2014_United_States_Senate_special_election_in_South_Carolina
2014 United States Senate special election in South Carolina
Election
The 2014 United States Senate special election in South Carolina took place on November 4, 2014, concurrently with the regular election for the other South Carolina Senate seat. The special-election Senate seat was formerly held by Republican Jim DeMint, who resigned on January 2, 2013, to become president of The Heritage Foundation.
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 County results Scott: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Dickerson: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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Nikki Haley, the Republican Governor of South Carolina, announced the appointment of U.S. Representative Tim Scott to fill the seat. Scott ran in the special election and won by beating Democratic candidate and Richland County councilwoman Joyce Dickerson in the November election. Scott became the first black Senator in the state's history and the first in a former Confederate state since 1881.
The election was noted for being the second U.S. Senate election since the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment and the first in a former Confederate state where both major party nominees were black.[lower-alpha 2] This was also the first of three consecutive elections to this seat where both major party nominees were black.
On December 6, 2012, Senator Jim DeMint announced his intention to resign effective January 1, 2013, to become the president of The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.[1]
Nikki Haley, the Governor of South Carolina, appointed a replacement to fill the seat until the special election.[2] Haley indicated that she would not appoint a "placeholder" to the seat, but would appoint someone who would stand in a 2014 special election to serve the remaining two years of DeMint's term.[3] On December 17, 2012, Haley announced that she would appoint Scott to DeMint's seat following his resignation.[4]
Senate replacement process
According to sources close to Governor Haley, as of December 11, 2012, she had narrowed the list of potential appointees down to five:
- Tim Scott, U.S. Representative (SC-01)
- Trey Gowdy, U.S. Representative (SC-04)
- Henry McMaster, former South Carolina Attorney General,
- Jenny Sanford, former First Lady of South Carolina
- Catherine Templeton, head of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.[5]
Other politicians mentioned as possible replacements for DeMint included U.S. Representatives Mick Mulvaney[6] and Joe Wilson, former U.S. Representative Gresham Barrett state representative Nathan Ballentine, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, former Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins, former South Carolina Republican Party chair Katon Dawson, and Haley's deputy chief of staff Tedd Pitts.[7]
Liberal comedian Stephen Colbert, a South Carolina native, expressed interest in being appointed the seat, asking his fans to tweet Haley that she should appoint him.[8] Chad Walldorf, the owner of the Sticky Fingers restaurant chain, had also been mentioned as a potential placeholder.[9]
Polling on DeMint's replacement
A Public Policy Polling poll released on December 10, 2012, which asked respondents who they wanted to replace DeMint, showed Colbert with the highest total. Colbert had support at 20 percent, followed by Scott at 15 percent, Gowdy at 14 percent, and Sanford at 11 percent.[10] Haley said that she would not appoint Colbert to the seat.[11]
Candidates
Declared
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tim Scott (incumbent) | 276,147 | 89.98% | |
| Republican | Randall Young | 30,741 | 10.02% | |
| Total votes | 306,888 | 100.00% | ||
Candidates
Declared
- Joyce Dickerson, Richland County Councilwoman and former chair of the National Foundation for Women Legislators[15][16]
- Sidney Moore, former York County Councilman[17]
- Harry Pavilack, attorney and candidate for South Carolina's 7th congressional district in 2012[18]
Withdrew
- Rick Wade, former United States Department of Commerce official and nominee for Secretary of State of South Carolina in 2002[19][20]
Declined
- Jim Hodges, former governor of South Carolina[21]
- John L. Scott, Jr., state senator[22]
- James E. Smith, Jr., state representative (running for re-election)[21][13]
- Leon Stavrinakis, state representative (running for re-election)[21][13]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Joyce Dickerson |
Sidney Moore |
Harry Pavilack |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clemson University | May 26 – June 2, 2014 | 400 | ± 6% | 11% | 7% | 3% | 79% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joyce Dickerson | 72,874 | 65.39% | |
| Democratic | Sidney Moore | 26,310 | 23.61% | |
| Democratic | Harry Pavilack | 11,886 | 11.06% | |
| Total votes | 111,437 | 100.00% | ||
Candidates
Declared
- Jill Bossi (American Party), vice president of the American Red Cross[23]
Removed from ballot
- Brandon Armstrong (Independent), businesswoman[24][25]
Debates
- Complete video of debate, October 28, 2014
Endorsements
- Individuals
- Sarah Palin, former governor of Alaska, Republican Vice-Presidential nominee in 2008 [26]
- Organizations
- American Conservative Union[27]
- FreedomWorks[28]
- Government Is Not God PAC (GING-PAC)[29]
- United States Chamber of Commerce[30]
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[35] | Solid R | November 3, 2014 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[36] | Safe R | November 3, 2014 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[37] | Safe R | November 3, 2014 |
| Real Clear Politics[38] | Safe R | November 3, 2014 |
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Tim Scott (R) |
Joyce Dickerson (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmussen Reports | July 9–10, 2014 | 750 | ± 4% | 53% | 31% | 6% | 11% |
| CBS News/NYT/YouGov | July 5–24, 2014 | 1,180 | ± 5.4% | 52% | 40% | 2% | 9% |
| CBS News/NYT/YouGov | August 18 – September 2, 2014 | 833 | ± 5% | 54% | 33% | 0% | 13% |
| Winthrop University | September 21–28, 2014 | 1,082 | ± 3% | 52.4% | 31.8% | 1.9%[39] | 13.8% |
| CBS News/NYT/YouGov | September 20 – October 1, 2014 | 2,663 | ± 2% | 54% | 31% | 0% | 14% |
| CBS News/NYT/YouGov | October 16–23, 2014 | 1,566 | ± 4% | 57% | 28% | 0% | 15% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tim Scott (incumbent) | 757,215 | 61.12% | -0.36% | |
| Democratic | Joyce Dickerson | 459,583 | 37.09% | +9.44% | |
| American | Jill Bossi | 21,652 | 1.75% | N/A | |
| n/a | Write-ins | 532 | 0.04% | -1.62% | |
| Total votes | '1,238,982' | '100.0%' | N/A | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- "South Carolina Republican US Sen. Jim DeMint resigning to take over at Heritage Foundation". The Washington Post. December 6, 2012. Archived from the original on February 20, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- "All eyes on Nikki Haley to pick Jim DeMint successor". Politico. December 6, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- "Buzz builds around Jim DeMint successor". Politico. December 10, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- "Tim Scott to succeed Jim DeMint in Senate". Politico. December 17, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
- "First on CNN: Haley finalizes short list for DeMint seat". December 11, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2012.
- "Mulvaney in touch with Haley about Senate seat". Politico. December 10, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- Wilson, Reid (December 6, 2012). "Who Will Replace Jim DeMint?". National Journal. Archived from the original on December 9, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- "Stephen Colbert to Nikki Haley: Pick Me". December 7, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- "Business Briefs: Walldorf eyed as DeMint successor". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Associated Press. December 8, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- Robillard, Kevin (December 10, 2012). "PP: South Carolina voters want Stephen Colbert". Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- "Nikki Haley: I won't appoint Stephen Colbert to Senate". Associated Press. December 8, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- "Tim Scott quiet on Mark Sanford congressional run". Politico.Com. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
- Shain, Andrew (March 27, 2014). "ELECTION 2014 (updated): Who's filed for statewide, State House, Congressional offices". The State. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
- "Official results 2014 Statewide Primary Election June 10, 2014". South Carolina State Election Commission. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
- Renee Standera (October 3, 2013). "County council member to run for U.S. Senate seat". wistv. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
- George Mast (March 17, 2014). "Senator Allen Installed as Chair of National Foundation for Women Legislators". senatenj.com. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
- Zou, Jie Jenny (March 27, 2014). "Former York County Council member to run for Scott's U.S. Senate seat". The Herald. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
- Jamie Self (September 14, 2013). "Exclusive: Another unknown Democrat seeks US Senate seat in SC". The State. Archived from the original on November 1, 2013.
- Shain, Andrew (December 13, 2013). "Former Obama aide sets sights on Scott's US Senate seat". The State. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
- Self, Jamie (March 6, 2014). "Democrat Wade exits US Senate race citing fundraising woes". The State. Archived from the original on March 6, 2014. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
- Shain, Andrew (December 9, 2012). "THE BUZZ: A reunion, of sorts, for the Sanfords?". The State. Archived from the original on November 1, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
- Beam, Adam (August 25, 2013). "The Buzz: Rand Paul on Lindsey Graham, second Democrat may challenge Tim Scott". The State. Archived from the original on August 25, 2013. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
- "Tega Cay exec running for U.S. Senate". Fort Mill Times. March 24, 2014. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
- Self, Jamie (November 27, 2013). "ELECTION 2014: Independent collecting signatures to run against Tim Scott". The State. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
- Kopf, Schuyler (August 12, 2014). "Independent challenger to Tim Scott fails to get on the ballot". The Post and Courier. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
- "American Conservative Union PAC Endorses Senator Tim Scott". Tim Scott for Senate. May 5, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- Glueck, Katie (March 17, 2014). "FreedomWorks backs Ted Yoho, Tim Scott, Mark Sanford". Politico. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- York, Frank (January 7, 2014). "GING-PAC Endorses Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) For 2014!". GING-PAC. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- "Chamber of Commerce Endorses Senator Tim Scott". Tim Scott for Senate. January 30, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- "SC AFL-CIO Endorses Candidates For the US House and Senate". AFL-CIO. 2014. Archived from the original on October 30, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
- "Official UAW Endorsements- South Carolina". UAW. 2014. Archived from the original on October 30, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
- "Election 2014: Boilermakers recommend candidates". Boilermakers. 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
- "Breaking News: The Centrist Project Voice Endorses a Wide Portfolio of Moderate Candidates". The Centrist Project. July 9, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- "2014 Senate Race Ratings for November 3, 2014". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- "The Crystal Ball's Final 2014 Picks". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- "2014 Senate Ratings". Senate Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- "2014 Elections Map - Battle for the Senate 2014". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- Jill Bossi (AP) 1.8%, Other 0.1%
- In January 2013, Scott was appointed by Governor Nikki Haley to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Senator Jim DeMint, who had become president of The Heritage Foundation.
- After Illinois in 2004
- Official campaign websites (Archived)