South Carolina primary

Elections in South Carolina
Federal government Presidential elections 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 Presidential primaries Democratic 2004 2008 Republican 2000 2008 2012 United States Senate elections 1896 1902 1908 1912 1914 1918 1920 1924 1926 1930 1932 1936 1938 1942 1944 1948 1950 1954 1956 1960 1962 1966 1968 1972 1974 1978 1980 1984 1986 1990 1992 1996 1998 2002 2004 2008 2010 2014 2016 United States House elections 1788 1870 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 Special elections Senate, 1897 7th district, 1901 4th district, 1915 Senate, 1918 6th district, 1919 7th district, 1919 Senate, 1941 4th district, 1953 1st district, 1971 2nd district, 2001 1st district, 2013 Senate, 2014 Others
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Ballot measures 2006 (Amendment 1) 2008 2010 2012 2014

The South Carolina presidential primary has become one of several key, "early-state" primary elections in the process of the Democratic and Republican Parties choosing their respective general election nominees for President of the United States.

Historically, this primary election has been much more important in the Republican Party's nomination process, considered a "firewall" that would permanently eliminate any/all serious rivals to the front-runner. It was designed to stop the momentum of any insurgent candidate(s) who threatened to catch or overtake the Republican establishment's preferred choice to win the nomination -- especially those who had strong showings in the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries.^[1][2] This is meant to force the various factions of the party to quickly decide on and unite behind a single candidate, to avoid wasting precious time and resources on a drawn-out battle between their own candidates, that would divert the party's focus from working to defeat the Democrats' likely nominee. Since its 1980 inception, the winner of the South Carolina primary always becomes the eventual Republican National Convention nominee for that fall's general election^[3] -- with one exception: the 2012 primary, in which eventual Republican nominee Mitt Romney finished in second-place, behind winner Newt Gingrich (who would go on to "suspend" his campaign before that summer's convention began).

South Carolina has cemented its place as the "First in the South" primary for both parties. For the Democrats, the 2008 primary took on added significance because it was the first nominating contest in that cycle in which a large percentage (55 percent, according to an exit poll^[4]) of primary voters were African Americans.^[5]

The 2012 South Carolina primary was held on Saturday, January 21.^[6]

Republican results

• 1980: Ronald Reagan won with 55%, defeating runner-up John Connally.
• 1984: Uncontested (Reagan was the incumbent president and was re-nominated).
• Bob Dole.
• Pat Buchanan.
• 1996: Bob Dole won with 45%, defeating runner-up Pat Buchanan.
• John McCain.
• 2004: Uncontested (Bush was the incumbent president and was re-nominated).
• 2008: John McCain won with 33%, defeating runner-up Mike Huckabee.
• 2012: Newt Gingrich won with 40%, defeating runner-up Mitt Romney.

Democratic results

• 1988: In 1988, South Carolina Democrats held a caucus rather than a primary. Jesse Jackson won with approximately 55% of the vote, defeating Al Gore.^[7]
• 1992: Bill Clinton won with approximately 69% of the vote, defeating Paul Tsongas.^[8]
• 1996: Uncontested (Clinton was the incumbent president and was renominated).
• 2000: Al Gore won with 92% of the vote, defeating Bill Bradley.^[9]
• 2004: John Edwards won with 45% of the vote, defeating John Kerry.^[10]
• 2008: Barack Obama won with approximately 55% of the vote, defeating Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards.^[11]
• 2012: Uncontested (Obama is the incumbent president and was renominated).

See also

• South Carolina Democratic primary, 2008
• South Carolina Republican primary, 2008
• South Carolina Republican primary, 2012

References

1. ^ http://www.gwu.edu/~action/states/scprimresults.html
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External links

• South Carolina State Election Commission
• SC GOP Presidential Primary Task Force
• 2008 SC Primary