United States Senate election in South Carolina, 1992

The 1992 South Carolina United States Senate election was held on November 3, 1992 to select the U.S. Senator from the state of South Carolina. Popular incumbent Democratic Senator Fritz Hollings barely defeated former Republican 1st district congressman Thomas F. Hartnett.

Democratic Primary

Fritz Hollings, the incumbent Senator, faced no opposition from South Carolina Democrats and avoided a primary election.

Republican Primary

The South Carolina Republican Party held their primary on June 9, 1992. Thomas F. Hartnett, a former Representative from the 1st congressional district, entered the race and easily defeated Charleston educator Charlie E. Thompson.

General election campaign

The race between Hollings and Hartnett was between two politicians from the Lowcoutry. Hartnett attacked Hollings for co-sponsoring a bill in 1983 that would have given special privileges to homosexuals and Hollings shot back about questions of Hartnett's integrity for pushing for military contracts with a firm he had ties with in North Charleston. The anti-incumbency mood helped to bring Hartnett close to topping Hollings in the general election, but the South Carolina voters strongly supported their incumbent politicians and Hollings was elected for another six year term.

General election results

Election box candidate with party link
party = Democratic Party (United States)
candidate = Fritz Hollings
votes = 591,030
percentage = 50.1
change = -13.0 Election box candidate with party link
party = Republican Party (United States)
candidate = Thomas F. Hartnett
votes = 554,175
percentage = 46.9
change = +11.3 Election box candidate with party link
party = Libertarian Party (United States)
candidate = Mark Johnson
votes = 16,987
percentage = 1.9
change = +1.2Election box candidate
party = American
candidate = Robert Barnwell Clarkson II
votes = 11,568
percentage = 1.0
change = +0.4Election box candidate
party = "No party"
candidate = Write-Ins
votes = 703
percentage = 0.1
change = +0.1Election box majority
votes = 36,855
percentage = 3.2
change = -24.3Election box turnout
votes = 1,180,438
percentage = 76.8
change = +20.2
colspan=5 |Democratic hold
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frame|300px|none|1992 South Carolina U.S. Senate election map, by percentile by county.

ee also

*List of United States Senators from South Carolina
*United States Senate elections, 1992

References

*cite news | first=Clifford | last=Krauss | title=THE 1992 CAMPAIGN: Senate Race; A BITTER RIVALRY IN SOUTH CAROLINA | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CEEDE113CF933A05753C1A964958260 | publisher=The New York Times | date=1992-10-30 | accessdate=2008-02-02
*cite book | last = State Election Commission | title = South Carolina Election Commission Annual Report 1992-1993 | year = 1993 | publisher = The Commission | location = Columbia, SC | pages = p. 80