The 2014 United States Senate special election in South Carolina took place on November 4, 2014, concurrently with the regular election for the other South Carolina Senate seat. The special-election Senate seat was formerly held by Republican

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 ...

, who resigned on January 1, 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 ...

Nikki Haley Nimrata Nikki Haley (née Randhawa; born January 20, 1972) is an American diplomat and politician who served as the 116th and first female governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017, and as the 29th United States ambassador to the United Na ...

, the Republican

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 ...

, announced the appointment of U.S. Representative

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 ...

to fill the seat. Scott ran in the special election and won by beating Democratic candidate and Richland County councilwoman

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 ...

in the November election. The election was noted for being the second U.S. Senate election since the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment and the first in a former Confederate state where both major party nominees were black.

Background

On December 6, 2012, Senator

announced his intention to resign effective January 1, 2013, to become the 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 ...

, a

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...

, the

, appointed a replacement to fill the seat until the special election. Haley indicated that she would not appoint a "placeholder" to the seat, but would appoint someone who would stand in a 2014 special election to serve the remaining two years of DeMint's term. On December 17, 2012, Haley announced that she would appoint Scott to DeMint's seat following his resignation.

Senate replacement process

According to sources close to Governor Haley, as of December 11, 2012, she had narrowed the list of potential appointees down to five: *

U.S. Representative 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 c ...

( SC-01) *

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 ...

( SC-04) *

Henry McMaster Henry Dargan McMaster (born May 27, 1947) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 117th governor of South Carolina since January 24, 2017. He is a member of the Republican Party. McMaster worked for U.S. senator Strom Thurmond, in ...

, former

South Carolina Attorney General The Attorney General of South Carolina is the state's chief legal officer and prosecutor. History Alexander Moultrie, half-brother of Revolutionary War figure and future governor William Moultrie, was named the state's first Attorney General un ...

, *

Jenny Sanford Jennifer Sullivan Sanford (born September 11, 1962) is the former First Lady of South Carolina and a former investment banker. She was married to Governor Mark Sanford. Early life and education Sanford was born and raised in Winnetka, Illinoi ...

, former

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

of South Carolina * Catherine Templeton, head of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. Other politicians mentioned as possible replacements for DeMint included U.S. Representatives

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 ...

and Joe Wilson, former U.S. Representative

Gresham Barrett James Gresham Barrett (born February 14, 1961) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he was a candidate for its nomination for Governor of South Carolina in the ...

state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

Nathan Ballentine Nathan Ballentine (born December 10, 1970) is a Republican member of the South Carolina House of Representatives The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 represe ...

, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, former

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

David Wilkins, former

South Carolina Republican Party The South Carolina Republican Party (SCGOP) is the state affiliate of the national Republican Party in South Carolina. It is one of two major political parties in the state, along with the South Carolina Democratic Party, and is the dominant par ...

chair Katon Dawson, and Haley's deputy chief of staff Tedd Pitts.

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

comedian

Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program ''The Colbert Report'' from 2005 to ...

, a South Carolina native, expressed interest in being appointed the seat, asking his fans to tweet Haley that she should appoint him. Chad Walldorf, the owner of the Sticky Fingers restaurant chain, had also been mentioned as a potential placeholder.

Polling on DeMint's replacement

Public Policy Polling Public Policy Polling (PPP) is an American polling firm affiliated with the Democratic Party. Founded in 2001 by businessman Dean Debnam, the firm is based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Debnam currently serves as president and CEO of PPP, while T ...

poll released on December 10, 2012, which asked respondents who they wanted to replace DeMint, showed Colbert with the highest total. Colbert had support at 20 percent, followed by Scott at 15 percent, Gowdy at 14 percent, and Sanford at 11 percent. Haley said that she would not appoint Colbert to the seat.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

, incumbent U.S. Senator * Randall Young

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

, Richland County Councilwoman and former chair of the

National Foundation for Women Legislators National Foundation for Women Legislators (NFWL) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt foundation established by the National Order of Women Legislators (NOWL) in the USA. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city in the nort ...

* Sidney Moore, former York County Councilman * Harry Pavilack, attorney and candidate for

South Carolina's 7th congressional district The 7th congressional district of South Carolina is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in South Carolina, established in 2011 following apportionment of another seat to the state following the 2010 census. ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

Withdrew

Rick Wade Rick Wade is a South Carolina businessman and politician. Personal life and education Wade holds a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of South Carolina, as well as an MPA from Harvard University. Career Wade worked as an analyst fo ...

, former

United States Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce is an executive department of the U.S. federal government concerned with creating the conditions for economic growth and opportunity. Among its tasks are gathering economic and demographic data for bu ...

official and nominee for

Secretary of State of South Carolina The secretary of state of South Carolina is an elected position that is responsible to maintain clear records of statewide corporations, supply to the public with customer service, and administrate the Solicitation of Charitable Funds Act. Since ...

in 2002

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 to ...

, 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 ...

* John L. Scott, Jr., state senator * James E. Smith, Jr., state representative (running for re-election) * Leon Stavrinakis, state representative (running for re-election)

Polling

Results

Independent and third parties

Candidates

Declared

* Jill Bossi (American Party), vice president of the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

Removed from ballot

* Brandon Armstrong (

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

), businesswoman

General election

Debates

Complete video of debate
October 28, 2014

Endorsements

Predictions

Polling

Results

References

Notes

External links

U.S. Senate special election 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 ...

;Official campaign websites (Archived)
Tim Scott for U.S. Senate

Jill Bossi for U.S. Senate

Joyce Dickerson for U.S. Senate
{{South Carolina elections South Carolina 2014 South Carolina 2014 2014 Special South Carolina Special United States Senate Special United States Senate 2014

Background

Senate replacement process

Polling on DeMint's replacement

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

Withdrew

Declined

Polling

Results

Independent and third parties

Candidates

Declared

Removed from ballot

General election

Debates

Endorsements

Predictions

Polling

Results

See also

References

Notes

External links