South Carolina's 2nd congressional district special election, 2001
Encyclopedia
The 2001 South Carolina 2nd congressional district special election was held on December 18, 2001 to select a Representative
for the 2nd congressional district
to serve out the remainder of the term for the 107th Congress
. The special election resulted from the death of longtime Representative Floyd Spence
on August 16, 2001. Joe Wilson
, a state senator
from Lexington County, won the Republican primary and went on to win the general election against Democratic challenger Brent Weaver.
held their primary
on October 30, 2001 and state senator
Joe Wilson
garnered over fifty percent of the vote to avoid a runoff election
.
hold
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United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for the 2nd congressional district
South Carolina's 2nd congressional district
The 2nd Congressional District of South Carolina is a congressional district in central and eastern South Carolina. It includes all of Lexington, Beaufort, Jasper, Hampton, Allendale and Barnwell counties; most of Richland County and parts of Aiken, Calhoun and Orangeburg counties...
to serve out the remainder of the term for the 107th Congress
107th United States Congress
The One Hundred Seventh United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 2001 to January 3, 2003, during the final...
. The special election resulted from the death of longtime Representative Floyd Spence
Floyd Spence
Floyd Davidson Spence was a Republican politician from South Carolina.-Early life and education:Spence was born in Columbia, South Carolina in 1928, but spent most of his life in nearby Lexington County. Shortly after graduating from high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve, retiring as...
on August 16, 2001. Joe Wilson
Joe Wilson (U.S. politician)
Addison Graves Wilson, Sr., most commonly known as Joe Wilson , is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party...
, a state senator
South Carolina Senate
The South Carolina Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives...
from Lexington County, won the Republican primary and went on to win the general election against Democratic challenger Brent Weaver.
Republican primary
The South Carolina Republican PartySouth Carolina Republican Party
The South Carolina Republican Party and the South Carolina Democratic Party are the two major political parties within the U.S. state of South Carolina...
held their primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
on October 30, 2001 and state senator
South Carolina Senate
The South Carolina Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives...
Joe Wilson
Joe Wilson (U.S. politician)
Addison Graves Wilson, Sr., most commonly known as Joe Wilson , is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party...
garnered over fifty percent of the vote to avoid a runoff election
Two-round system
The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...
.
| Republican Primary | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % |
General election campaign
The Republican Party was on the rise in South Carolina and there was a great deal of enthusiasm among its voters. The Democratic Party was clearly on the decline and was expected to fair poorly in the upcoming 2002 elections. Therefore it was no surprise that Wilson scored a decisive victory in the general election and he was sworn in to Congress the very next day.Election results
| colspan=5 |RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
hold
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