2016 United States Senate election in South Carolina

The 2016 United States Senate election in South Carolina was held on November 8, 2016, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of South Carolina, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Both major parties held their primaries on June 14.

2016 United States Senate election in South Carolina

November 8, 2016
2022 →
 
Nominee Tim Scott Thomas Dixon
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 1,241,609 757,022
Percentage 60.57% 36.93%

Scott:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Dixon:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Tie:      40–50%      No votes

U.S. senator before election

Tim Scott
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Tim Scott
Republican

Incumbent Republican Senator Tim Scott won re-election to a first full term in office.

This was the second U.S. Senate election in South Carolina (and the second of three consecutive elections for this seat) where both major party nominees were black, and the third overall since the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment.

Background

Two-term Republican senator Jim DeMint was re-elected with 61.48% of the vote in 2010. He resigned at the start of 2013 to become President of The Heritage Foundation and U.S. Representative Tim Scott of South Carolina's 1st congressional district was appointed to replace him by Governor Nikki Haley. Scott subsequently won the special election in 2014 for the remaining two years of the term.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

  • Tim Scott, incumbent U.S. Senator

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

  • Thomas Dixon, pastor and community activist (also running with Green Party nomination)

Declined

  • Joyce Dickerson, Richland County Councilwoman and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2014 (running for reelection)

General election

Candidates

  • Tim Scott (Republican), incumbent U.S. Senator
  • Thomas Dixon (Democratic, Green), pastor and community activist
  • Bill Bledsoe (Libertarian, Constitution)
  • Michael Scarborough (American), attorney

Debates

Dates Location Scott Dixon Link
October 24, 2016 Greenville, South Carolina Participant Participant

Predictions

Source Ranking As of
The Cook Political Report Safe R November 2, 2016
Sabato's Crystal Ball Safe R November 7, 2016
Rothenberg Political Report Safe R November 3, 2016
Daily Kos Safe R November 8, 2016
Real Clear Politics Safe R November 7, 2016

Polling

%support01020304050602016/08/102016/11/012016/11/06Tim ScottThomas DixonOther/UndecidedOpinion polling for the 2016 United States S...
View source data.
Poll source Date(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin of
error
Tim
Scott (R)
Thomas
Dixon (D)
Other Undecided
SurveyMonkey November 1–7, 2016 1,698 ± 4.6% 59% 38% 3%
SurveyMonkey October 31–November 6, 2016 1,642 ± 4.6% 58% 39% 3%
SurveyMonkey October 28–November 3, 2016 1,583 ± 4.6% 58% 39% 3%
SurveyMonkey October 27–November 2, 2016 1,501 ± 4.6% 58% 39% 3%
SurveyMonkey October 26–November 1, 2016 1,588 ± 4.6% 57% 40% 3%
SurveyMonkey October 25–31, 2016 1,762 ± 4.6% 56% 39% 5%
Starboard Communications (R) September 7–9, 2016 600 ± 4.8% 58% 22% 16%
Public Policy Polling August 9–10, 2016 1,290 ± 2.7% 45% 30% 6% 20%
Hypothetical polling

with Joyce Dickerson

Poll source Date(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin of
error
Tim
Scott (R)
Joyce
Dickerson (D)
Undecided
Public Policy Polling November 7–8, 2015 1,290 ± 2.7% 53% 25% 23%

with Bakari Sellers

Poll source Date(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin of
error
Tim
Scott (R)
Bakari
Sellers (D)
Undecided
Public Policy Polling February 12–15, 2015 868 ± 3.3% 56% 28% 16%

with Leon Lott

Poll source Date(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin of
error
Tim
Scott (R)
Leon
Lott (D)
Undecided
Public Policy Polling February 12–15, 2015 868 ± 3.3% 54% 27% 19%

with Jim Hodges

Poll source Date(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin of
error
Tim
Scott (R)
Jim
Hodges (D)
Undecided
Public Policy Polling February 12–15, 2015 868 ± 3.3% 54% 32% 15%

Results

United States Senate election in South Carolina, 2016
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Tim Scott (incumbent) 1,241,609 60.57% −0.55%
Democratic Thomas Dixon 757,022 36.93% −0.16%
Libertarian Bill Bledsoe 37,482 1.83% N/A
American Michael Scarborough 11,923 0.58% −1.17%
n/a Write-ins 1,857 0.09% +0.05%
Total votes 2,049,893 100.0% N/A
Republican hold

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

  • Calhoun (largest town: St. Matthews)
  • Clarendon (Largest city: Manning)

By congressional district

Scott won six of seven congressional districts.

District Scott Dixon Representative
1st 65% 33% Mark Sanford
2nd 63% 34% Joe Wilson
3rd 71% 27% Jeff Duncan
4th 67% 30% Trey Gowdy
5th 59% 38% Mick Mulvaney
6th 35% 63% Jim Clyburn
7th 61% 37% Tom Rice

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