1986 United States Senate election in South Carolina
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 County results Hollings: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% McMaster: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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The 1986 South Carolina United States Senate election was held on November 4, 1986 to select the U.S. Senator from the state of South Carolina. Popular incumbent Democratic Senator Fritz Hollings easily defeated Republican challenger Henry McMaster to win his fifth (his fourth full) term. This is the last U.S. Senate election in South Carolina where Democrats won with a double-digit margin. McMaster later served as South Carolina’s Lieutenant Governor from 2011 to 2017 and has been the state’s Governor since Nikki Haley resigned in 2017. McMaster also served South Carolina as its State Attorney General from 2003 to 2011.
Republican primary
[edit]The Republican primary campaign pitted U.S. Attorney Henry McMaster against Henry Jordan, a social conservative supported by televangelist Pat Robertson and many Christian activists.[1]
Candidates
[edit]- Henry Jordan, surgeon
- Henry McMaster, U.S. Attorney and future state Attorney General, Lieutenant Governor, and Governor
Results
[edit]
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
- >90%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 80–90%
- >90%
- 50%
| Republican Primary | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Henry McMaster | 27,695 | 53.4% |
| Henry Jordan | 24,164 | 46.6% |
General election
[edit]Candidates
[edit]- Ray Hillyard (A)
- Fritz Hollings (D), incumbent U.S. Senator
- Henry McMaster (R), U.S. Attorney
- Steven Vandervelde (L)
Campaign
[edit]The race was not seriously contested and was not a target by the Republicans. With little financial assistance, McMaster was unable to mount a credible challenge to Hollings' re-election in what became a difficult year for Republicans.
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Fritz Hollings (incumbent) | 465,511 | 63.07% | −7.29% | |
| Republican | Henry McMaster | 262,976 | 35.63% | +6.00% | |
| Libertarian | Steven B. Vandervelde | 4,788 | 0.65% | N/A | |
| American | Ray Hillyard | 4,588 | 0.62% | N/A | |
| No party | Write-Ins | 199 | 0.03% | N/A | |
| Majority | 202,535 | 27.44% | −13.29% | ||
| Turnout | 738,062 | 56.6% | −13.9% | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
See also
[edit]- List of United States senators from South Carolina
- 1986 United States Senate elections
- 1986 South Carolina gubernatorial election
References
[edit]- ^ Broder, David S. (June 11, 1986). "Maine, South Carolina Pick Candidates". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 13, 2022.