Jim Clyburn | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromSouth Carolina's6th district | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office January 3, 1993 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Robin Tallon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | James Enos Clyburn (1940-07-21)July 21, 1940 (age 85) Sumter, South Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Democratic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 3, includingMignon andJennifer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | South Carolina State University (BA) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Awards | Presidential Medal of Freedom (2024) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | House website Campaign website | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
James Enos Clyburn (born July 21, 1940) is an American politician serving as theU.S. representative forSouth Carolina's 6th congressional district. First elected in1992, Clyburn is in his 17th term, representing a congressional district that includes most of the majority-black precincts in and aroundColumbia andCharleston, as well as most of the majority-black areas outsideBeaufort and nearly all of South Carolina's share of theBlack Belt. SinceJoe Cunningham's departure in 2021, Clyburn has been the only Democrat inSouth Carolina's congressional delegation and as well as the dean of this delegation since 2011 after fellow DemocratJohn Spratt lost re-election.
Clyburn served as the third-ranking House Democrat, behindNancy Pelosi andSteny Hoyer, from 2007 until 2023, serving as majority whip behind Pelosi and Hoyer during periods of Democratic House control, and as assistant Democratic leader behind Pelosi and Hoyer during periods of Republican control. He wasHouse Majority Whip from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023 and alsoHouse assistant Democratic leader from 2011 to 2019 and again from 2023 to 2024.[1] After the Democrats took control of the House in the2018 midterm elections, Clyburn was reelected majority whip in January 2019 at the opening of the116th Congress, alongside the reelected Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer, marking the second time the trio has served in these roles together.
In the2022 midterm elections, Republicans gained control of the House, and Pelosi retired as leader of the House Democratic Caucus. In the2022 United States House of Representatives Democratic Caucus leadership election, Clyburn successfully sought the position as House Assistant Democratic Leader, rather than that of Democratic Whip.[2][3]
Clyburn played a pivotal role in the2020 presidential election by endorsingJoe Biden three days before theSouth Carolina Democratic primary. His endorsement came at a time when Biden's campaign had suffered three disappointing finishes in theIowa andNevada caucuses and theNew Hampshire primary. Biden's South Carolina win three days beforeSuper Tuesday transformed his campaign; the momentum led him to capture the Democratic nomination and later the presidency.
Clyburn was born inSumter, South Carolina, the son of Enos Lloyd Clyburn, afundamentalistminister, and his wife Almeta (née Dizzley), a beautician.[4][5] A distant kinsman wasGeorge W. Murray, an organizer for theColored Farmers Alliance (CFA), who was aRepublican South Carolina Congressman in the 53rd and 54th U.S. Congresses in the late 19th century.[6] He and other black politicians strongly opposed the 1895 state constitution, which essentiallydisenfranchised most African-American citizens, a situation the state maintained for more than half a century until federal civil rights legislation passed in the mid-1960s.
Clyburn graduated from Mather Academy (later namedBoylan-Haven-Mather Academy) inCamden, South Carolina, then attended South Carolina State College (nowSouth Carolina State University), ahistorically black college inOrangeburg. He joined theOmega Psi Phi fraternity and graduated with abaccalaureate in history.
In his first full-time position after college, Clyburn taught at C.A. Brown High School inCharleston, South Carolina.
Clyburn became involved in politics during the1969 Charleston hospital strike.[7] After assisting the settlement of the protests at theMedical University of South Carolina, he became involved inSt. Julian Devine's campaign for a seat on the Charleston city council in 1969. Clyburn came up with the campaign's slogan, "Devine for Ward Nine". When Devine won the race, he became the first African American to hold a seat on the city council sinceReconstruction. Clyburn later credited that campaign as the reason he got into electoral politics.[8]
After an unsuccessful run for theSouth Carolina General Assembly, Clyburn moved toColumbia to join the staff ofGovernorJohn C. West in 1971. West called Clyburn and offered him a job as his advisor after reading Clyburn's response to his loss in the newspaper. After West appointed Clyburn as his advisor, Clyburn became the first nonwhite advisor to a governor in South Carolina history.
In the aftermath of the 1968Orangeburg massacre, when police killed three protesting students at South Carolina State, West appointed Clyburn as the Commissioner of theSouth Carolina Human Affairs Commission.[9] He served in this position until 1992, when he stepped down to run for Congress. The Orangeburg massacre and civil-rights protest predated the1970 Kent State shootings and1970 Jackson State killings, in which the National Guard at Kent State, and police and state highway patrol at Jackson State, killed student protesters demonstrating against the U.S. invasion of Cambodia during the Vietnam War.[10]
_(cropped).jpg)
After the 1990 census South Carolina's district lines were redrawn. Due to prior racial discrimination before theVoting Rights Act of 1965, theSupreme Court required the 6th district, which had previously included the northeastern portion of the state, to be redrawn as ablack-majority district. The 6th was reconfigured to take in most of the majority-black areas near Columbia and Charleston, as well as most of the Black Belt. Five-term incumbentRobin Tallon's home inFlorence stayed in the district, but he chose to retire. Five candidates, all of whom were African American, ran for the Democratic nomination for the seat. Clyburn's campaign was led by NAACP activistIsaac W. Williams.[11]
Clyburn won 55% of the vote in the primary, eliminating the need for a runoff. As expected, he won the generalelection in November handily, becoming the first Democrat to represent a significant portion of Columbia since 1965 and the first Democrat to represent a significant portion of Charleston since 1981. He was the first African-American to represent South Carolina in Congress sinceGeorge W. Murray in 1893.[12] He has been reelected 15 times with no substantiveRepublican opposition.
For his first 10 terms, Clyburn represented a district that stretched from thePee Dee through most of South Carolina's share of the Black Belt, but swept west to include most of the majority-black precincts in and around Columbia and south to include most of the majority-black precincts in and around Charleston. After the 2010 census, the district was pushed well to the south, losing its portion of the Pee Dee while picking up almost all of the majority-black precincts near Beaufort andHilton Head Island (though not taking in any of Beaufort or Hilton Head themselves). The reconfigured 6th was no less Democratic than its predecessor. In all its incarnations as agerrymandered black-majority district, it has been dominated by black voters in the Columbia and Charleston areas, and for much of that time has been the only safe Democratic district in the state.
In 2008, Clyburn defeated Nancy Harrelson, 68% to 32%.[13] In 2010, he defeated Jim Pratt, 65% to 34%.[14] In 2012, Clyburn defeated Anthony Culler, 73% to 25%.[15]
In March 2024, Clyburn announced his run for re-election.[16] Duke Buckner, who ran against Clyburn in 2022, defeated Justin Scott in the June Republican Primary.[17][18] Gregg Marcel Dixon, who ran against Clyburn as a Democrat in 2022,[19] switched to theUnited Citizens Party for his 2024 run for the seat.[20]Alliance Party candidate Joseph Oddo andLibertarian candidate Michael Simpson have also filed for the seat.[21] In November 2024, Clyburn won re-election with 59.5% of the vote.[22]
In 2023,ProPublica reported that Clyburn secretly worked with South Carolina Republicans during the2020 Congressional redistricting process to dilute the state's Black vote.[23] Theresulting Congressional map made Democrats "have virtually no shot of winning any congressional seat in South Carolina other than Clyburn’s."[23] TheNAACP, in 2022, challenged the South Carolina's redistricting as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, alleging that Republicans deliberately moved Black voters into Clyburn’s district to solidify Republican control overa neighboring swing district.[24] A spokesperson for Clyburn denied "any accusation that Congressman Clyburn in any way enabled or facilitated Republican gerrymandering."[23] The NAACP case, filed asAlexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, was argued on October 11, 2023, in theSupreme Court and a ruling siding with the State was made in the 2024 term.[25][26][27][28]
Clyburn was electedvice-chairman of the House Democratic Caucus in 2003, the caucus's third-ranking post.[citation needed] He became chair of the House Democratic Caucus in early 2006 after caucus chairBob Menendez was appointed to theSenate. After the Democrats won control of the House in the2006 election, Clyburn was unanimously elected Majority Whip in the110th Congress.[citation needed]
Clyburn would have faced a challenge fromDemocratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairRahm Emanuel, but Speaker-electNancy Pelosi persuaded Emanuel to run forDemocratic Caucus chair.[29] Clyburn was interviewed byNational Public Radio'sMorning Edition on January 12, 2007, and acknowledged the difficulty of counting votes and rallying the fractious Democratic caucus while his party held the House majority.[citation needed]
In the2010 elections, the Democrats lost their House majority. Pelosi ran for Minority Leader in order to remain the House party leader, while Clyburn announced that he would challengeSteny Hoyer, the second-ranking House Democrat and outgoing Majority Leader, for Minority Whip. Clyburn had the support of theCongressional Black Caucus, which wanted to keep an African-American in the House leadership, while Hoyer had 35 public endorsements, including three standing committee chairs. On November 13, Pelosi announced a deal whereby Hoyer would remain Minority Whip, while a "number three" leadership position styledAssistant Leader would be created for Clyburn.[30] The exact responsibilities of Clyburn's assistant leader office were unclear, though it was said to replace theAssistant to the Leader post previously held byChris Van Hollen, who had attended all leadership meetings but was not in the leadership hierarchy.[31][32]
On November 28, 2018, Clyburn was elected to serve his second stint asHouse Majority Whip.[33][34]
Clyburn is regarded as liberal in his political stances, actions and votes. In 2007 theNational Journal ranked him the 77th most liberal U.S. representative, with a score of 81, indicating that the conductors of this study found his voting record to be more liberal than 81% of other House members, based on their recent voting records.[35] Clyburn identifies as aprogressive,[36] but thinks the Democratic Party's moreliberal wing should be "practical". Various progressives have called him "conservative" and "centrist".[37][38]
Clyburn has established liberal stances on health care, education,organized labor and environmental conservation issues, based on his legislative actions as well as evaluations and ratings by pertinent interest groups.[39]
In 2009, Clyburn introduced the Access for All Americans Act. The $26 billion sought by the Act would provide funding to quadruple the number of community health centers in the US that provide medical care to uninsured and low-income citizens.[40]
TheAmerican Public Health Association, theAmerican Academy of Family Physicians, The Children’s Health Fund, and other health care interest groups rate Clyburn highly based on his voting record on pertinent issues. Other groups in this field, such as theAmerican College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, gave Clyburn a rating of zero in 2014.[41]
Despite his opposition topartial-birth abortion, Clyburn is regarded aspro-abortion rights, as shown by his high ratings fromPlanned Parenthood andNARAL Pro-Choice America and low rating from theNational Right to Life Committee.[42] But at the height of national polarization after theSupreme Court's intention to overturnRoe v. Wade had beenleaked, Clyburn controversially campaigned on behalf of anti-abortion incumbent RepresentativeHenry Cuellar, who faced a pro-choiceprimary challenger.[43]
_(cropped).jpg)
Clyburn has continuously sought new and additional funding for education. He has gained additional funding for special education[44] and lower interest rates on federal student loans.[45] In many sessions Clyburn has sought, sponsored and/or voted for improvements inPell Grant funding for college loans.[46]
TheNational Education Association and the National Association of Elementary School Principals rate Clyburn very highly, as do other education interest groups.[47]
Although he was criticized for a previous expenditure of 160 million dollars to expand South Carolina's ports, Clyburn said he would continue to make funding available for further expansions. The plan is to deepen the ports to allow for larger commercial ships to arrive from the Panama Canal, which is being expanded to allow for larger ships to pass through. This is primarily because of larger commercial ships from China, and China's extremely high demand for soybeans, which are produced in South Carolina but must be sent to larger ports for exporting. This measure will benefit South Carolina business and farmers and is thus heavily backed by these groups.[48]
Clyburn has consistently voted for increases inminimum wage income and to restrict employer interference with labor union organization.[49]
Many national labor unions, including theAFL–CIO, theUnited Auto Workers, the Communication Workers Association, and theInternational Brotherhood of Boilermakers, give Clyburn outstanding ratings based on his voting record on issues that pertain to labor and employment.[50]
Clyburn has opposed legislation to increaseoffshore drilling foroil or natural gas. Instead, he has promoted use ofnuclear energy as a cheaper alternative tofossil fuels thanwind andsolar energy.[51] Members of the nuclear power industry have said that there is mutual respect between Clyburn and themselves.[52] Clyburn pushed for a 2010 contract to convert plutonium from old weapons into nuclear fuel.[52][53]
Organizations such as theLeague of Conservation Voters andDefenders of Wildlife have viewed Clyburn favorably,[54] but he angered environmentalists when he proposed building a $150 million bridge across a swampy area of Lake Marion in Calhoun County.
Clyburn was one of 31 House Democrats who voted not to count Ohio's 20electoral votes in the2004 presidential election.[55]George W. Bush won Ohio by 118,457 votes.[56] Without Ohio's electoral votes, the election would have been decided by the U.S. House of Representatives, with each state having one vote in accordance with theTwelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
On July 31, 2007, Clyburn said in a broadcast interview that it would be a "real big problem" for the Democratic Party if GeneralDavid Petraeus issued a positive report in September, as it would split the Democratic caucus on whether to continue to fund theIraq War. While this soundbite caused some controversy, the full quote was, in reference to the 47-memberBlue Dog caucus, "I think there would be enough support in that group to want to stay the course and if theRepublicans were to stay united as they have been, then it would be a problem for us."[57]
Clyburn was officially neutral during the 2008 primary battle betweenHillary Clinton andBarack Obama, but former PresidentBill Clinton blamed Clyburn for Hillary's 29-point defeat in the South Carolina primary and the two of them had a heated telephone conversation. Clyburn had voted for Obama, saying, "How could I ever look in the faces of our children and grandchildren had I not voted for Barack Obama?"[58] He negatively viewedBill Clinton's remarks about Obama winning the South Carolina primary. Clinton had compared Obama's victory toJesse Jackson's win in the1988 primary.[59] "Black people are incensed all over this", Clyburn said. Clinton responded that the campaign "played therace card on me", denying any racial tone in the comment.[60] Speaking toThe New York Times, Clyburn said such actions could lead to a longtime division between Clinton and his once most reliable constituency. "When he was going through hisimpeachment problems, it was the black community that bellied up to the bar", Clyburn said. "I think black folks feel strongly that this is a strange way for President Clinton to show his appreciation."[59]
On December 19, 1998, Clyburn voted against all four articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton. On December 18, 2019, Clyburn voted for both articles of impeachment against PresidentDonald Trump.[61] On January 13, 2021, one week after theJanuary 6 United States Capitol attack, Clyburn voted for the single article of impeachment against Trump.
In January 2017, Clyburn voted against a House resolution condemning theUN Security Council Resolution 2334, which calledIsraeli settlement building in the occupiedPalestinian territories in theWest Bank a "flagrant violation" of international law and a major obstacle to peace.[62][63] He voted to provide Israel with support followingOctober 7 attacks.[64][65]
In 1996, Clyburn voted in favor of theDefense of Marriage Act.[66] The act restricted federal recognition of marriage to the union of a man and a woman, and explicitly granted states the power not to introduce same-sex marriage and refuse to acknowledge same-sex marriages granted under the laws of other states.[67] TheHouse Judiciary Committee had explicitly said the act was meant to "express moral disapproval of homosexuality".[68] The act passed by an 85-vote majority in the Senate and was signed into law byPresident Bill Clinton.[66]
In 2012, after Obama's public endorsement of same-sex marriage,[69] Clyburn said in an interview that he too supported same-sex marriage.[70] In the interview, he said his former disapproval was rooted in his Christian faith, but that he had since "evolved". Clyburn called for nationwide legislation of marriage equality, opposing Obama's state-by-state approach, saying, "if you consider this to be a civil right—and I do—I don't think civil rights ought to be left up to a state-by-state approach".[70]
During the2020 Democratic presidential primaries, when considering an endorsement, Clyburn citedPete Buttigieg's sexual orientation as an issue, saying it was "no question" that his sexuality would hurt his popularity and that "[he] knew a lot of people [his] age that felt that way."[71] Clyburn added, "I'm not going to sit here and tell you otherwise, because I think everybody knows that's an issue."[72] In the wake of his comments, then-candidateKamala Harris dismissed his comments as "nonsense" and "a trope" of the African American community,[73] but the Benson Strategy Group reported that "being gay was a barrier for these voters, particularly for the men who seemed uncomfortable discussing it."[73]
For the119th Congress:[74]
.jpg)
Clyburn is considered apower broker in South Carolina.[80][81] For almost 30 years, he has hosted an annualfish fry "that every four years becomes a must-attend event for presidential hopefuls."[82][83]
During the2004 Democratic presidential primaries, Clyburn supported former House Minority LeaderDick Gephardt until he dropped out of the race and then supportedJohn Kerry. Clyburn was one of the 31 who voted in the House not to count Ohio'selectoral votes in the2004 presidential election amid adispute over irregularities.[84]
Like other Democratic congressional leaders, Clyburn remained publicly uncommitted throughout most of the 2008 presidential primary elections. Despite being officially neutral, Clyburn voted for Obama in the South Carolina primary. Former PresidentBill Clinton accused Clyburn of being responsible for Hillary's 29-point defeat in South Carolina, while Clyburn criticized Bill Clinton's comments on race comparing Obama's win to that ofJesse Jackson.[58][85] Clyburn endorsed Obama on June 3, immediately before theMontana andSouth Dakota primaries. By that time, Obama's lead in pledged delegates was substantial enough that those two primaries could not undo it.[86][87]
Clyburn endorsedHillary Clinton in the2016 presidential campaign.[88]
Clyburn's endorsement ofJoe Biden on February 26, 2020, three days before theSouth Carolina primary, was considered pivotal in the2020 Democratic presidential primaries. Several analyses have determined the endorsement changed the trajectory of the race, due to Clyburn's influence over the state's African-Americans, who make up the majority of its Democratic electorate. Until Clyburn's endorsement, Biden had not won a single primary and had placed fourth, fifth, and a distant second in theIowa,New Hampshire, andNevada caucuses and primaries, respectively. Three days after the South Carolina primary, Biden took a delegate lead onSuper Tuesday, and a month later he clinched the nomination.[89][90][91] Biden went on to win the2020 presidential election. Clyburn's endorsement of Biden, and subsequent political endorsements in later Democratic primaries, have given him a reputation as a political "kingmaker".[92][93]
In 2024,amidst calls from other Democrats for Biden to withdraw from his2024 presidential campaign, Clyburn stated his support for Biden, but also that he would back Vice PresidentKamala Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate if Biden were to withdraw, which eventually came to happen.[94][95]
In 2024, Clyburn said he would support PresidentJoe BidenpardoningDonald Trump for Trump's felony indictments.[96]
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Jim Clyburn | 41,415 | 56.11% | |
| Democratic | Frank Gilbert | 11,089 | 15.02% | |
| Democratic | Ken Mosely | 9,494 | 12.86% | |
| Democratic | Herbert Fielding | 9,130 | 12.37% | |
| Democratic | John Roy Harper II | 2,680 | 3.63% | |
| Total votes | 73,808 | 100% | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Jim Clyburn | 120,647 | 65.26% | |
| Republican | John Chase | 64,149 | 34.70% | |
| Write-in | 75 | 0.04% | ||
| Total votes | 184,871 | 100% | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Jim Clyburn (incumbent) | 50,476 | 85.71% | |
| Democratic | Ben Frasier | 8,419 | 14.29% | |
| Total votes | 58,895 | 100% | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Jim Clyburn (incumbent) | 88,635 | 63.80% | |
| Republican | Gary McLeod | 50,259 | 36.18% | |
| Write-in | 29 | 0.02% | ||
| Total votes | 138,923 | 100% | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Jim Clyburn (incumbent) | 50,933 | 87.75% | |
| Democratic | Ben Frasier | 7,107 | 12.25% | |
| Total votes | 58,040 | 100% | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Jim Clyburn (incumbent) | 120,132 | 69.41% | |
| Republican | Gary McLeod | 51,974 | 30.03% | |
| Natural Law | Savitap Joshi | 948 | 0.55% | |
| Write-in | 26 | 0.02% | ||
| Total votes | 173,080 | 100% | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Jim Clyburn (incumbent) | 32,652 | 83.07% | |
| Democratic | Mike Wilson | 6,655 | 16.93% | |
| Total votes | 39,307 | 100% | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Jim Clyburn (incumbent) | 116,507 | 72.56% | |
| Republican | Gary McLeod | 41,421 | 25.80% | |
| Natural Law | George C. Taylor | 2,496 | 1.55% | |
| Write-in | 152 | 0.09% | ||
| Total votes | 173,080 | 100% | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim Clyburn (incumbent) | 138,053 | 71.76% | |
| Republican | Vince Ellison | 50,005 | 25.99% | |
| Natural Law | Dianne Nevins | 2,339 | 1.22% | |
| Libertarian | Lynwood Hines | 1,934 | 1.01% | |
| Write-in | 49 | 0.03% | ||
| Total votes | 192,380 | 100% | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Jim Clyburn (incumbent) | 34,106 | 88.79% | |
| Democratic | Ben Frasier | 4,304 | 11.21% | |
| Total votes | 38,410 | 100% | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Jim Clyburn (incumbent) | 115,855 | 66.95% | |
| Republican | Gary McLeod | 55,490 | 32.07% | |
| Libertarian | R. Craig Augenstein | 1,662 | 0.96% | |
| Write-in | 40 | 0.02% | ||
| Total votes | 173,047 | 100% | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim Clyburn (incumbent) | 161,987 | 66.98% | |
| Republican | Gary McLeod | 75,443 | 31.20% | |
| Constitution | Gary McLeod | 4,157 | 1.72% | |
| Total | Gary McLeod | 79,600 | 32.92% | |
| Write-in | 242 | 0.10% | ||
| Total votes | 241,829 | 100% | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim Clyburn (incumbent) | 100,213 | 64.36% | |
| Republican | Gary McLeod | 53,181 | 34.15% | |
| Green | Antonio Williams | 2,224 | 1.43% | |
| Write-in | 88 | 0.06% | ||
| Total votes | 155,706 | 100% | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim Clyburn (incumbent) | 193,378 | 67.48% | |
| Republican | Nancy Harrelson | 93,059 | 32.47% | |
| Write-in | 134 | 0.05% | ||
| Total votes | 286,571 | 100% | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Jim Clyburn (incumbent) | 50,138 | 90.07% | |
| Democratic | Gregory Brown | 5,527 | 9.93% | |
| Total votes | 55,665 | 100% | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Jim Clyburn (incumbent) | 125,459 | 62.86% | |
| Republican | Jim Pratt | 72,661 | 36.41% | |
| Green | Nammu Y. Muhammad | 1,389 | 0.70% | |
| Write-in | 81 | 0.04% | ||
| Total votes | 199,590 | 100% | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim Clyburn (incumbent) | 218,717 | 93.62% | |
| Green | Nammu Y. Muhammad | 12,920 | 5.53% | |
| Write-in | 1,978 | 0.85% | ||
| Total votes | 233,615 | 100% | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Jim Clyburn (incumbent) | 37,429 | 85.98% | |
| Democratic | Karen Smith | 6,101 | 14.02% | |
| Total votes | 43,530 | 100% | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Jim Clyburn (incumbent) | 125,747 | 72.51% | |
| Republican | Anthony Culler | 44,311 | 25.55% | |
| Libertarian | Kevin Umbaugh | 3,176 | 1.83% | |
| Write-in | 198 | 0.11% | ||
| Total votes | 173,432 | 100% | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim Clyburn (incumbent) | 177,947 | 70.09% | |
| Republican | Laura Sterling | 70,099 | 27.61% | |
| Libertarian | Rich Piotrowski | 3,131 | 1.23% | |
| Green | Prince Charles Mallory | 2,499 | 0.98% | |
| Write-in | 225 | 0.09% | ||
| Total votes | 253,901 | 100% | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim Clyburn (incumbent) | 144,765 | 70.13% | |
| Republican | Gerhard Gressmann | 58,282 | 28.23% | |
| Green | Bryan Pugh | 3,214 | 1.56% | |
| Write-in | 172 | 0.08% | ||
| Total votes | 206,433 | 100% | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim Clyburn (incumbent) | 197,477 | 68.18% | |
| Republican | John McCollum | 89,258 | 30.82% | |
| Constitution | Mark Hackett | 2,646 | 0.91% | |
| Write-in | 272 | 0.09% | ||
| Total votes | 289,653 | 100% | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Jim Clyburn (incumbent) | 48,729 | 87.90% | |
| Democratic | Michael Addison | 4,203 | 7.58% | |
| Democratic | Gregg Dixon | 2,503 | 4.52% | |
| Total votes | 55,435 | 100% | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Jim Clyburn (incumbent) | 130,923 | 62.04% | |
| Republican | Duke Buckner | 79,879 | 37.85% | |
| Write-in | 226 | 0.11% | ||
| Total votes | 211,028 | 100% | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim Clyburn (incumbent) | 182,056 | 59.50% | |
| Republican | Duke Buckner | 112,360 | 36.72% | |
| Libertarian | Michael Simpson | 5,279 | 1.73% | |
| United Citizens | Gregg Dixon | 4,927 | 1.61% | |
| Alliance | Joseph Oddo | 1,056 | 0.35% | |
| Write-in | 299 | 0.10% | ||
| Total votes | 305,977 | 100% | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
.jpg)
Clyburn was married to librarian Emily England Clyburn from 1961 until her death in 2019.[117] They had three daughters; their eldest,Mignon Clyburn, was appointed to theFederal Communications Commission by President Barack Obama,[118] and their second daughter,Jennifer Clyburn Reed, was appointed as federal co-chair of the newly formedSoutheast Crescent Regional Commission.[119] Their third daughter, Angela Clyburn, is Political Director for theSouth Carolina Democratic Party[120] and a member of Richland County District One School Board.[121] In 2024, Clyburn was awarded thePresidential Medal of Freedom by PresidentJoe Biden.[122]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromSouth Carolina's 6th congressional district 1993–present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Chair of theCongressional Black Caucus 1999–2001 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | House Majority Whip 2007–2011 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | House Majority Whip 2019–2023 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus 2003–2006 | Succeeded by |
| Chair of the House Democratic Caucus 2006–2007 | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded byas House Democratic Assistant to the Leader | House Assistant Democratic Leader 2011–2019 | Succeeded byas Assistant Speaker of the House of Representatives |
| Preceded byas Assistant Speaker of the House of Representatives | House Assistant Democratic Leader 2023–2024 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 13th | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Order of precedence of the United States | |
 | ||
| ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
