2014 United States Senate Election In South Carolina
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The 2014 United States Senate election in South Carolina took place on November 4, 2014, concurrently with a
special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...
for South Carolina's other Senate seat, as well as other elections 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 ...
in other states and elections 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 and local elections. Incumbent Republican
Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin Graham (born July 9, 1955) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A member of the Republican Party, Graham chaired the Senate Committee ...
won reelection to a third term. He faced Democratic state senator
Brad Hutto C. Bradley Hutto (born August 6, 1957), is an American politician currently serving as a Democratic member of the South Carolina Senate, representing the Senate District 40 since 1996. Senate District 40 encompasses all or portions of the count ...
and Independent
Thomas Ravenel Thomas Jonathan Jackson Ravenel (born August 11, 1962) is an American politician and reality television star. He is the son of former Representative Arthur Ravenel Jr. from South Carolina. He starred for five seasons on the Bravo reality-televi ...
in the general election. He defeated both of them by a 15-point margin. As of 2022, this is the last time that Barnwell County,
Darlington County Darlington County is a county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 62,905. Its county seat is Darlington. Hartsville is the largest city in the county. Darlington County is home to the Darlington Race ...
, and
Calhoun County Calhoun County is the name of several counties in the United States of America named after U.S. Vice President John C. Calhoun: * Calhoun County, Alabama * Calhoun County, Arkansas * Calhoun County, Florida * Calhoun County, Georgia * Calhoun Cou ...
voted Democratic in a Senate election.


Republican primary

Of all the Republican senators up for re-election in the 2014 cycle, Graham was considered one of the most vulnerable to a primary challenge, largely due to his low approval ratings and reputation for working with and compromising with Democrats. He expected a primary challenge from conservative activists, including the
Tea Party movement The Tea Party movement was an American fiscally conservative political movement within the Republican Party that began in 2009. Members of the movement called for lower taxes and for a reduction of the national debt and federal budget defi ...
, and
Chris Chocola Joseph Christopher Chocola (born February 24, 1962) is an American businessman, lawyer, and former politician. A member of the Republican Party, Chocola served in the United States House of Representatives from 2003 to 2007, representing Indian ...
, president of the
Club for Growth The Club for Growth is a 501(c)(4) conservative organization active in the United States, with an agenda focused on cutting taxes and other economic policy issues. Club for Growth's largest funders are the billionaires Jeff Yass and Richard U ...
, indicated that his organization would support a primary challenge if an acceptable standard-bearer emerged. However, a serious challenger to Graham failed to emerge and he was widely viewed as likely to win, which has been ascribed to his "deft maneuvering" and "aggressive" response to the challenge. He befriended potential opponents from the state's congressional delegation and helped them with fundraising and securing their preferred committee assignments; he assembled a "daunting multimillion-dollar political operation" dubbed the "Graham
machine A machine is a physical system using Power (physics), power to apply Force, forces and control Motion, movement to perform an action. The term is commonly applied to artificial devices, such as those employing engines or motors, but also to na ...
" that built six regional offices across the state and enlisted the support of thousands of paid staffers and volunteers, including over 5,000
precinct captain A precinct captain, also known as a precinct chairman, precinct delegate, precinct committee officer or precinct committeeman, is an elected official in the American political party system. The office establishes a direct link between a political ...
s; he assembled a "staggering" campaign warchest and "blanketed" the state with positive ads; he focused on constituent services and local issues; and he refused to "pander" to the Tea Party supporters, instead confronting them head-on, arguing that the Republican party needs to be more inclusive.


Candidates


Declared

* Det Bowers, pastor and businessman *
Lee Bright Lee Bright (born March 21, 1970) is an American politician who served as the South Carolina State Senator from the 12th district from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Republican Party, his district included Spartanburg County and Greenville County. ...
, state senator * Richard Cash, businessman and candidate for
South Carolina's 3rd congressional district The 3rd congressional district of South Carolina is a congressional district in western South Carolina bordering both Georgia and North Carolina. It includes all of Abbeville, Anderson, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Oconee, P ...
in
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
* Bill Connor, attorney,
lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
in the
United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a Military reserve force, reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed F ...
and candidate for
lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
in
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
* Benjamin Dunn, attorney *
Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin Graham (born July 9, 1955) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A member of the Republican Party, Graham chaired the Senate Committee ...
, incumbent U.S. Senator *
Nancy Mace Nancy Ruth Mace (born December 4, 1977) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for South Carolina's 1st congressional district since 2021. Her district includes much of the state's share of the East Coast, from Charleston t ...
, businesswoman and author


Withdrew

* Dave Feliciano, police officer


Declined

* Bruce Carroll, co-founder of
GOProud GOProud was an American tax exempt 527 organization supported by fiscally conservative gay men, lesbians, and their allies. GOProud advocated for free markets, limited government, and a respect for individual rights and worked at the federal ...
and blogger at
gay conservative LGBT conservatism refers to LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) individuals with conservative political views. It is an umbrella term used for what is bifurcated into two specific sub-categories, each with its own term and meaning. Th ...
site GayPatriot * Tom Davis, state senator *
Trey Gowdy Harold Watson "Trey" Gowdy III (born August 22, 1964) is an American television news personality, former politician, and former federal prosecutor who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2019. His district included much of the Up ...
, U.S. Representative *
Mark Sanford Marshall Clement "Mark" Sanford Jr. (born May 28, 1960) is an American politician and author who served as the U.S. Representative for South Carolina's 1st congressional district from 1995 to 2001 and again from 2013 to 2019, and also as the ...
, U.S. Representative and former
governor of South Carolina The governor of South Carolina is the head of government of South Carolina. The governor is the '' ex officio'' commander-in-chief of the National Guard when not called into federal service. The governor's responsibilities include making year ...
*
Mick Mulvaney John Michael Mulvaney (born July 21, 1967) is an American politician who served as director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from February 2017 until March 2020, and as acting White House Chief of Staff from January 2019 until March ...
, U.S. Representative *
Thomas Ravenel Thomas Jonathan Jackson Ravenel (born August 11, 1962) is an American politician and reality television star. He is the son of former Representative Arthur Ravenel Jr. from South Carolina. He starred for five seasons on the Bravo reality-televi ...
, former South Carolina state treasurer (running as an independent) * Joe Wilson, U.S. Representative


Endorsements


Debates


Complete video of debate
June 7, 2014


Polling

* ^ Internal poll for Lindsey Graham campaign * * Internal poll for Lee Bright campaign * ^ Internal poll for Lindsey Graham campaign


Results


Democratic primary


Candidates


Declared

*
Brad Hutto C. Bradley Hutto (born August 6, 1957), is an American politician currently serving as a Democratic member of the South Carolina Senate, representing the Senate District 40 since 1996. Senate District 40 encompasses all or portions of the count ...
, state senator *
Jay Stamper Jeremy "Jay" Stamper (born June 14, 1972) is an American entrepreneur, nonprofit leader and politician from South Carolina. Stamper first gained national media attention for pranks targeting incumbent politicians and has since founded several int ...
, entrepreneur


Declined

*
Jim Hodges James Hovis Hodges (born November 19, 1956) is an American businessman, attorney, and politician who served as the 114th governor of South Carolina from 1999 to 2003. Since his victory in 1998, Hodges has remained the only Democrat elected t ...
, former
governor of South Carolina The governor of South Carolina is the head of government of South Carolina. The governor is the '' ex officio'' commander-in-chief of the National Guard when not called into federal service. The governor's responsibilities include making year ...


Endorsements


Polling


Results


Libertarian primary


Candidates


Declared

* Victor Kocher, nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2002


Independent

In March 2014, with only controversial businessman and prankster
Jay Stamper Jeremy "Jay" Stamper (born June 14, 1972) is an American entrepreneur, nonprofit leader and politician from South Carolina. Stamper first gained national media attention for pranks targeting incumbent politicians and has since founded several int ...
running for the Democrats, Dick Harpootlian, former chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, had stated that business leaders were working on an effort to recruit a potential independent candidate to run in case Graham was defeated in the primary. Such a "contingency" plan was rendered moot by the entry of Democratic state senator
Brad Hutto C. Bradley Hutto (born August 6, 1957), is an American politician currently serving as a Democratic member of the South Carolina Senate, representing the Senate District 40 since 1996. Senate District 40 encompasses all or portions of the count ...
into the race. Former Republican state treasurer Thomas Ravenel had confirmed that was considering running for the Senate as an Independent and was likely to do so if Lindsey Graham won the Republican primary. In April 2014, with Graham polling strongly in the primary, Ravenel announced he would run. He officially announced his candidacy on July 4.


Candidates


Declared

*
Thomas Ravenel Thomas Jonathan Jackson Ravenel (born August 11, 1962) is an American politician and reality television star. He is the son of former Representative Arthur Ravenel Jr. from South Carolina. He starred for five seasons on the Bravo reality-televi ...
, former Republican state treasurer


General election


Debates

Graham initially declined to debate his opponents. A spokesman said that his campaign was "in discussions with other groups, as well as looking at the schedule." Hutto said that Graham is "terrified at the thought of defending his own record in a public debate" and Ravenel said Graham's decision was "highly arrogant and disrespectful." Graham claimed he refused to debate because of the presence of third-party candidate Thomas Ravenel, a convicted felon. He ultimately agreed to debate Hutto alone on October 27.
Complete video of debate
October 27, 2014


Fundraising

The following are
Federal Election Commission The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency of the United States whose purpose is to enforce campaign finance law in United States federal elections. Created in 1974 through amendments to the Federal Election Cam ...
disclosures for the pre-primary reporting period.


Predictions


Polling


Results


See also

* 2014 United States Senate special election in South Carolina * 2014 South Carolina gubernatorial election *
2014 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina The 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina was held on Tuesday, November 4, 2014 to elect the 7 U.S. representatives from the state of South Carolina, one from each of the state's 7 congressional districts. The e ...
*
2014 United States Senate elections The 2014 United States Senate elections were held on November 4, 2014. A total of 36 seats in the 100-member U.S. Senate were contested. Thirty-three Class 2 seats were contested for regular six-year terms to be served from January 3, 2015 to J ...
* 2014 United States elections


References


External links


U.S. Senate elections in South_Carolina, 2014
at
Ballotpedia Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...

Campaign contributions
at
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South Carolina U.S. Senate debate excerpts
'' OnTheIssues.org'' ;Official campaign websites
Det Bowers for U.S. Senate

Lee Bright for U.S. Senate

Richard Cash for U.S. Senate

Bill Connor for U.S. Senate

Benjamin Dunn for U.S. Senate

Lindsey Graham for U.S. Senate

Brad Hutto for U.S. Senate

Victor Kocher for U.S. Senate

Nancy Mace for U.S. Senate

Jay Stamper for U.S. Senate
{{2014 United States elections 2014
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 = ...
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...