 | |
| Number of elections | 59 |
|---|---|
| Voted Democratic | 28 |
| Voted Republican | 18 |
| Voted Whig | 2 |
| Voted Democratic-Republican | 7 |
| Voted other | 4[a] |
| Voted for winning candidate | 34 |
| Voted for losing candidate | 25 |
Following is a table ofUnited States presidential elections in South Carolina, ordered by year. Since its admission to statehood in 1788,South Carolina has participated in every U.S. presidential election except the election of 1864 during theAmerican Civil War, when the state had seceded to join theConfederacy.
Winners of the state are inbold. The shading refers to thestate winner, and not the national winner.
The election of 1860 was a complex realigning election in which the breakdown of the previous two-party alignment culminated in four parties each competing for influence in different parts of the country. The result of the election, with the victory of an ardent opponent ofslavery, spurred the secession of eleven states and brought about theAmerican Civil War.
| Year | Winner (nationally) | Votes | Runner-up (nationally) | Votes | Runner-up (nationally) | Votes | Runner-up (nationally) | Votes | Electoral votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | Abraham Lincoln | no popular vote | Stephen A. Douglas | no popular vote | John C. Breckinridge | no popular vote | John Bell | no popular vote | 8 |
Vote allocated by legislature.
In all elections from 1792 to 1860, South Carolina did not conduct a popular vote. Each Elector was appointed by the state legislature.
The election of 1824 was a complex realigning election following the collapse of the prevailingDemocratic-Republican Party, resulting in four different candidates each claiming to carry the banner of the party, and competing for influence in different parts of the country. The election was the only one in history to be decided by the House of Representatives under the provisions of the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution after no candidate secured a majority of the electoral vote. It was also the only presidential election in which the candidate who received a plurality of electoral votes (Andrew Jackson) did not become president, a source of great bitterness for Jackson and his supporters, who proclaimed the election of Adams acorrupt bargain.
| Year | Winner (nationally) | Loser(s) (nationally) | Electoral votes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1856 | James Buchanan | John C. Frémont Millard Fillmore | 8 | |
| 1852 | Franklin Pierce | Winfield Scott John P. Hale | 8 | |
| 1848 | Zachary Taylor | Lewis Cass Martin Van Buren | 9 | |
| 1844 | James K. Polk | Henry Clay | 9 | |
| 1840 | William Henry Harrison | Martin Van Buren | 11 | |
| 1836 | Martin Van Buren | Willie Person Mangum Three other candidates[e] | 11 | South Carolina was the only state to vote for Mangum. |
| 1832 | Andrew Jackson | Henry Clay William Wirt John Floyd | 11 | South Carolina was the only state to vote for Floyd. |
| 1828 | Andrew Jackson | John Quincy Adams | 11 | |
| 1824 | John Quincy Adams | Andrew Jackson Henry Clay William H. Crawford | 11 | |
| 1820 | James Monroe | - | 11 | Monroe effectively ran unopposed. |
| 1816 | James Monroe | Rufus King | 11 | |
| 1812 | James Madison | DeWitt Clinton | 11 | |
| 1808 | James Madison | Charles C. Pinckney | 10 | |
| 1804 | Thomas Jefferson | Charles C. Pinckney | 10 | |
| 1800 | Thomas Jefferson | John Adams | 8 | |
| 1796 | John Adams | Thomas Jefferson | 8 | |
| 1792 | George Washington | - | 8 | Washington effectively ran unopposed. |
| 1788-89 | George Washington | - | 7 | Washington effectively ran unopposed. |