1992 United States Senate election in South Carolina

Summary

The 1992 United States Senate election in South Carolina was held on November 3, 1992. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Fritz Hollings won reelection to his sixth (his fifth full) term. Apart from Hollings's first election to the Senate in 1966, this was the closest election of Hollings's Senate career. This is the last time that a Senate candidate was voted for and was elected to the United States Senate in South Carolina at the same time that a presidential candidate of a different political party was voted for in South Carolina and had won South Carolina.

1992 United States Senate election in South Carolina

← 1986 November 3, 1992 1998 →
 
Nominee Ernest Hollings Thomas F. Hartnett
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 591,030 554,175
Percentage 50.07% 46.95%

County results
Hollings:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Hartnett:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Ernest Hollings
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Ernest Hollings
Democratic

Republican primary edit

Candidates edit

Republican Primary
Candidate Votes %
Thomas F. Hartnett 123,572 76.8%
Charlie E. Thompson 37,352 23.2%

General election edit

Candidates edit

Major edit

Minor edit

Campaign edit

The race between Hollings and Hartnett was between two politicians from the Lowcountry. Hartnett attacked Hollings for co-sponsoring a bill in 1983 that would have outlawed discrimination against homosexuals and Hollings shot back about questions of Hartnett's integrity for pushing for military contracts with a firm he had ties with in North Charleston. The anti-incumbency mood helped to bring Hartnett close to topping Hollings in the general election, but South Carolina voters traditionally support their incumbent politicians and Hollings was elected for another six-year term, albeit with a much reduced margin.

Results edit

South Carolina U.S. Senate Election, 1992
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Ernest Hollings (incumbent) 591,030 50.1% -13.0%
Republican Thomas F. Hartnett 554,175 46.9% +11.3%
Libertarian Mark Johnson 16,987 1.9% +1.2%
American Robert Barnwell Clarkson II 11,568 1.0% +0.4%
No party Write-Ins 703 0.1% +0.1%
Majority 36,855 3.2% -24.3%
Turnout 1,180,438 76.8% +20.2%
Democratic hold

See also edit

References edit

  • Krauss, Clifford (October 30, 1992). "THE 1992 CAMPAIGN: Senate Race; A BITTER RIVALRY IN SOUTH CAROLINA". The New York Times. Retrieved February 2, 2008.
  • State Election Commission (1993). South Carolina Election Commission Annual Report 1992-1993. Columbia, SC: The Commission. p. 80.