Every other minute it might seem like there's an attack ad gracing your TV – complete with enough dingy filters and spliced debate fumbles to prompt at least an eye roll.
There's a reason for that. Politicians are jostling for position in a tense midterm election that has thus far been characterized by voters' discontent with gas prices, the war in Iran, rapid data center construction and more. Democrats hope to claw back control of Congress by winning battleground seats in Texas, Michigan and Maine.
But what about South Carolina?
The Palmetto State is famously deep red, with Donald Trump having triumphed in the state by nearly 18 percentage points in 2024, according to state election data. But recent polls have indicated that some seats may be more competitive.
Dr. Annie Andrews is gaining on Darline Graham for the state's open Senate seat, according to a recent poll conducted by the Republican-leaning Trafalgar Group, which placed the margin as close as one percentage point.
Regardless of your feelings about either party or candidate, it pays to know what everyone stands for well before Election Day, which this year falls on Nov. 3. Early in-person voting will run from Oct. 19 to Oct. 31, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
And if you’re registered in a county other than Richland don’t fret – civic participation organization Be The Ones is organizing free transportation to counties in or near South Carolina for college students. If you need assistance getting to your registered county, email mailto:hello@betheones.org as soon as possible for help. Information about your district's races can be found at scvotes.org.
From third-party candidates to down-ballot races that have more impact than many voters know, stock up on the facts before casting your ballot.
Governor
Governor Henry McMaster's retirement has left the state's highest office without an incumbent candidate for the first time in 16 years.
Alan Wilson
Alan Wilson, current South Carolina Attorney General, won the Republican nomination for governor after beating out Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette in a summer runoff, despite an early Trump endorsement for his opponent. President Trump later issued a co-endorsement for both candidates via a TruthSocial post the week of the runoff election.
Wilson is a veteran of state public office, having served as Attorney General since 2011. He has closely aligned himself with Trump and the "America First" agenda, according to his campaign website. The America First agenda is a policy agenda developed by a conservative political action committee named the America First Policy Institute, which emphasizes strict immigration enforcement, American fuel independence and pro-life policymaking.
In the only debate scheduled ahead of the general election, hosted by Columbia's WIS TV, Wilson said he would retain exceptions to the state's abortion law for rape, incest and the life of the mother. He has also touted his support for pro-life policy and immigration enforcement efforts by the Trump administration, which have come under scrutiny for possible human rights violations, violence against U.S. citizens and racial profiling.
His running mate, former law enforcement officer Mike Reichenbach, owns a chain of auto dealerships across the state.
Jermaine Johnson
Johnson, a Democratic state lawmaker who serves parts of Richland and Kershaw counties, has sought to appeal to working-class frustration in the state. A relative newcomer to politics, he has done stints as a professional basketball player, an adjunct professor at Midlands Technical College and a business consultant.
The College of Charleston graduate has also promised to slash the state income tax, however he has stated he would do so by increasing tax rates for the state's top earners. Johnson has also emphasized expanding rural health infrastructure, building affordable housing and improving public education.
He has continually criticized GOP domination of state government as "one-party rule," according to his campaign website, and vowed to bring the state into a new era. In last week's debate, Johnson deflected Wilson's criticism of the effectiveness of legislation he'd introduced, none of which passed, saying, "they’re not going to allow any Democrats to get anything done," of Republican lawmakers.
Johnson's running mate, Sam Skardon, is a protégé of late civil rights activist John Lewis and former Chairman of the Charleston County Democratic Party. He is now a small business developer.
Michael Addison and Walid Hakim are running for governor for the United Citizens and Green Party, respectively.
Senate
Annie Andrews
Andrews, a Lowcountry pediatrician and runner-up to Nancy Mace in 2022, has emphasized her experiences at the doctor's office as her motivation for entering politics, promising to reform the healthcare system and make childcare more affordable. She has also sought to paint the inexperienced Graham as malleable to the Washington political establishment.
She has proposed lowering healthcare costs by creating a public option for the Affordable Care Act, as well as expanding Medicaid and Medicare. Andrews has said she will push to restore Roe v. Wade-era protections for abortion care and stop funding "endless wars," according to her campaign website.
In a tense debate sparring match Sunday, aired on South Carolina Public Radio, Andrews sought to distance herself from the far left and implied Graham – who succeeded her late brother, Lindsey Graham, in the Senate following his death from cardiac failure in July – was attempting to ride on her brother's coattails.
"She’s been told to come out here and call me Bernie Ocasio Mamdani. That’s what’s in her script,” Andrews said. “But the truth is, my name is Annie Andrews, and there shouldn’t be any confusion about that because, unlike my opponent, I haven’t changed my name recently.”
Graham retorted that she uses the last name on all her legal documents.
Andrews, a cis woman, was recently targeted by Donald Trump on social media with a transgender slur. She brushed off the comment on a campaign stop, telling reporters it was not "presidential" and has not heard voters discuss issues pertaining to transgender individuals much on the campaign trail, though she said she opposes “biological men playing in women’s sports” and “gender surgery for minors" at the same stop, reported The State.
Darline Graham
Darline Graham, former agency head of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind and current senator, has closely aligned herself with Trump's policy agenda. The president has been an avid supporter of Graham since she entered the primary this summer, earning his endorsement over experienced politicians such as former governor Mark Sanford.
Her campaign website highlights her support for lower taxes, ICE enforcement efforts and opposition to gun control. Graham has sought to depict Andrews as a radical leftist who would not be able to "stand up to socialist Democrats," as she sniped during Sunday's debate – an image her opponent will need to shed to gain traction with moderates and crossover voters.
Graham's gaffe at an earlier primary debate, when she said she was "not that informed on national security,” went viral online, potentially highlighting her inexperience with voters.
However, she is still expected to have the competitive advantage in the race for a seat that a Democrat has not yet claimed this century.
Kasie Whitener
Kasie Whitener, the Libertarian candidate, is an assistant management professor at the University of South Carolina and host of the Darla Moore School of Business' "Moore Impact" podcast. She has positioned herself as a champion of limited government and reduced federal spending.
Whitener has posted several blog-style entries discussing issues from critiques of the Trump administration's foreign policy to concerns about the high cost of living on her campaign website.
State Treasurer
The State Treasurer's race has heated up after a $1.8 billion accounting error – later confirmed by a forensic audit to be nonexistent funds caused by a switch in the accounting system several years ago, according to The State– has left some voters, and the Republican-controlled Statehouse, frustrated. The incumbent State Treasurer, Curtis Loftis, has placed the blame on the office of the Comptroller General, which enters information into the state's accounting records.
Curtis Loftis
Loftis, a Lexington County native, is the current Comptroller General of South Carolina, an office he has held since 2010. According to the State Treasurer's official website, Loftis manages more than $1 billion in unclaimed property in South Carolina and oversees $79.6 billion of public funds. He has touted significant growth in the state's 529 savings program for college education, Future Scholar, and adopting technologies to improve efficiency, according to his campaign website.
After hearings by the state Senate concerning the $1.8 billion error, the Senate voted to remove Loftis from office 33-8, but the House opted not to vote on the resolution, leaving it up to voters to make the call.
Vincent Coe
The Democratic challenger for South Carolina's top financial seat has worked in finance for more than 20 years, including as a bank examiner with the FDIC, and was born in Darlington County.
He was motivated to join the race by the $1.8 billion error, according to his campaign website, and promises to promote equal banking and investment in rural counties.
Though vastly outspent by his opponent according to reports filed with the State Ethics Commission in July, it remains to be seen who will come out on top.
Secretary of State - SC
Mark Hammond
Former Spartanburg County clerk of courts and current South Carolina Secretary of State Mark Hammond is running a seventh successful bid for office. In his previous terms, too, he has targeted charity and telemarketing abuses in the state, according to Charleston Business Magazine. Hammond does not have a campaign website.
Jason Belton
James Belton, the Democratic challenger, is the Vice President of the Greater Columbia Central Labor Council, which represents local unions. He has vowed to simplify filing processes for small businesses and local non-profits, while increasing oversight over corporate non-profits. Belton also wishes to expand the power of the office to include chair of the state's election commission, in order to make the office directly accountable to voters, according to his campaign website.
Commissioner of Agriculture
Current South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture and Republican Hugh Weathers announced his retirement at the end of this term, making whoever triumphs on Nov. 3 the first newcomer to the position in 22 years. Whoever holds the position will represent South Carolina's more than 26,000 farms and its booming agribusiness industry, which has attracted huge corporations such as Kraft Heinz and has grown by 40% over the last decade, according to the state's Department of Commerce.
Cody Simpson
Cody Simpson, a fifth-generation farmer, split from the family farm in 2018 to become Gov. Henry McMaster's agricultural adviser, a post that eventually led to a Trump appointment as South Carolina's director of the Farm Service Agency.
Simpson has touted his close relationship with the president and his ability to communicate farmers' needs to the federal government, having been endorsed by Trump before he had even clinched the four-way race to clinch the Republican nomination.
The Clarendon County native has said that South Carolina agriculture needs "DOGE-style reform," according to blog posts on his campaign website. He has said this overhaul will begin with a full audit of department contracts and spending, whereby the agency will decide where to cut wasteful programs and prioritize spending to strengthen food safety and support for rural farmers. Simpson has also promised to digitize paperwork, licensing and inspection information.
The attention from Trump and McMaster seems to have paid off, with Simpson breaking fundraising records for the position early on. In the first reporting period, Simpson raised more than $400,000 – more than double the record previously held by Weathers for a general election, according to the State Ethics Commission.
DeShawn Blanding
Blanding, a Manning native, returned in 2024 to restart his family's farm – originally sold off due to frustration with racial discrimination – after a stint in D.C. working for both agricultural committees and several non-profits, including the Rural Coalition. He is president and a founding partner in AgQuity Solutions, a consulting firm dedicated to social equity and sustainability in the agriculture sector.
Blanding also promises to modernize the agency, mainly through his "Growing Together" policy plan, which outlines steps to protect 40% of farmland in the state, attract young farmers and reduce food insecurity, including appointing county navigators to help farmers work through bureaucracy.
He has also stated that he will not be afraid to speak out against Trump administration policies that may be harmful to South Carolina farmers, such as rising diesel prices due to the Iran War.
Third Party Candidates
Michael Sullens of the Libertarian Party and Chris Nelums of the United Citizens Party are also running for the position.
Superintendent of Education
Ellen Weaver
Ellen Weaver, the incumbent in the race, has been a conservative voice in South Carolina education policy since she founded the Palmetto Promise Institute, a Republican think tank, in 2013.
She has been a vocal supporter of school vouchers, which use public funds to subsidize students to attend a different option than their zoned public school. A hot-button issue since the state's Education Scholarship Trust Fund was established three years ago, the policy has taken on particular weight as election season approaches – this year alone, the fund will pay out $83 million for the program, according to The State.
South Carolina schools reached new milestones this year, with the Department of Education and the SC Education Oversight Committee ranking 52.3% of schools "Good" or "Excellent" on their state report cards, a record in state history.
Sylvia Wright
Sylvia Wright, a veteran educator in South Carolina, has emphasized her hands-on experience in the classroom, saying the impact of policy decisions on students motivated her to run for office.
Wright promises to use the office of the superintendent to focus on student mental health and overall well-being through partnerships with community organizations and to attract teachers to the state through establishing a minimum wage for after-hours meetings and providing childcare vouchers to educational professionals.
She has criticized the Education Scholarship Trust Fund for using public money to subsidize student's private school tuition.
Attorney General
David Stumbo
David Stumbo, long-time prosecutor and graduate of USC's Joseph F. Rice School of Law, is vying to replace fellow Republican and governor-hopeful Alan Wilson as the state's chief legal officer.
He has primarily campaigned on strengthening relationships with local law enforcement, as well as upholding "constitutional freedoms, including religious liberty and parental rights," as he told Greenville News earlier this month.
Richard Hricik
Attorney and Charleston School of Law professor Richard Hricik, the Democratic candidate, has positioned himself as the more populist option in the race.
Also a former accountant, Hricik has said he will protect consumers and public resources and stand up to corporations, according to his campaign website.
