2014 United States Senate election in South Carolina

For the other Senate election in South Carolina held in parallel, see 2014 United States Senate special election in South Carolina.

The 2014 United States Senate election in South Carolina took place on November 4, 2014, concurrently with a special election for South Carolina's other Senate seat, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

2014 United States Senate election in South Carolina

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Nominee Lindsey Graham Brad Hutto Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 672,942 480,933 Percentage 54.27% 38.78%

County results Graham:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Hutto:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Lindsey Graham Republican Elected U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham Republican

Incumbent Republican Lindsey Graham won reelection to a third term. He faced Democratic state senator Brad Hutto and Independent Thomas Ravenel in the general election. He defeated both of them by a 15-point margin.

As of 2022, this is the last time that Barnwell County, Darlington County, and Calhoun County voted Democratic in a Senate election.

Republican primary

Of all the Republican senators up for re-election in the 2014 cycle, Graham was considered one of the most vulnerable to a primary challenge, largely due to his low approval ratings and reputation for working with and compromising with Democrats.^[1][2] He expected a primary challenge from conservative activists, including the Tea Party movement,^[3] and Chris Chocola, president of the Club for Growth, indicated that his organization would support a primary challenge if an acceptable standard-bearer emerged.^[4]

However, a serious challenger to Graham failed to emerge and he was widely viewed as likely to win,^[1] which has been ascribed to his "deft maneuvering" and "aggressive" response to the challenge. He befriended potential opponents from the state's congressional delegation and helped them with fundraising and securing their preferred committee assignments; he assembled a "daunting multimillion-dollar political operation" dubbed the "Graham machine" that built six regional offices across the state and enlisted the support of thousands of paid staffers and volunteers, including over 5,000 precinct captains; he assembled a "staggering" campaign warchest and "blanketed" the state with positive ads; he focused on constituent services and local issues; and he refused to "pander" to the Tea Party supporters, instead confronting them head-on, arguing that the Republican party needs to be more inclusive.^[5][6][7]

Candidates

Declared

• Det Bowers, pastor and businessman^[8]
• Lee Bright, state senator^[9]
• Richard Cash, businessman and candidate for South Carolina's 3rd congressional district in 2010^[10]
• Bill Connor, attorney, lieutenant colonel in the United States Army Reserve and candidate for lieutenant governor in 2010^[11]
• Benjamin Dunn, attorney^[12]
• Lindsey Graham, incumbent U.S. Senator
• Nancy Mace, businesswoman and author^[9]

Withdrew

• Dave Feliciano, police officer^[13]

Declined

• Bruce Carroll, co-founder of GOProud and blogger at gay conservative site GayPatriot^[14]
• Tom Davis, state senator^[15]
• Trey Gowdy, U.S. Representative^[16]
• Mark Sanford, U.S. Representative and former governor of South Carolina^[17][18]
• Mick Mulvaney, U.S. Representative^[19]
• Thomas Ravenel, former South Carolina state treasurer (running as an independent)^[20][21]
• Joe Wilson, U.S. Representative^[22]

Endorsements

Lindsey Graham

• Chris Christie, Governor of New Jersey^[23]
• Joe Manchin, U.S. Senator from West Virginia^[24] (Democratic)

Newspapers

• The State^[25]

Det Bowers

Individuals

• Curtis Bostic, former Charleston County Councilman and candidate for SC-01 in 2013^[26]
• Erick Erickson, editor-in-chief of RedState^[27]

Organizations

• Sumter TEAvangical Patriots^[28]

Lee Bright

Individuals

• Greg Brannon, physician and 2014 North Carolina U.S Senate candidate^[29]
• Bill Chumley, state representative^[30]
• Thomas Massie, U.S Representative from Kentucky^[31]
• William Rentiers, Chairman of the Lexington County Republican Party^[32]
• Steve Stockman, U.S Representative from Texas^[33]
• Kevin Thomas, Chairman of the Fairfield County Republican Party^[34]
• Lewis Vaughn, former state senator^[35]

Organizations

• Americans for Legal Immigration^[36]
• Gun Owners of America^[37]
• Gun Rights Across America^[38]
• Kershaw County Patriots^[39]
• National Association for Gun Rights^[40]
• Laurens County Tea Party^{[usurped][41]}
• Republican Liberty Caucus^[42]
• Voice of the Unborn^[43]

Bill Connor

• Paul E. Vallely, retired US Army Major General and senior military analyst for Fox News^[44]

Nancy Mace

• National Association for Gun Rights^[40]
• Tea Party Leadership Fund^{[citation needed]}

Declined to endorse

• Tim Scott, U.S. Senator from South Carolina^[45]

Debate

2014 U.S. Senate election in South Carolina republican primary debate

No.	Date	Host	Moderator	Link	Republican	Republican	Republican	Republican	Republican	Republican	Republican
Key:  P  Participant   A  Absent   N  Not invited   I  Invited  W  Withdrawn
					Det Bowers	Lee Bright	Richard Cash	Bill Connor	Benjamin Dunn	Lindsey Graham	Nancy Mace
1	Jun. 7, 2014	ETV The Beaufort Gazette The Greenville News The Herald The Island Packet The Item The State The Sun News	Charles Bierbauer	[46]	P	P	P	P	P	P	P

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Lindsey Graham	Det Bowers	Lee Bright	Richard Cash	Bill Connor	Benjamin Dunn	Nancy Mace	Undecided
Landmark/Rosetta Stone[47]	August 25, 2013	500	± 4.5%	42.4%	—	12.6%	6.7%	—	—	10%	28.3%
Harper Polling[48]	October 27–28, 2013	379	± 5.03%	51%	—	15%	4%	4%	—	4%	22%
Gravis Marketing[49]	November 30 – December 2, 2013	601	± 4%	54%	—	10%	5%	2%	—	6%	23%
North Star^[50]	January 20–26, 2014	600	± 4%	53%	—	11%	3%	3%	—	8%	23%
Wenzel Strategies*[51]	February 3–4, 2014	623	± 3.9%	45.9%	—	17.4%	4.9%	4.2%	—	5.1%	22.5%
Winthrop University[52]	February 16–23, 2014	901	± 3.2%	45%	—	8.5%	2.9%	3.5%	—	3.7%	36.5%
Gravis Marketing[53]	March 6–7, 2014	735	± 4%	60%	—	10%	4%	2%	—	7%	17%
TargetPoint[54]	March 16–22, 2014	600	± 2.8%	56%	4%	6%	7%	1%	1%	5%	20%
Clemson University[55]	May 22–29, 2014	400	± 6%	49%	1%	9%	3%	1%	0%	2%	35%

• ^ Internal poll for Lindsey Graham campaign
• * Internal poll for Lee Bright campaign

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Lindsey Graham	Tom Davis	Undecided
Public Policy Polling[56]	December 7–9, 2012	506	± 4.4%	67%	17%	16%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Lindsey Graham	Jim DeMint	Undecided
Gravis Marketing[49]	November 30 – December 2, 2013	601	± 4%	36%	47%	17%
Gravis Marketing[53]	March 6–7, 2014	735	± 4%	44%	42%	14%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Lindsey Graham	Trey Gowdy	Undecided
Public Policy Polling[56]	December 7–9, 2012	506	± 4.4%	57%	29%	14%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Lindsey Graham	Mick Mulvaney	Undecided
Public Policy Polling[56]	December 7–9, 2012	506	± 4.4%	64%	20%	17%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Lindsey Graham	Mark Sanford	Undecided
Public Policy Polling[56]	January 28–30, 2011	559	± 4.1%	52%	34%	14%
Public Policy Polling[56]	December 7–9, 2012	506	± 4.4%	64%	26%	10%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Lindsey Graham	Tim Scott	Undecided
Public Policy Polling[56]	December 7–9, 2012	506	± 4.4%	54%	32%	14%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Lindsey Graham	Joe Wilson	Undecided
Public Policy Polling[56]	January 28–30, 2011	559	± 4.1%	41%	43%	16%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Lindsey Graham	Someone more conservative	Undecided
Public Policy Polling[56]	January 28–30, 2011	559	± 4.1%	37%	52%	11%
Public Policy Polling[57]	May 22–23, 2011	638	± 3.9%	32%	57%	11%
Public Policy Polling[56]	December 7–9, 2012	506	± 4.4%	51%	40%	9%
Gravis Marketing[49]	November 30 – December 2, 2013	601	± 4%	37%	39%	24%
Gravis Marketing[53]	March 6–7, 2014	735	± 4%	43%	32%	25%

Hypothetical polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Lindsey Graham	Lee Bright	Undecided
Landmark/Rosetta Stone[47]	August 25, 2013	500	± 4.5%	49.4%	23.7%	26.9%
North Star^[50]	January 20–26, 2014	600	± 4%	57%	27%	16%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Lindsey Graham	Richard Cash	Undecided
Landmark/Rosetta Stone[47]	August 25, 2013	500	± 4.5%	49.3%	20.5%	30.2%
North Star^[50]	January 20–26, 2014	600	± 4%	58%	26%	16%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Lindsey Graham	Bill Connor	Undecided
North Star^[50]	January 20–26, 2014	600	± 4%	59%	25%	16%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Lindsey Graham	Nancy Mace	Undecided
Landmark/Rosetta Stone[47]	August 25, 2013	500	± 4.5%	48.2%	23.2%	28.6%
North Star^[50]	January 20–26, 2014	600	± 4%	59%	26%	15%

Hypothetical runoff polling

• ^ Internal poll for Lindsey Graham campaign

Results

Republican primary results^[58]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Lindsey Graham (incumbent)	178,833	56.42%
	Republican	Lee Bright	48,904	15.53%
	Republican	Richard Cash	26,325	8.30%
	Republican	Det Bowers	23,172	7.31%
	Republican	Nancy Mace	19,634	6.19%
	Republican	Bill Connor	16,912	5.34%
	Republican	Benjamin Dunn	3,209	1.01%
Total votes			316,989	100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Brad Hutto, state senator^[59]
• Jay Stamper, entrepreneur

Declined

• Jim Hodges, former governor of South Carolina^[60]

Endorsements

Brad Hutto

Individuals

• Jim Clyburn, U.S. Representative for (SC-06)^[61]
• Jaime Harrison, Chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party^[62]

Organizations

• AFL-CIO, national trade union center^[63]
• National Education Association, national labor union^[64]

Newspapers

• The Greenville News^[65]
• The State^[66]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Brad Hutto	Jay Stamper	Undecided
Clemson University[67]	May 26 – June 2, 2014	400	± 6%	8%	3%	89%

Results

Democratic primary results^[58]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Brad Hutto	87,552	76.65%
	Democratic	Jay Stamper	26,678	23.35%
Total votes			114,230	100.00%

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Declared

• Victor Kocher, nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2002^[59][68]

Independent

In March 2014, with only controversial businessman and prankster Jay Stamper running for the Democrats, Dick Harpootlian, former chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, had stated that business leaders were working on an effort to recruit a potential independent candidate to run in case Graham was defeated in the primary.^[60] Such a "contingency" plan was rendered moot by the entry of Democratic state senator Brad Hutto into the race.^[60]

Former Republican state treasurer Thomas Ravenel had confirmed that was considering running for the Senate as an independent and was likely to do so if Lindsey Graham won the Republican primary.^[69] In April 2014, with Graham polling strongly in the primary, Ravenel announced he would run.^[70] He officially announced his candidacy on July 4.^[71]

Candidates

Declared

• Thomas Ravenel, former Republican state treasurer^[20][21][70]

General election

Debates

Graham initially declined to debate his opponents. A spokesman said that his campaign was "in discussions with other groups, as well as looking at the schedule." Hutto said that Graham is "terrified at the thought of defending his own record in a public debate" and Ravenel said Graham's decision was "highly arrogant and disrespectful."^[72] Graham claimed he refused to debate because of the presence of independent candidate Thomas Ravenel, a convicted felon. He ultimately agreed to debate Hutto alone on October 27.^[73]

• Complete video of debate, October 27, 2014

Fundraising

The following are Federal Election Commission disclosures for the pre-primary reporting period.

Candidate (party)	Receipts	Disbursements ....	Cash on hand	Debt
Lindsey Graham (R)	$7,014,854	$9,063,768	$0	$276,312
Brad Hutto (D)	$399,770	$342,366	$132,401	$75,000

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[74]	Solid R	November 3, 2014
Sabato's Crystal Ball[75]	Safe R	November 3, 2014
Rothenberg Political Report[76]	Safe R	November 3, 2014
Real Clear Politics[77]	Safe R	November 3, 2014

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Lindsey Graham (R)	Brad Hutto (D)	Thomas Ravenel (I)	Other	Undecided
Rasmussen Reports[78]	July 9–10, 2014	750	± 4%	49%	30%	—	10%	11%
Voter Survey Service[79]	July 7–13, 2014	1,000	± 4%	46%	33%	—	9%	12%
Voter Survey Service[79]	July 16–20, 2014	650	± 4%	45%	33%	10%	4%[80]	8%
				46%	33%	—	9%[80]	12%
CBS News/NYT/YouGov[81]	July 5–24, 2014	1,183	± 5.4%	48%	36%	—	7%	10%
CBS News/NYT/YouGov[82]	August 18 – September 2, 2014	833	± 5%	42%	29%	8%	2%	19%
Winthrop University[83]	September 21–28, 2014	1,082	± 3%	46.3%	28%	8%	3.5%[84]	14.3%
CBS News/NYT/YouGov[85]	September 20 – October 1, 2014	2,663	± 2%	44%	27%	8%	1%	20%
CBS News/NYT/YouGov[85]	October 16–23, 2014	1,566	± 4%	43%	28%	8%	2%	19%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Lindsey Graham (R)	Jay Stamper (D)	Undecided
Harper Polling[48]	October 27–28, 2013	676	± 3.77%	47%	30%	23%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Nancy Mace (R)	Jay Stamper (D)	Undecided
Harper Polling[48]	October 27–28, 2013	676	± 3.77%	40%	33%	27%

Hypothetical polling

Results

United States Senate election in South Carolina, 2014^[86]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Lindsey Graham (incumbent)	672,941	54.27%	−3.25%
	Democratic	Brad Hutto[87]	480,933	38.78%	−3.47%
	Independent	Thomas Ravenel	47,588	3.84%	N/A
	Libertarian	Victor Kocher	33,839	2.73%	N/A
	Write-in		4,774	0.38%	+0.15%
Total votes			1,240,075	100.00%	N/A
	Republican hold

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Barnwell (largest town: Barnwell)
• Calhoun (largest town: St. Matthews)
• Darlington (largest city: Hartsville)
• Dillon (Largest city: Dillon)

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Chester (largest town: Chester)
• McCormick (largest town: McCormick)

See also

• 2014 United States Senate special election in South Carolina
• 2014 South Carolina gubernatorial election
• 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina
• 2014 United States Senate elections
• 2014 United States elections