On Tuesday, Federal and state lawmakers in South Carolina will be up for primary elections, with nearly 90 contested primaries for the House of Representatives and both chambers of the state legislature. The ongoing feud between former Republican U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Nancy Mace will be a highlight of the primary elections. Mace, who broke with the party in 2023 and voted to oust McCarthy as Speaker, is facing opposition from McCarthy-backed candidate Catherine Templeton, among others.
McCarthy’s political action committee has made significant financial contributions to Templeton’s campaign, leading to a high-stakes battle within the Republican Party. Mace has accused McCarthy of being a “loser” and has described Templeton as his “puppet.” The rift between McCarthy and Mace has escalated since the Speaker vote, with the former Speaker throwing his weight behind challengers looking to unseat Mace in their respective primaries.
In addition to the Mace-Templeton race, other key races to watch in the South Carolina primary elections include the GOP primaries in the state’s 3rd and 4th Congressional Districts. The 3rd District features a crowded field of Republicans vying for the nomination to replace Rep. Jeff Duncan, while in the 4th District, three-term Rep. William Timmons faces a challenge from state Rep. Adam Morgan. The results of these races could have significant implications for the upcoming general election in November.
South Carolina’s open primary system allows any registered voter to participate in any party’s primary. Primaries with three or more candidates are subject to a runoff if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote. The congressional elections will be held using district boundaries that have been the subject of a legal dispute over the representation of the state’s Black voters.
As of Wednesday, nearly 3.3 million voters were registered in South Carolina, with early voting turnout already underway. In the 2022 primaries, turnout was 5% in the Democratic primary and 10% in the Republican primary. The election night tabulation in the 2022 primaries ended with more than 99% of total votes counted. With 147 days until the November general election, the South Carolina primary will set the stage for the upcoming elections and provide insights into the political landscape in the state.
