2026 is an election year for all 124 seats in the South Carolina House of Representatives, and we’re taking a look at which Representatives will be facing primaries in June, who will be in contested races in the General Election, and who is running unopposed.  

Note: South Carolina state senators serve 4-year terms and are not up for election this cycle. Their next election is in 2028.

Arm yourself with these early insights to get a head start on your advocacy and lobbying strategy as you look ahead to the 2027-2028 biennium. 

Current Party Count: 

• The SC House is currently made up of 88 Republican and 36 Democratic Members.  

• All 124 seats are up for re-election in November 2026. 

Key Dates:

• March 30, 2026 – Filing deadline to run in a primary.

• June 9, 2026 – Primary Elections.

• June 23, 2026 – Primary Runoff Elections (if needed).

• November 3, 2026 – General Election.

• January 12, 2027 – Start of SC Legislative Session.

Key Reminders:

• South Carolina Representatives serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits.

• South Carolina legislators assume office in January the year after their election, in this case, 2027.

Key Takeaways:

• 51 Districts (out of 124) in SC will hold Primary Elections for the House. Only three districts (Districts 1, 86, and 99) are simultaneously holding Democratic and Republican Primaries.

• 6 Members (4 Republicans and 2 Democrats) are not seeking re-election. At a minimum, 6 new House members will be elected in November to replace these seats.

• 23 Incumbent Republican Members have challengers in the June primary races.

• 11 Incumbent Democratic Members have challengers in the June primary races.

• 11 Incumbents (all Democrats) will be running unopposed in November. At minimum, we expect these 20 House members to return in 2027-2028.

Incumbents Not Seeking Re-Election (Open Seats)

6 Incumbents are not seeking re-election for the 2027-2028 Session. Currently, 4 of these seats are held by Republican Members and 2 by a Democrat. Below is a list of the 6 incumbents who are not seeking re-election:

Republican Incumbents not seeking re-election (4)

• Rep. David R. “Davey” Hiott (R-District 4; Pickens County) 

  • House Majority Leader

  • Terms in Office: 11 (since 2005) 

  • Committee Assignments: Rules; Ways and Means 

• Rep. Bill Taylor (R-District 86; Aiken & Lexington Counties) 

  • Terms in Office: 8 (since 2011) 

  • Committee Assignments: Regulations, Admin. Procedures, Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity; Ways and Means 

• Rep. Donald Ryan McCabe, Jr. (R-District 96; Lexington County) 

  • Terms in Office: 3 (since 2021) 

  • Committee Assignment: Judiciary 

• Rep. Marvin “Mark” Smith (R-District 99; Berkeley County) 

  • Terms in Office: 3 (since 2021) 

  • Committee Assignments: Labor, Commerce and Industry; Government Efficiency and Legislative Oversight 

Democratic Incumbents not seeking re-election (2)

• Rep. Jermaine L. Johnson, Sr. (D-District 52; Kershaw & Richland Counties) 

  • Terms in Office: 3 (since 2021) 

  • Committee Assignment: Labor, Commerce and Industry 

• Rep. Elizabeth “Spencer” Wetmore (D-District 115; Charleston County) 

  • Terms in Office: 3+ (since special election in August 2020) 

  • Committee Assignments: Judiciary; Rules 

Of these 6 open districts:

• 5 Districts will hold primary races – District 52 (Kershaw & Richland Counties), District 86 (Aiken & Lexington Counties), District 96 (Lexington County), District 99 (Berkeley County), and District 115 (Charleston County)

• 1 District will not have a primary race – the candidates for District 4 (Pickens County) will be on the November ballot

Notably, District 86 (Aiken & Lexington Counties) and District 99 (Berkeley County) are two out of three districts that will be holding both a Democratic and Republican primary in June.

Incumbents with Primary Challengers

Republican Incumbents with Primary Challengers (23)

• 23 Incumbent Republican Members are in primary races.

• District 1 (Oconee & Pickens Counties) is one of three districts holding both a Democratic and Republican primary. Rep. Whitmire (R) is the incumbent.

Democratic Incumbents with Primary Challengers (11)

• 11 Incumbent Democratic Members are in primary races.

• In 8 of these 11 Districts, there are no Republicans running, so the winner of these Primaries will be running unopposed come November:

  • District 25 (Greenville County) – Rep. Wendell K. Jones vs. Derrick L. Quarles

  • District 31 (Spartanburg County) – Rep. Rosalyn D. Henderson-Myers vs. Mo Abusaft

  • District 49 (York County) – Rep. John Richard C. King vs. Perry Sutton

  • District 51 (Sumter County) – Rep. J. David Weeks vs. Melissa J Weeks-Richardson

  • District 54 (Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon & Marlboro Counties) – Rep. Jason S. Luck vs. Betty Jo Quick

  • District 70 (Kershaw & Richland Counties) – Rep. Robert T. Reese vs. Eve Carlin vs. Noah Barker

  • District 79 (Richland County) – Rep. Hamilton R. Grant vs. Anthony Stovall

  • District 103 (Berkeley, Georgetown & Horry Counties) – Rep. Carl L. Anderson vs. Wendell M Padgett

Incumbents Facing Winner of a Primary Race

In 12 Districts, the incumbent Representative will be facing the winner of the follow primaries come November. They are:

• 11 Republican Representatives: Bannister (R-District 24), Pope (R-District 47), Lowe (R-District 60), Schuessler (R-District 61), Jordan (R-District 63), Pedalino (R-District 64), Gatch (R-District 94), Holman (R-District 102), Teeple (R-District 116), Hager (R-District 122), Bradley (R-District 123)

• 1 Democratic Representative: Hosey (D-District 91)

Incumbents Running Unopposed in November

• 11 Incumbents are running unopposed in November – all Democrats.

• That means we expect, at a minimum, these 11 House members will return in 2027-2028 – as they do not have primary challengers or opponents from the other party.

Incumbents with No Primary, but Contested General Election

Below are the remaining 61 Districts that are not holding June Primaries, but will have an incumbent running in a contested General Election in November:

Republican Incumbents – No June Primary and running in November Race (50)

Democratic Incumbents – No June Primary and running in November Race (11)

Summary

With all 124 seats of the South Carolina House of Representatives on the ballot in November, the results of the June primaries foreshadow where turnover is possible, which incumbents face challengers, and who is positioned to return for the 2027-2028 legislative session.

As a reminder, the key takeaways are:

• 51 Districts (out of 124) in SC will hold Primary Elections for the House. Only three districts (Districts 1, 86, and 99) are simultaneously holding Democratic and Republican Primaries.

• 6 Members (4 Republicans and 2 Democrats) are not seeking re-election. At a minimum, 6 new House members will be elected in November to replace these seats.

• 23 Incumbent Republican Members have challengers in the June primary races.

• 11 Incumbent Democratic Members have challengers in the June primary races.

• 11 Incumbents (all Democrats) will be running unopposed in November. At minimum, we expect these 20 House members to return in 2027-2028.

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