United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 2006
Encyclopedia
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 two-year terms from the state of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. The primary election
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....
s for the Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
and the Republicans
Republican 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...
were held on June 13 and the runoff elections
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...
were held two weeks later on June 27. All six incumbents were re-elected and the composition of the state delegation remained four Republicans and two Democrats.
Overview
| United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 2006 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | Percentage | Seats | +/– | |
| Republican | 599,615 | 55.20% | 4 | — | |
| Democratic | 472,719 | 43.52% | 2 | — | |
| Independents | 13,872 | 1.28% | 0 | — | |
| Totals | 1,086,206 | 100.00% | 6 | — | |
District 1
Congressman Henry E. Brown, Jr.
Henry E. Brown, Jr.
Henry Edward Brown, Jr. is a former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2001 until 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party...
ran for a fourth term in this conservative, South Caroline coastal district and faced Democratic candidate Randy Maatta and Green Party candidate James Dunn. Though Brown was re-elected by a comfortable margin, it was a smaller margin than in previous elections.
District 2
Congressman 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...
ran for re-election in this conservative district that starts along the South Carolina coastline and reaches into the central region of the state. Wilson faced Democratic candidate Michael Ellisor in a repeat of the 2004 election, and, though he was re-elected, his margin of victory was reduced somewhat by the Democratic wave sweeping through the country.
District 3
Though Congressman J. Gresham Barrett
J. Gresham Barrett
James Gresham Barrett is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2003 until 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district runs along the Savannah River in the northwestern part of the state....
represented the most conservative district in South Carolina, he was held to just over sixty percent of the vote by Democratic candidate Lee Ballenger in 2006, in part due to the anti-Republican sentiment nationwide.
District 4
Republican Congressman Bob Inglis
Bob Inglis
Robert Durden "Bob" Inglis, Sr. is a former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1993 to 1999, and then again from 2005 until 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party...
, seeking his fifth term overall and his second consecutive term, faced off against Democratic candidate William Griffith, Libertarian John Cobin, and Green candidate C. Faye Walters, which he won handily. This district, based in Spartanburg
Spartanburg, South Carolina
thgSpartanburg is the largest city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest city of the three primary cities in the Upstate region of South Carolina, and is located northwest of Columbia, west of Charlotte, and about northeast of...
and Greenville
Greenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
, has a tendency to elect Republicans.
District 5
Long-serving Democratic Congressman John Spratt, in a bid for his thirteenth term, faced a credible challenge from State Representative
South Carolina House of Representatives
The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the upper house being the South Carolina Senate. It consists of 124 Representatives elected to two year terms at the same time as US Congressional elections...
Ralph Norman
Ralph Norman
Ralph W. Norman , American http://www.electralphnorman.com/ real estate developer, has served as a Republican member of the South Carolina House of Representatives since 2005...
. Though Spratt's margin of victory was reduced from previous levels, he was still able to edge out Norman with nearly fifty-seven percent of the vote in this conservative, northern district.
District 6
Facing off against Republican challenger Gary McLeod for the third time in this staunchly liberal, African-American majority district, incumbent Democratic Congressman Jim Clyburn
Jim Clyburn
James Enos "Jim" Clyburn is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993, and the Assistant Democratic Leader since 2011. He was previously House Majority Whip, serving in that post from 2007 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
overwhelmingly won election to an eighth term in Congress.
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2006
- South Carolina gubernatorial election, 2006South Carolina gubernatorial election, 2006The 2006 South Carolina gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Republican Governor Mark Sanford was running for re-election against Democratic State Senator Tommy Moore and became only the third Republican governor in South Carolina to win a second term...
- South Carolina state elections, 2006South Carolina state elections, 2006The 2006 South Carolina State Elections took place on November 7, 2006, and included the gubernatorial election. South Carolina is unique in having nine popularly elected constitutional officers, including the United States' only elected Adjutant General, all of whom will be up for reelection...