The county's Republican bent is not limited to national politics; its voters frequently reject Democrats at the state level as well. The county has supported the Republican candidate for governor in every election since 1982 when Richard Riley carried every county in the state.Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas; 1982 Gubernatorial General Election Results – South Carolina The last Democratic senatorial nominee to manage even 30 percent of the county's vote was Inez Tenenbaum in 2004, and no Democrat has carried the county since Ernest "Fritz" Hollings did so in 1980. In 1986, it was the only county in the state to support Hollings' Republican opponent, future Governor Henry McMaster.Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas; 1986 Senatorial General Election Results – South Carolina It was one of the first areas where Republicans broke the long Democratic monopoly on state and local offices; today, longtime state senator Nikki Setzler is the only elected Democrat above the county level.
The county's Republican bent is not limited to national politics; its voters frequently reject Democrats at the state level as well. The county has sup.ported the Republican candidate for governor in every election since 1982 when Richard Riley carried every county in the stateDave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas; 1982 Gubernatorial General Election Results – South Carolina The last Democratic senatorial nominee to manage .even 30 percent of the county's vote was Inez Tenenbaum in 2004, and no Democrat has carried the county since Ernest "Fritz" Hollings did so in 1980. In 1986, it was the only county in the state to support Hollings' Republican opponent, future Governor Henry McMaster.Dave Leip's US. Election Atlas; 1986 Senatorial General Election Results – South Carolina It was one of the first areas where Republicans broke the long Democratic monopoly on state and local offices; today, longtime state senator Nikki Setzler is the only elected Democrat above the county level.