South Carolina has 79 contested state legislative primaries in 2024, an increase of 65% from the preceding cycle.
Twenty-seven of these primaries are for Democrats, up 125% from 2022. This is up 4% from 2020 and 35% from 2016, the last two cycles featuring elections for every state House and Senate seat. Fifty-two primaries are for Republicans, a 44% increase from 36 in 2022.
Fifty-one incumbents face primary challenges, a new high and representing 34% of all incumbents running for re-election. The previous high was 42 incumbents in 2016.
Of the 51 incumbents in contested primaries, 16 are Democrats and 35 are Republicans.
In total, 348 major party candidates—136 Democrats and 212 Republicans—filed to run. All 124 House and 46 Senate seats are up for election. Twenty of those seats are open, meaning no incumbents filed. This is the second-largest number of open seats, behind 24 in 2012.
South Carolina has had a Republican trifecta since the party won control of the governor’s office in 2003. Republicans currently have an 88-36 majority in the House and a 30-15-1 majority in the Senate.
South Carolina’s state legislative primaries are scheduled for June 11.
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