The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 and elected the seven

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 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 = ...

, an increase of one seat as a result of

reapportionment Apportionment is the process by which seats in a legislative body are distributed among administrative divisions, such as states or parties, entitled to representation. This page presents the general principles and issues related to apportionme ...

thanks to the continued strong growth found in South Carolina as reported in the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

. The people of

elected six

Republicans 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 ...

and one

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 ...

to represent the state in the 113th United States Congress.

Overview

Redistricting

On July 26, 2011, 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 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections. Unlike many legislatures, seati ...

and

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 ...

passed a compromise

redistricting Redistribution (re-districting in the United States and in the Philippines) is the process by which electoral districts are added, removed, or otherwise changed. Redistribution is a form of boundary delimitation that changes electoral dist ...

bill which would place the new 7th district in 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. His ...

region. The bill was signed into law by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

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 ...

on August 1. Under the 1965

Voting Rights Act The suffrage, Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of Federal government of the United States, federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President of the United ...

, South Carolina's congressional redistricting had to be pre-cleared by the

U.S. Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

or the

United States District Court for the District of Columbia The United States District Court for the District of Columbia (in case citations, D.D.C.) is a federal district court in the District of Columbia. It also occasionally handles (jointly with the United States District Court for the District of ...

before it could be enacted. The Department of Justice precleared the map in October 2011; a subsequent lawsuit brought by six voters for discrimination under the new lines was dismissed by the

United States District Court for the District of South Carolina The United States District Court for the District of South Carolina (in case citations, D.S.C.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of South Carolina. Court is held in the cities of Aiken, Anderson, Beaufort, Charlest ...

in March 2012.

District 1

In redistricting, the 1st district was moved south along the coast to include

Hilton Head Hilton Head Island, sometimes referred to as simply Hilton Head, is a Lowcountry resort town and barrier island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is northeast of Savannah, Georgia, and southwest of Charleston. The island is ...

and parts of

Charleston County Charleston County is located in the U.S. state of South Carolina along the Atlantic coast. As of the 2020 census, its population was 408,235, making it the third most populous county in South Carolina (behind Greenville and Richland counties). ...

, and is expected to remain favorable to Republicans. Republican

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 ...

, who has represented the 1st district since January 2011, sought re-election. Bobbie Rose, a former teacher and realtor, will seek the Democratic nomination to challenge Scott.

General election

Results

District 2

In redistricting,

and its surrounding areas, and counties on the state's southern border were removed from the 2nd district, which now includes all of Aiken County. Republican Joe Wilson, who has represented the 2nd district since 2001, sought re-election. No candidate filed to run on the Democratic side.

Republican primary

Candidates

*Phil Black, businessman and

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

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candidate for South Carolina's 2nd congressional district * Joe Wilson, incumbent

Primary results

General election

Results

District 3

Redistricting added parts of

Newberry Newberry is a surname, a variant of Newbury. Notable people with the surname include: * Booker Newberry III (born 1956), American singer and keyboardist * Brennan Newberry (born, 1990), American professional stock car racing driver * Brian Newber ...

and Greenville counties to the 3rd district; parts of Aiken County were removed. The district was expected to continue to favor Republicans. Republican Jeff Duncan, who has represented the 3rd district since January 2011, sought re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

*Brian Doyle, radio talk show host *Cason Gaither, former field Organizer for

Vincent Sheheen Vincent Austin Sheheen (born April 29, 1971) is an American attorney and politician. He was a member of the South Carolina Senate from 2004 to 2020, representing the 27th District, which comprises Chesterfield, Kershaw, and Lancaster counties ...

's gubernatorial campaign in

Primary results

General election

Results

District 4

The redrawn 4th district maintains a balance between Greenville and

Spartanburg Spartanburg is a city in and the seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest city in the state. For a time, the Offi ...

counties, and is expected to continue to favor Republicans. Republican

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 ...

, who has represented the 4th district since January 2011, sought re-election. Greenville artist Jeff Sumerel is the nominee of the

South Carolina Green Party The South Carolina Green Party is a ballot-qualified political party in the state of South Carolina. It is the state affiliate party of the Green Party of the United States. History The party had been the South Carolina affiliate of the Natural ...

Democratic primary

Candidates

*Deb Morrow *Jimmy Tobias, businessman

Primary results

General election

Results

District 5

The 5th district, which extends from the

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

border to the outskirts of

Sumter Sumter may refer to: People Given name * Sumter S. Arnim (1904–1990), American dentist * Sumter de Leon Lowry Jr. (1893–1985), United States Army general Surname * Rowendy Sumter (born 1988), Curaçaoan footballer * Shavonda E. Sumter ( ...

, was made more favorable to Republicans in redistricting. Republican

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 ...

, who has represented the 5th district since January 2011, sought re-election. Joyce Knott, a businesswoman, sought the Democratic nomination to challenge Mulvaney.

General election

Results

District 6

The 6th district is expected to continue to strongly favor Democrats. Democrat

Jim Clyburn James Enos Clyburn (born July 21, 1940) is an American politician and retired educator serving as a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina. He has served as House majority whip ...

, the Assistant Democratic Leader of the U.S. House who has represented the 6th district since 1993, faced

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...

nominee Nammu Muhammad.

General election

Results

District 7

The new 7th district will represent most of the

region, including

Chesterfield Chesterfield may refer to: Places Canada * Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan * Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom * Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England ** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

Dillon Dillon may refer to: People *Dillon (surname) * Dillon (given name) * Dillon (singer) (born 1988), Brazilian singer *Viscount Dillon, a title in the Peerage of Ireland Places Canada *Dillon, Saskatchewan United States *Dillon Beach, Californi ...

, Georgetown, Horry,

Marion Marion may refer to: People *Marion (given name) *Marion (surname) *Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion" *Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992) Places Antarctica * Mari ...

, and

Marlboro Marlboro (, ) is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Philip Morris USA (a branch of Altria) within the United States and by Philip Morris International (now separate from Altria) outside the US. The largest Marl ...

counties, along with a part of

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

County, and is expected to favor Republicans.

Democratic primary

Candidates

*Preston Brittain, attorney *Parnell Diggs, attorney and president of the

National Federation of the Blind The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is an organization of blind people in the United States. It is the oldest and largest organization led by blind people in the United States. Its national headquarters are in Baltimore, Maryland. Overvie ...

of South Carolina *Harry Pavilack, attorney * Gloria Tinubu, professor at

Coastal Carolina University Coastal Carolina University (CCU or Coastal) is a public university in Conway, South Carolina. Founded in 1954 as Coastal Carolina Junior College, and later joining the University of South Carolina System as USC Coastal Carolina, it became an in ...

and former member of the Georgia state representative *

Ted Vick Ted Vick (born November 14, 1972) is an American politician and a member of the Democratic Party. He served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2005 to 2014. Early life, education, and early career Vick was born in 1972 in Chera ...

, South Carolina House of Representatives' minority

whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...

Declined

*Stephen Wukela, mayor of

Primary results

Runoff results

Republican primary

Candidates

André Bauer Rudolph Andreas "André" Bauer (born March 20, 1969) is an American businessman and politician who was the 87th Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina from 2003 to 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party. Bauer was a member of the South Car ...

, former

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 ...

and candidate for

*Renée Culler, realtor *Katherine Jenerette,

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

veteran and

candidate for South Carolina's 1st congressional district *Jay Jordan, attorney *Jim Mader, businessman *Chad Prosser, former director of South Carolina Parks, Recreation and Tourism *

Tom Rice Hugh Thompson Rice Jr. (born August 4, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for . The district serves most of the northeastern corner of the state and includes Myrtle Beach, the Grand Strand, Florence ...

, chairman of the Horry County Council *Randal Wallace,

Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as "The Grand Strand" in the northeastern part of the state. Its y ...

city council-member *Dick Withington, businessman and 2010 Democratic candidate for South Carolina's 1st congressional district

Withdrew

Thad Viers Thad T. Viers (born March 13, 1978) is a former United States Republican Party, Republican South Carolina South Carolina General Assembly, State Representative for District 68. He lives in Myrtle Beach. Early life, education, and early politic ...

, state representative *Debbie Harwell, public relations firm owner *Mande Wilkes, attorney and local television host

Declined

Alan Clemmons Alan D. Clemmons (born December 6, 1958) is an American former member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, where he has served from 2002 until his resignation in 2020. He is a member of the Republican Party. Clemmons was born in Myrt ...

, state representative

Primary results

Runoff results

General election

Results

References

External links

South Carolina State Election CommissionUnited States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 2012
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 ...

South Carolina U.S. House
at OurCampaigns.com
Campaign contributions for U.S. Congressional races in South Carolina
from

OpenSecrets OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created from a merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP). ...

Outside spending
at the

Sunlight Foundation The Sunlight Foundation was an American 501(c)(3) nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that advocated for open government. The organization was founded in April 2006 with the goal of increasing transparency and accountability in the United States ...

{{United States elections, 2012

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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 ...