This November, the United States will hold its midterm elections. South Carolina will have key races across the state, including a gubernatorial race, state Senate and state House races and federal legislative seats.
Midterm elections occur at the halfway point of the president’s four-year term. Numerous states hold statewide executive races, as well as federal races, such as Senate and House elections. At the federal level, there are 435 House seats and 33 Senate seats that will be up for reelection, according to the U.S. Vote Foundation.
Despite Election Day months away, voting is already underway in primaries across key states. North Carolina and Texas will hold their primary elections on Tuesday, per NBC News.
Primaries for all races will be held on June 9.
The race for Governor
Incumbent Republican Gov. Henry McMaster is term-limited. McMaster was appointed to the office in 2017 after the then-Gov. Nikki Haley was confirmed as United Nations ambassador, according to Greenville Online.
Following his appointment, McMaster ran in two elections: he first won the election in 2018 by a margin of 8.1% and was reelected in 2022 by a margin of 17.3%.
In the Democratic primary, three candidates are running for the nomination: Justin Bennett, State House Rep. Jermaine Johnson and Mullins McLeod. There has been little polling in this Democratic primary.
In the Republican primary, five candidates are running for the Republican nomination, including Attorney General Alan Wilson, Rep. Nancy Mace, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, state Sen. Josh Kimbrell and Rep. Ralph Norman. Polling has remained tight in this primary race.
Competition for Senate seats
Incumbent Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham is up for reelection. Graham has served in the U.S. Senate since January 2015, after being elected in 2014 by a margin of 17.7%, and was reelected in 2020 by a margin of 10.2%. Graham holds an early lead in primary polling.
Graham has two challengers in the republican primary: Paul Dans and Mark Lynch. In the Democratic primary, several challengers are vying to be the nominee for Graham’s seat. This includes Annie Andrews, Brandon Brown, Catherine Fleming Bruce, Kyle Freeman and Christopher Giracello.
Competition for House seats
South Carolina has seven congressional districts, and all will be up for reelection in November. Of these districts, all but one are represented by Republicans. The lone district with a Democratic Party-affiliated representative is South Carolina’s 6th Congressional District, represented by Rep. James Clyburn.
Clemson is located in South Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes much of the eastern Upstate and some of the Midlands. The incumbent in this district is Republican Sheri Biggs.
Biggs was first elected in 2024 with 71.7% of the vote. She has announced that she is running for reelection and currently has no republican primary opponents. Only one Democrat, Eunice Lehmacher, has announced a candidacy for this district.
Impact on Clemson students
At the state and federal levels, both Clemson students and South Carolina residents will be impacted by these election results.
At the state level, the governor’s office has an impact on the policy agenda and on budget and funding. About 11% of Clemson’s revenue is funded by the state and dependent on the state general assembly’s annual budget approval, according to Clemson University’s website.
The governor, along with the legislature, also makes key decisions on issues such as crime, economic growth and health care.
At the federal level, whoever represents both Clemson University’s district and the state of South Carolina at the federal level will also impact funding. Clemson receives federal appropriations for research and work-study programs. Whoever is in charge of these positions could affect these funds.
At the broader level, these representatives handle casework such as social security, medical aid, and other federal funding and grants. They also serve as liaisons during emergencies and disasters, ultimately impacting people in the Clemson area and across South Carolina.
South Carolina residents must be registered at least 30 days before this upcoming election to be eligible to vote, according to the South Carolina Election Commission.
