ravenel Jr., who was re-elected with 65.5% of the vote in 1990.
Republican primary
Candidates
=Nominee
=
*
Arthur Ravenel Jr., incumbent U.S. representative
Democratic primary
Candidates
=Nominee
=
*
Bill Oberst Jr.
General election
Fundraising
Results
District 2
The 2nd district extends from the
Midlands down to the Lowcountry, taking in all of
Allendale,
Barnwell, Hampton, Jasper, and
Lexington counties, as well as parts of
Aiken, Beaufort,
Calhoun
John C. Calhoun (1782–1850) was the 7th vice president of the United States.
Calhoun can also refer to:
Surname
* Calhoun (surname)
Inhabited places in the United States
*Calhoun, Georgia
*Calhoun, Illinois
* Calhoun, Kansas
* Calhoun, Kentuc ...
, Colleton,
Orangeburg, and
Richland counties; redistricting shifted the 2nd from a Midlands-centric seat into one which stretches along South Carolina's border with
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
and includes a relatively large portion of the state's coastline.
The incumbent was Republican
Floyd Spence
Floyd Davidson Spence (April 9, 1928 – August 16, 2001) was an American attorney and a politician from the U.S. state of South Carolina. Elected for three terms to the South Carolina House of Representatives from Lexington County as a Demo ...
, who was re-elected with 88.9% of the vote in 1990.
Republican primary
Candidates
=Nominee
=
*
Floyd Spence
Floyd Davidson Spence (April 9, 1928 – August 16, 2001) was an American attorney and a politician from the U.S. state of South Carolina. Elected for three terms to the South Carolina House of Representatives from Lexington County as a Demo ...
, incumbent U.S. representative
General election
Fundraising
Results
District 3
The 3rd district is based in both the
Upstate and the Midlands, encompassing all of
Abbeville
Abbeville (, vls, Abbekerke, pcd, Advile) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France.
It is the chef-lieu of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of ...
,
Anderson
Anderson or Andersson may refer to:
Companies
* Anderson (Carriage), a company that manufactured automobiles from 1907 to 1910
* Anderson Electric, an early 20th-century electric car
* Anderson Greenwood, an industrial manufacturer
* Anderson ...
,
Edgefield,
Greenwood,
McCormick,
Oconee,
Pickens, and
Saluda counties, and parts of Aiken and
Laurens counties; following redistricting, the 3rd became much more Upstate-oriented as it lost Allendale and Barnwell counties, as well as some of Aiken county, while gaining most of Laurens county.
The incumbent was Democrat
Butler Derrick, who was re-elected with 62.1% of the vote of in 1990.
Democratic primary
Candidates
=Nominee
=
*
Butler Derrick, incumbent U.S. representative
Republican primary
Candidates
=Nominee
=
* Jim Bland
General election
Fundraising
Results
District 4
Incumbent Democratic Congresswoman
Liz J. Patterson of the
4th congressional district, in office since 1987, was defeated for re-election by Republican challenger
Bob Inglis
Robert Durden Inglis Sr. (born October 11, 1959) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 1993 to 1999 and again from 2005 to 2011. He is a moderate member of the Republican Party. Inglis was unseated in the Republic ...
.
Republican primary
General election results
, -
,
, colspan=5 ,
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
gain from
Democratic
, -
District 5
Incumbent Democratic Congressman
John M. Spratt, Jr. of the
5th congressional district, in office since 1983, defeated Republican challenger Bill Horne.
Republican primary
General election results
, -
,
, colspan=5 ,
Democratic hold
, -
District 6
South Carolina's congressional districts were redrawn following the
1990 census. The Republicans joined forces with the black Democrats in the state legislature to form a black-majority district; this gave the substantial minority the chance to elect candidates they favored. It also made the other districts predominantly majority white by a greater margin, and these conservative voters had been favoring Republicans for some time.
The boundaries of the
6th congressional district were shifted from its previous northeast position in the state to the central part of the state and defined to include many black majority counties, as well as black precincts of Charleston and Columbia. Incumbent Democratic Congressman
Robin Tallon
Robert Mooneyhan "Robin" Tallon Jr. (born August 8, 1946) is an American businessman and politician who served as a United States representative from South Carolina. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Early life and education
Born in He ...
opted to retire rather than run in a district that he considered unfavorable to a white candidate.
Jim Clyburn
James Enos Clyburn (born July 21, 1940) is an American politician and retired educator serving as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina. He has served as House Majority Whip since 2019. He is a two-time m ...
won the Democratic primary and defeated Republican John Chase in the general election to succeed Tallon in office.
Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election results
, -
,
, colspan=5 ,
Democratic hold
, -
See also
*
1992 United States Senate election in South Carolina
The 1992 United States Senate election in South Carolina was held on November 3, 1992. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Fritz Hollings won reelection to his sixth (his fifth full) term. Apart from Hollings's first election to the Senate in 19 ...
*
South Carolina's congressional districts
References
{{1992 United States elections
1992
South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...