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The 2018 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 2018, to elect the Governor of South Carolina. Incumbent Republican Governor Henry McMaster ran for election to a full term. The primary was held on June 12, with the Democrats nominating James E. Smith Jr.. Governor McMaster, having failed to win a majority of the vote, defeated John Warren in the Republican runoff on June 26. McMaster defeated Smith in the general election, thereby winning election to a full term.[1]
Contents
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Henry McMaster, incumbent governor[2][3]
- Running mate: Pamela Evette, businesswoman[4]
Defeated in Runoff
Defeated in Primary
- Kevin Bryant, incumbent Lieutenant Governor[8]
- Yancey McGill, former Democratic lieutenant governor and former Democratic state senator[9][2]
- Catherine Templeton, attorney, former director of the Department of Health and Environmental Control and former director of the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation[10]
- Running mate: Walt Wilkins, Greenville County Solicitor[11]
Declined
- Tom Davis, state senator[12]
- Jeff Duncan, U.S. Representative[13][14]
- Mikee Johnson, businessman and former chairman of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce (endorsed Catherine Templeton)[15]
- Tim Scott, U.S. Senator[16][17][18]
- Joe Taylor, former South Carolina Secretary of Commerce[19][20]
- Billy Wilkins, former Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit[2][21][22]
- Alan Wilson, attorney general (running for re-election)[13][2][23]
Endorsements
| Catherine Templeton |
|---|
|
| John Warren |
|---|
|
First round
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Henry McMaster | Kevin Bryant | Yancey McGill | Catherine Templeton | John Warren | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fabrizio, Lee and Associates (R-Warren) | May 29–31, 2018 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 33% | 5% | 2% | 17% | 19% | – | 24% |
| Target-Insyght | May 29–31, 2018 | 400 | ± 5.0% | 37% | 4% | 3% | 25% | 20% | – | 11% |
| Target-Insyght | April 3–5, 2018 | 400 | ± 5.0% | 46% | 6% | 4% | 22% | 1% | – | 22% |
| TargetPoint/GQR | March 10–17, 2018 | 397 | – | 41% | 5% | 3% | 10% | 2% | – | 35% |
| The Trafalgar Group (R) | November 29 – December 30, 2017 | 2,223 | ± 2.1% | 40% | 11% | 3% | 8% | – | 10% | 28% |
| Mason-Dixon | December 6–10, 2017 | 400 | ± 5.0% | 51% | 8% | 1% | 21% | – | – | 19% |
| South Carolina Public Affairs | October 10–11, 2017 | 633 | ± 4.0% | 33% | 5% | 5% | 7% | – | – | 50% |
Results
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| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Henry McMaster (incumbent) | 155,723 | 42.32 | |
| Republican | John Warren | 102,390 | 27.82 | |
| Republican | Catherine Templeton | 78,705 | 21.39 | |
| Republican | Kevin Bryant | 24,790 | 6.74 | |
| Republican | Yancey McGill | 6,375 | 1.73 | |
| Total votes | 367,983 | 100.0 | ||
Runoff
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Henry McMaster |
John Warren |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Trafalgar Group (R) | June 19–21, 2018 | 1,650 | ± 3.0% | 54% | 37% | 9% |
| Fabrizio, Lee and Associates (R-Warren) | June 19–20, 2018 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 42% | 46% | 13% |
| The Trafalgar Group (R) | June 13–14, 2018 | 1,000 | ± 3.0% | 60% | 31% | 9% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Henry McMaster (incumbent) | 184,286 | 53.63 | |
| Republican | John Warren | 159,349 | 46.37 | |
| Total votes | 343,635 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- James Smith, state representative[35]
- Running mate: Mandy Powers Norrell, state representative[36]
Defeated in Primary
- Phil Noble, business and technology consultant and candidate for lieutenant governor in 1994[37]
- Running mate: Gloria Bromell Tinubu, former Atlanta, Georgia City Councilwoman, former Georgia State Representative and nominee for SC-07 in 2012 and 2014[38]
- Marguerite Willis, attorney[39]
- Running mate: John Scott, state senator[40]
Declined
- Steve Benjamin, Mayor of Columbia[13][2][41][42]
- Marlon Kimpson, state senator[2][43][41][44]
- Inez Tenenbaum, former State Superintendent of Education, former chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2004[43][41]
Endorsements
| Phil Noble |
|---|
|
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Phil Noble |
James Smith |
Marguerite Willis |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target-Insyght | April 3–5, 2018 | 400 | ± 5.0% | 27% | 27% | 21% | – | 25% |
| TargetPoint/GQR | March 10–17, 2018 | 296 | – | 7% | 18% | 11% | – | 57% |
| The Trafalgar Group (R) | November 29 – December 30, 2017 | 2,223 | ± 2.1% | 25% | 20% | – | 21% | 34% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James Smith | 148,633 | 61.81 | |
| Democratic | Marguerite Willis | 66,248 | 27.55 | |
| Democratic | Phil Noble | 25,587 | 10.64 | |
| Total votes | 240,468 | 100.0 | ||
Independents and Third Parties
Declared
- Phil Cheney (independent), former Anderson City Councilman, candidate for SC-03 in 2006 and write-in candidate for SC-05 in 2017[47]
Failed Nomination
- Martin Barry (American Party), medication researcher,[48] nomination declined by the American Party[49]
- Running mate: James Cartee, theater director
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[50] | Likely R | August 30, 2018 |
| The Washington Post[51] | Likely R | October 16, 2018 |
| FiveThirtyEight[52] | Solid R | October 17, 2018 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[53] | Solid R | August 31, 2018 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[54] | Safe R | September 5, 2018 |
| RealClearPolitics[55] | Safe R | October 9, 2018 |
| Daily Kos[56] | Likely R | September 5, 2018 |
| Fox News[57][a] | Likely R | October 9, 2018 |
| Politico[58] | Likely R | October 9, 2018 |
| Governing[59] | Likely R | October 2, 2018 |
- Notes
- ^ The Fox News Midterm Power Rankings uniquely does not contain a category for Safe/Solid races
Endorsements
| Henry McMaster (R) |
|---|
|
| James Smith (D) |
|---|
|
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Henry McMaster (R) |
James Smith (D) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Trafalgar Group (R) | October 29–31, 2018 | 3,792 | ± 1.6% | 54% | 38% | 8% |
| The Trafalgar Group (R) | October 12–14, 2018 | 4,830 | ± 2.1% | 56% | 32% | 12% |
| The Trafalgar Group (R) | September 24 – October 2, 2018 | 2,692 | ± 1.9% | 51% | 37% | 13% |
| The Tarrance Group (R-RGA) | August 11–13, 2018 | 601 | ± 4.1% | 52% | 41% | 7% |
| Garin-Hart-Yang (D-Smith) | August 6–9, 2018 | 605 | ± 4.1% | 47% | 43% | 10% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Henry McMaster (incumbent) | 921,342 | 53.96% | -1.94% | |
| Democratic | James Smith | 784,182 | 45.92% | +4.50% | |
| n/a | Write-ins | 2,045 | 0.12% | +0.05% | |
| Total votes | 1,707,569 | 100.0% | N/A | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
See also
References
- ^ "South Carolina 2018 General Election". Thegreenpapers.com. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f Jackson, Gavin (September 4, 2016). "2018 governor's race starts to loom large after November. So who's going to run?". The Post and Courier. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
- ^ Kinnard, Meg (August 25, 2016). "McMaster is 'hoping to be in' next South Carolina gov's race". The Herald. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
- ^ Adcox, Seanna (November 28, 2017). "Political novice and newcomer joins Gov. Henry McMaster as 2018 running mate". The Post and Courier. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ Shain, Andy; Adcox, Seanna (December 1, 2017). "Upstate businessman exploring 2018 South Carolina governor's run". The Post and Courier. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ "#SC2018: John Warren Entering Governor's Race". FITSNews. February 11, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
- ^ Kinnard, Meg (May 30, 2018). "SC Gov Hopeful Warren Picks Businessman as Running Mate". U.S. News & World Report.
- ^ Brown, Andy (July 28, 2017). "'I am the right': South Carolina Lt. Gov. Kevin Bryant joins 2018 governor's race". The Post and Courier. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
- ^ Shain, Andrew (March 21, 2016). "EXCLUSIVE: Former Lt. Gov. McGill running for governor as a Republican". The State. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
- ^ Duncan, Emma; Kropf, Schuyler (November 19, 2016). "Catherine Templeton running for governor". The Post and Courier. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
- ^ Andy Shain. "Greenville prosecutor will join South Carolina governor ticket". Post and Courier. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
- ^ Shain, Andy (September 6, 2017). "Sen. Tom Davis opts out of running for South Carolina governor in 2018". The Post and Courier. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
- ^ a b c Brack, Andy (July 17, 2015). "Possible candidates already eyeing governor's mansion". Statehouse Report. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
- ^ Brown, Kirk (April 10, 2017). "Jeff Duncan rules out running for S.C. governor". The Anderson Independent-Mail. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
- ^ "Governor 2018: Mikee Johnson Is Out". FITS News. March 18, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
- ^ Andy Shain; Emma Dumain. "Tim Scott, Trey Gowdy could team up for governor, lt. governor bid". Postandcourier.com. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ Dumain, Emma; Kropf, Schuyler (December 5, 2016). "Sen. Tim Scott leaning toward not running for South Carolina governor". The Post and Courier. Retrieved December 12, 2016.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
- ^ Emma Dumain. "South Carolina 2018 governor's race: Sen. Tim Scott out, Catherine Templeton in". Post and Courier. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
- ^ "Joe Taylor Mulls 2018 Gubernatorial Bid". FITS News. September 8, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
- ^ "Catherine Templeton Backed By Joe Taylor". FITS News. September 29, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
- ^ Dykes, David (August 26, 2016). "Billy Wilkins considering run for governor in '18". Greenville Journal. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
- ^ Dykes, David (November 14, 2016). "Wilkins won't run for governor in 2018". Upstate Business Journal. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
- ^ Kropf, Schuyler (October 7, 2017). "Palmetto Politics: All of South Carolina's Republicans in Washington took gun lobby money last year". The Post and Courier. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
- ^ a b Kinnard, Meg (May 31, 2018). "US Rep. Ralph Norman backing Templeton in SC governor's race". Associated Press.
- ^ "Anti-corruption candidate Catherine Templeton earns support from convicted former S.C. House speaker". The Post and Courier. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
- ^ "Maggie's List Proudly Endorses Catherine Templeton for Governor of South Carolina". Maggie's List. November 20, 2017.
- ^ "Gubernatorial candidate John Warren gains support from York County lawmakers". The Herald (Rock Hill). June 18, 2018.
- ^ "SC governor candidate John Warren scores endorsement of Greenville Mayor Knox White". The Greenville News. 8 May 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
- ^ "SC governor candidate John Warren picks running mate: Charleston businessman Pat McKinney". The Greenville News. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ "Duck call in SC governor's race: Duck Dynasty star makes endorsement". Thestate.com. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ "Templeton, Bryant endorse Warren to unseat McMaster in GOP runoff for SC governor". Thestate.com. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "Official Results". South Carolina Election Commission. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
- ^ "Official Results". South Carolina Election Commission. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
- ^ Shain, Andy (5 October 2017). "Rep. James Smith becomes first Democrat to enter 2018 South Carolina governor's race". Charleston Post Courier. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- ^ Schechter, Maayan (8 May 2018). "Democrats Smith, Noble pick running mates in the governor's race". The State. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ Kropf, Schuyler (10 October 2017). "Charleston consultant Phil Noble joins Democratic Race for Governor". Charleston Post Courier. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
- ^ Lovegrove, Jamie (10 May 2018). "Democratic hopeful Phil Noble picks running mate in South Carolina governor's race". The Post and Courier. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ Marchant, Bristow (January 31, 2018). "Another candidate jumps into the race for SC governor". The State. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- ^ Lovegrove, Jamie (March 27, 2018). "Democratic candidate for governor Marguerite Willis names state Sen. John Scott as running mate". The Post and Courier. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
- ^ a b c Self, Jamie (September 20, 2016). "Democrats running for SC governor? It's anyone's guess". The State. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
- ^ a b Trainor, Chris (November 13, 2017). "Mayor Steve Benjamin Endorses James Smith for Governor". The Free Times. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ a b Jones, Tyler (September 13, 2016). "2018 SC Governor's Race - 8 Democrats to Watch". Speak Strategic. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Shain, Andy (November 14, 2017). "James Smith wins endorsements from Lowcountry politicians in S.C. governor's race". The Post and Courier. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ Andy Shain. "Alabama Sen. Doug Jones endorses Phil Noble for S.C. governor". Postandcourier.com. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ "Official Results". South Carolina Election Commission. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
- ^ Trainor, Chris (December 29, 2017). "Candidate for Governor Wants McLeod for Running Mate, Hasn't Met Her". FreeTimes. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
- ^ Moore, Matt (29 March 2018). "Third party candidate files to run for governor". WYFF4. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ Moore, Matt (10 August 2018). "Third-party candidate out of race for SC governor". WYFF. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ "2018 Governor Race ratings | The Cook Political Report". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved 2017-11-15.
- ^ "The Washington Post's gubernatorial race ratings". The Washington Post. October 16, 2018.
- ^ "2018 Governor Forecast | FiveThirtyEight". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
- ^ "Gubernatorial Ratings | Inside Elections". Insideelections.com. Retrieved 2017-11-15.
- ^ "Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball » 2018 Governor". Centerforpolitics.org. Retrieved 2017-11-15.
- ^ "2018 Governor Races". RealClearPolitics. October 9, 2018.
- ^ "Daily Kos Elections 2018 race ratings". Daily Kos. June 5, 2018.
- ^ "2018 Midterm Power Ranking". Fox News.
- ^ "Politico Race Ratings". Politico.
- ^ "2018 Governor Elections: As November Nears, More Governors' Races Become Tossups". Governing.com. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
- ^ "President Trump endorsing Governor McMaster for re-election in 2018". Live 5 News. WCSC-TV. 9 October 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
- ^ "Columbia, Conway on Agenda for President, Vice President Campaign Stops for McMaster". WLTX. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ Kinnard, Meg (June 4, 2018). "US Rep. Tom Rice backs Gov. Henry McMaster's GOP primary bid". Associated Press.
- ^ Barton, Tom (June 14, 2018). "Templeton, Bryant endorse Warren to unseat McMaster in GOP runoff for SC governor". The State.
- ^ a b "2 prosecutors in SC corruption investigation endorse McMaster in GOP runoff". Thestate.com. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ "NRA Endorses Gov. McMaster for Re-election in South Carolina". NRA-PVF.
- ^ "Who endorses whom in the South Carolina governor's race, and when it matters". The Greenville News. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ "Editorial: Vote to keep McMaster as governor". The Post and Courier. November 4, 2018. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
- ^ Marchant, Bristow. "Here's who Joe Biden is backing in the SC governor's race". The State. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
- ^ a b Kelly, Erin (October 11, 2018). "Sen. Bernie Sanders to campaign in nine battleground states to end 'right-wing government'". USA Today. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
- ^ "#SC2018: Jim Clyburn Joining James Smith For Campaign Events". March 27, 2018.
- ^ Kropf, Schuyler (12 October 2017). "Former Democratic Gov. Jim Hodges backs James Smith for South Carolina governor in 2018". Post and Courier. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
- ^ Byrd, Caitlin (November 15, 2017). "Democrat James Smith endorsed by former Gov. Dick Riley in 2018 South Carolina governor's race". The Post and Courier. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ Caitlin Byrd. "Former Charleston Mayor Joe Riley endorses James Smith for governor: 'He can win'". Postandcourier.com. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ Jay Inslee. "An Army combat veteran who received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his service in Afghanistan, @JamesSmithSC has led a life of service to his country and to South Carolina. We've got great Democratic candidates ready to lead their states across the country". Twitter.
- ^ Williamson Pezé, Jennie; Tynan, John (April 19, 2018). "Conservation Voters Back James Smith for Governor - Conservation Voters of South Carolina". Conservation Voters of South Carolina. Board of Directors of Conservation Voters of South Carolina.
- ^ Ringer, Vicki (May 2, 2018). "Planned Parenthood Votes! South Atlantic Announces Endorsement of James Smith for South Carolina Governor". Plannedparenthoodaction.org.
- ^ "SC Sierra Club Endorses James Smith". FITSNews. March 22, 2018.
- ^ "#SC2018: James Smith Gets Equality PAC Endorsement". FITSNews.
- ^ Hegdahl, Rick (June 6, 2018). "VoteVets PAC Endorses James Smith for Governor". VoteVets.org.
External links
- Official campaign websites