The 2016 United States Senate election in South Carolina was held on November 8, 2016, to elect a member of 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 ...

to represent the State 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 = ...

, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...

to the

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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

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 In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct vary ...

. Both major parties held their primaries on June 14. Incumbent

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 ...

Senator

Tim Scott Timothy Eugene Scott (born September 19, 1965) is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator from South Carolina since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Scott was appointed to the U.S. Senate by Go ...

won re-election to a first full term in office. This was the second U.S. Senate election in South Carolina where both major party nominees were

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

, and the third overall since the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment.

Background

Two-term Republican Senator

Jim DeMint James Warren DeMint (born September 2, 1951) is an American political advocate, businessman, author, and retired politician who served as a United States Senator from South Carolina and as president of the Heritage Foundation. DeMint is a member ...

was re-elected with 61.48% of the vote in 2010. He resigned at the start of 2013 to become President of

The Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation (abbreviated to Heritage) is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. that is primarily geared toward public policy. The foundation took a leading role in the conservative movement during the presiden ...

and U.S. Representative

South Carolina's 1st congressional district The 1st congressional district of South Carolina is a coastal congressional district in South Carolina, represented by Republican Nancy Mace since January 3, 2021. She succeeded Democrat Joe Cunningham, having defeated him in the 2020 electio ...

was appointed to replace him by Governor Nimrata Randhawa. Scott subsequently won the special election in 2014 for the remaining two years of the term.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

, incumbent U.S. Senator

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

* Thomas Dixon, pastor and community activist (also running with Green Party nomination)

Declined

Joyce Dickerson Joyce Dickerson (born June 14, 1945) is an American author and politician from the U.S. state of South Carolina. She served three terms as a Richland County Councilwoman, including service as Chair, before a defeat in the 2020 General Election t ...

, Richland County Councilwoman and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2014 (running for reelection)

General election

Candidates

(Republican), incumbent U.S. Senator * Thomas Dixon (Democratic, Green), pastor and community activist * Bill Bledsoe (Libertarian, Constitution) * Michael Scarborough (

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

), attorney

Debates

Predictions

Polling

;with Joyce Dickerson ;with Bakari Sellers ;with Leon Lott ;with Jim Hodges

Results

References

Notes

External links

Tim Scott (R) for Senate

Thomas Dixon (D) for Senate

Bill Bledsoe (L/C) for Senate

Mike Scarborough (A) for Senate
{{South Carolina elections

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...