Look, the 2024 primary season in South Carolina wasn't just another stop on the campaign trail. It was a absolute gauntlet. For the Republicans, it was a high-stakes showdown in the backyard of a hometown hero. For the Democrats, it was a test of a brand-new "First in the Nation" calendar. If you were following the South Carolina presidential candidates 2024 closely, you already know the drama was real, but the data tells a much more nuanced story than the headlines usually do.
Basically, the state acted as the ultimate filter. By the time the dust settled, the field had narrowed significantly, and the political landscape of the entire country was essentially set.
The Republican Showdown: Trump vs. The Home Team
When we talk about the Republican side of the South Carolina presidential candidates 2024, one name loomed larger than life: Nikki Haley. She was the governor here. People know her. But honestly, even a home-field advantage wasn't enough to stop the Trump momentum. Donald Trump didn't just win; he broke records. He pulled in 452,496 votes, which is about 59.8% of the total. That’s a massive number, especially considering he was running against a woman who had previously led the state.
Nikki Haley managed to snag 39.5% of the vote. In any other year, that might have been a "respectable second," but in 2024, it felt like a ceiling. She won the 1st Congressional District, which gave her three delegates, but Trump swept the rest, walking away with 47.
It’s kinda fascinating to look at the list of people who were technically still on that ballot but had already called it quits. You had big names like Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy, who had dropped out but still appeared on the paper. DeSantis got 0.4%, while Ramaswamy and Chris Christie both sat at roughly 0.1%. Then you had the "long shots" like Ryan Binkley and David Stuckenberg, who were barely a blip on the radar.
The vibe on the ground was intense. Trump's supporters were everywhere, and his rallies in places like Conway and Rock Hill felt more like rock concerts than political events. Haley tried to lean into the "retail politics" style—hitting the diners and the small community centers—but the shift in the GOP base was just too strong.
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Why Tim Scott Mattered (Even After He Quit)
You can't discuss South Carolina's impact without mentioning Senator Tim Scott. He entered the race with a lot of fanfare in May 2023 but suspended his campaign in November. Even though he wasn't a "candidate" by the time the February primary rolled around, his endorsement of Trump was a massive blow to Haley.
Imagine being Nikki Haley and seeing your fellow South Carolinian—someone you basically appointed to the Senate—standing on stage with your opponent. That hurt. Polling from Monmouth University actually showed that Scott remained more popular with the GOP base in the state than Haley did during the lead-up to the vote.
The Democratic Reset: Biden’s Big Bet
The Democrats did things differently this time around. They moved South Carolina to the very front of the line, ahead of New Hampshire and Iowa. This was largely a move to give Black voters—a core part of the party's base—a bigger say in the early process.
Joe Biden absolutely cruised. It wasn't even a contest. He took 96.2% of the vote. If you’re looking at the numbers, that’s 126,493 votes. His competitors, Marianne Williamson and Dean Phillips, barely registered. Williamson got 2.1% and Phillips got 1.7%.
Was there a lot of suspense? No. But the primary served its purpose: it showed that the Democratic establishment was firmly behind the incumbent. The "Uncommitted" movement that we saw in states like Michigan didn't really have the same traction here. People just showed up, voted for Biden, and went home.
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Third Parties and the General Election Shift
Once the primaries were over, the conversation about South Carolina presidential candidates 2024 shifted toward the general election. This is where things got really crowded. We aren't just talking about Trump and Harris (who took over the ticket after Biden stepped aside).
South Carolina's ballot for the general election on November 5 featured a handful of third-party options that often get overlooked:
- Chase Oliver (Libertarian): He pulled in 12,669 votes.
- Jill Stein (Green Party): She ended up with about 8,117 votes.
- Cornel West (United Citizens Party): He saw 6,744 votes come his way.
- Randall Terry (Constitution Party): A smaller slice with 5,352.
- Claudia De La Cruz (SC Workers Party): Just over 3,000 votes.
In the end, Donald Trump won the state with 58.2% of the popular vote (over 1.48 million people), while Kamala Harris took 40.4%. That’s a 17.9% margin. While South Carolina is a deep red state, the 1.02 million votes Harris received showed that the Democratic base in the state is still sizable, even if it's geographically concentrated in places like Richland and Charleston counties.
The Turnout Factor
Voter turnout was actually pretty high for a primary. The Republican primary saw about 23% of registered voters show up, which actually broke the previous record from 2016. People were energized, for better or worse. In the general election, turnout hit 76.76%. That’s a huge number of South Carolinians making their voices heard.
It sort of debunks the idea that people are "checked out" of politics. When the stakes are this high, people find their way to the polls.
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What Most People Get Wrong About SC 2024
A lot of folks assume that because Trump won by a lot, the state is a monolith. It’s not. There is a massive divide between the coastal, more moderate Republicans in Beaufort and Charleston and the deeply conservative Upstate.
Haley’s win in the 1st District wasn't a fluke; it was a reflection of a specific type of voter who is increasingly uncomfortable with the "MAGA" direction of the party. However, as the 2024 cycle proved, that group is currently a minority within the South Carolina GOP.
On the Democratic side, the "First in the Nation" move was controversial. Some felt it was a slight to the traditional early states. But looking back, it's clear the move helped solidify Biden's (and later Harris's) support among the Black community early on. It set the tone for the rest of the Southern primaries.
Actionable Insights for Following Future Races
If you want to understand where South Carolina is heading in the next cycle, keep an eye on these specific metrics:
- The "Lowcountry" Shift: Watch if the 1st Congressional District continues to trend more moderate. It’s the "canary in the coal mine" for the SC GOP.
- Voter Registration Spikes: Look at registration numbers in rapidly growing counties like Horry and York. New residents are changing the math every year.
- Third-Party Growth: While 0.5% for a Libertarian seems small, in a closer race, those 12,000 votes could be the difference between a win and a loss.
- Primary Turnout vs. General Turnout: If primary turnout stays record-high, it usually signals a very high-intensity general election.
The South Carolina presidential candidates 2024 cycle is in the books now, but the patterns it revealed about our state's politics will likely stick around for a long time. Whether you were "Team Nikki," a Trump loyalist, or a Biden/Harris supporter, the 2024 results are a roadmap for what’s coming next in the Palmetto State.