Mace, Clyburn, Fry win re-election to US House seat in South Carolina

On November 7, 2024By Littum

COLUMBIA, SC (WCSC/AP) — The Palmetto State’s three incumbents won re-election Tuesday.

South Carolina Republican US Rep. Nancy Mace claimed victory in the First Congressional District race even before the race was officially called.

From At 9:30 p.m., Mace had 58.3% of the vote, while Democratic challenger Michael Moore pulled in 41.7%, with approximately 36.3% of the vote counted.

At a rally, she told supporters that the world is watching America and that “we have to show them what we’re made of.”

“We will be brave, we will be united, we will be resilient and we will be ready to face the challenges of this moment,” she said.

The Associated Press has since called the race for Mace.

Moore is a businessman and former executive director of the International African American Museum. His campaign has struggled to gain momentum, and Mace has barely acknowledged he’s in the race.

Moore said Mace is more concerned with national attention and pet issues like legalizing marijuana than helping people in her district. She joined seven hard-right Republicans to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Click here to see the latest election results.

Mace said it’s her way of campaigning for voters in her eclectic district, which includes century-old neighborhoods near Charleston and massive development around Beaufort by retirees who have moved to South Carolina.

A win Tuesday, and Mace is on track to become a fixture in South Carolina’s U.S. House delegation — like Democrat Jim Clyburn or Republican Joe Wilson.

Clyburn wins 17th period

Clyburn has represented the state’s 6th District since it was drawn in 1992 to have a majority of minority voters. This year, his Republican challenger is attorney Duke Buckner in the sprawling district bounded by areas around Charleston, Beaufort and Columbia.

Clyburn won the race with about 58% of the vote to Buckner’s 38%. None of the other three candidates received more than 2% of the vote.

Clyburn is a key member of the US House Democratic leadership, and his endorsement of President Joe Biden just before South Carolina’s 2020 presidential primary sparked his longtime friend’s path to victory.

Fry re-elected in 7th district race

US Rep. Russel Fry was the first of the three sitting U.S. Congressmen representing the Lowcountry to be declared the winner.

Fry represents the 7th District, which stretches from Myrtle Beach to Florence in the northeastern part of the state. Fry unseated a Republican incumbent in 2022 who voted to impeach Trump.

Fry’s challenger is teacher Mal Hyman, who called himself an independent Democrat.

From At 9:30 p.m., Fry had 63.7% of the votes counted and Hyman had 36.3%, with an estimated 50.6% of the total votes counted.