Nine state executive positions were up for election in 2014 in the state of South Carolina. The general election took place on November 4, 2014.

In addition to candidate lists and election results, this page includes information about important dates, how the state's executive branch is organized, as well as links to articles about recent news in races across the state.

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. South Carolina utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary. Voters must take an oath affirming that they have not voted in another party's primary.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

The following offices were elected in 2014 in South Carolina:

Partisan breakdown

Heading into the November 4 election, the Republican Party held eight of the nine state executive seats in South Carolina.

South Carolina State Executives -- Partisan Breakdown
Party		As of November 4, 2014	After the 2014 Election
	Republican Party	8	9
	Democratic Party	1	0
Total		9	9

Candidates by office

	2015 → ← 2013
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Table of Contents
	Partisan breakdown ; Candidates by office ; Voter turnout ; Key deadlines ; State executive organization ; Ballotpedia reports ; Recent news ; See also
See also
	News • Calendar

Office	Incumbent	Assumed Office	Incumbent running?	General Election Candidates	2015 Winner	Partisan Switch?
Governor	Nikki Haley	2011	Yes^[5]	Nikki Haley Vincent Sheheen Steve French Morgan Reeves	Nikki Haley	No
Lieutenant Governor	John McGill	2014	No	Henry McMaster Bakari Sellers	Henry McMaster	Yes
Secretary of State	Mark Hammond	2003	Yes	Mark Hammond Ginny Deerin	Mark Hammond	No
Attorney General	Michael Alan Wilson	2011	Yes	Alan Wilson Parnell Diggs	Alan Wilson	No
Treasurer	Curtis Loftis, Jr.	2011	Yes	Curtis Loftis, Jr.	Curtis Loftis, Jr.	No
Comptroller General	Richard Eckstrom	2002	Yes	Richard Eckstrom Kyle Herbert	Richard Eckstrom	No
Superintendent of Education	Mick Zais	2011	No	Molly Mitchell Spearman Tom Thompson Ed Murray	Molly Mitchell Spearman	No
Commissioner of Agriculture	Hugh Weathers	2005	Yes	Hugh Weathers David Edmond Emile DeFelice	Hugh Weathers	No
Adjutant General	Robert E. Livingston, Jr.	2011	Yes	Robert E. Livingston, Jr.	Robert E. Livingston, Jr.	No

Primary election results

Governor

Lieutenant Governor

Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina, Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Henry McMaster	43.6%	131,546
Mike Campbell	23.9%	72,204
Pat McKinney (withdrew)^[6]	24.4%	73,451
Ray Moore	8.1%	24,335
Total Votes		301,536
Election results via South Carolina State Elections Commission.

Primary runoff results

Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina, Republican Runoff, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Henry McMaster	63.6%	85,301
Mike Campbell	36.4%	48,863
Total Votes		134,164
Election results via South Carolina State Elections Commission.

Attorney General

Secretary of State

Treasurer

South Carolina Treasurer, Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Curtis Loftis, Jr.	62%	177,854
Brian Adams	38%	108,934
Total Votes		286,788
Election results via South Carolina State Elections Commission.

Controller

Auditor

Superintendent of Public Instruction

South Carolina Superintendent, Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Molly Mitchell Spearman	22.4%	64,992
Sally Atwater	22%	63,584
Sheri Few	19.4%	56,044
Gary Burgess	10.7%	31,091
Amy Cofield	7.2%	20,720
Charmeka Childs	6.7%	19,436
Elizabeth Moffly	6%	17,421
Don Jordan	5.6%	16,246
Total Votes		289,534
Election results via South Carolina State Elections Commission.

South Carolina Superintendent, Democratic Primary, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Sheila Gallagher	36.4%	42,186
Tom Thompson	26.3%	30,488
Jerry Govan	18.9%	21,824
Montrio Belton	18.4%	21,260
Total Votes		115,758
Election results via South Carolina State Elections Commission.

Primary runoff results

South Carolina Superintendent of Education, Republican Runoff, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Molly Mitchell Spearman	57.2%	76,672
Sally Atwater	42.8%	57,452
Total Votes		134,124
Election results via South Carolina State Elections Commission.

South Carolina Superintendent of Education, Democratic Runoff, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Tom Thompson	59.1%	23,541
Sheila Gallagher	40.9%	16,269
Total Votes		39,810
Election results via South Carolina State Elections Commission.

Agriculture Commissioner

South Carolina Agriculture Commissioner, Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Hugh Weathers	65.1%	184,621
Joe Farmer	34.9%	99,155
Total Votes		283,776
Election results via South Carolina State Elections Commission.

Adjutant General

South Carolina Adjutant General, Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Robert E. Livingston, Jr.	75.8%	209,561
James Breazeale	24.2%	67,077
Total Votes		276,638
Election results via South Carolina State Elections Commission.

General election results

The general election took place on November 4, 2014.

Governor

Governor of South Carolina, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Nikki Haley Incumbent	55.9%	696,645
	Democratic	Vincent Sheheen	41.4%	516,166
	Libertarian	Steve French	1.2%	15,438
	Independent	Tom Ervin	0.9%	11,496
	United Citizens	Morgan Reeves	0.5%	5,622
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.1%	934
Total Votes				1,246,301
Election results via South Carolina State Election Commission

Lieutenant Governor

Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Henry McMaster	58.8%	726,821
	Democratic	Bakari Sellers	41.1%	508,807
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.1%	1,514
Total Votes				1,237,142
Election results via South Carolina State Election Commission

Attorney General

Attorney General of South Carolina, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Alan Wilson Incumbent	60.3%	738,434
	Democratic	Parnell Diggs	39.7%	486,058
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.1%	879
Total Votes				1,225,371
Election results via South Carolina State Election Commission

Secretary of State

Secretary of State of South Carolina, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Mark Hammond Incumbent	59.5%	730,739
	Democratic	Ginny Deerin	40.4%	496,344
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.1%	788
Total Votes				1,227,871
Election results via South Carolina State Election Commission

Treasurer

Curtis Loftis, Jr. was running for election without opposition.

Controller

South Carolina Controller, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Richard Eckstrom Incumbent	59.8%	728,549
	Democratic	Kyle Herbert	40.1%	489,066
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.1%	693
Total Votes				1,218,308
Election results via South Carolina State Election Commission

Superintendent of Public Instruction

South Carolina Superintendent, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Molly Mitchell Spearman	57%	699,081
	Democratic	Tom Thompson	38.8%	476,358
	American	Ed Murray	3.8%	46,695
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.4%	5,055
Total Votes				1,227,189
Election results via South Carolina State Election Commission

Agriculture Commissioner

South Carolina Agriculture Commissioner, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Hugh Weathers Incumbent	79.7%	759,640
	United Citizen	David Edmond	11.1%	106,223
	American	Emile DeFelice	8.9%	84,831
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.3%	2,922
Total Votes				953,616
Election results via South Carolina State Election Commission

Adjutant General

Robert E. Livingston, Jr. won election without opposition.

Voter turnout

Political scientist Michael McDonald's United States Elections Project studied voter turnout in the 2014 election by looking at the percentage of eligible voters who headed to the polls. McDonald used voting-eligible population (VEP), or the number of eligible voters independent of their current registration status, to calculate turnout rates in each state on November 4. He also incorporated ballots cast for the highest office in each state into his calculation. He estimated that 81,687,059 ballots were cast in the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, representing 35.9 percent of the VEP.^[7] By comparison, 61.6 percent of VEP voted in the 2008 presidential election and 58.2 percent of VEP voted in the 2012 presidential election.^[8]

Quick facts

According to PBS Newshour, voter turnout in the 2014 midterms was the lowest since the 1942 midterms, which took place during the nation's involvement in World War II.^[9]

Forty-three states and the District of Columbia failed to surpass 50 percent turnout in McDonald's analysis.

The three states with the lowest turnout according to McDonald's analysis were Texas (28.3 percent), Tennessee (28.6 percent), and Indiana (28.8 percent).

Maine (58.5 percent), Wisconsin (56.5 percent), and Colorado (54.5 percent) were the three states with the highest turnout.

There were only 12 states that increased voter turnout in 2014 compared to the 2010 midterm elections.^[10]

Voter turnout rates, 2014
State	Total votes counted	% voter eligible population	Top statewide office up for election	Size of lead (Raw votes)	Size of lead (%)
Alabama	1,191,274	33.2	Governor	320,319	27.2
Alaska	285,431	54.4	Governor	4,004	1.6
Arizona	1,537,671	34.1	Governor	143,951	12.5
Arkansas	852,642	40.1	Governor	118,664	14.0
California	7,513,972	30.8	Governor	1,065,748	17.8
Colorado	2,080,071	54.5	Governor	50,395	2.4
Connecticut	1,096,509	42.5	Governor	26,603	2.5
Delaware	234,038	34.4	Attorney General	31,155	13.6
District of Columbia	177,176	35.8	Mayor	27,934	19.0
Florida	6,026,802	43.3	Governor	66,127	1.1
Georgia	2,596,947	38.5	Governor	202,685	8.0
Hawaii	369,554	36.5	Governor	45,323	12.4
Idaho	445,307	39.6	Governor	65,852	14.9
Illinois	3,680,417	40.9	Governor	171,900	4.9
Indiana	1,387,622	28.8	Secretary of State	234,978	17.8
Iowa	1,142,284	50.2	Governor	245,548	21.8
Kansas	887,023	43.4	Governor	33,052	3.9
Kentucky	1,435,868	44.0	U.S. Senate	222,096	15.5
Louisiana	1,472,039	43.8	U.S. Senate	16,401	1.1
Maine	616,996	58.5	Governor	29,820	4.9
Maryland	1,733,177	41.5	Governor	88,648	6.1
Massachusetts	2,186,789	44.6	Governor	40,361	1.9
Michigan	3,188,956	43.2	Governor	129,547	4.3
Minnesota	1,992,613	50.5	Governor	109,776	5.6
Mississippi	631,858	28.9	U.S. Senate	141,234	33.0
Missouri	1,426,303	31.8	Auditor	684,074	53.6
Montana	373,831	47.3	U.S. Senate	65,262	17.9
Nebraska	552,115	41.5	Governor	97,678	18.7
Nevada	547,349	29.0	Governor	255,793	46.7
New Hampshire	495,565	48.4	Governor	24,924	5.2
New Jersey	1,955,042	32.5	N/A	N/A	N/A
New Mexico	512,805	35.7	Governor	73,868	14.6
New York	3,930,310	29.0	Governor	476,252	13.4
North Carolina	2,939,767	41.2	U.S. Senate	48,511	1.7
North Dakota	255,128	45.0	U.S. House At-large seat	42,214	17.1
Ohio	3,149,876	36.2	Governor	933,235	30.9
Oklahoma	824,831	29.8	Governor	122,060	14.7
Oregon	1,541,782	53.5	Governor	59,029	4.5
Pennsylvania	3,495,866	36.0	Governor	339,261	9.8
Rhode Island	329,212	42.2	Governor	14,346	4.5
South Carolina	1,261,611	35.2	Governor	179,089	14.6
South Dakota	282,291	44.9	Governor	124,865	45.1
Tennessee	1,374,065	28.6	Governor	642,214	47.5
Texas	4,727,208	28.3	Governor	957,973	20.4
Utah	577,973	30.2	Attorney General	173,819	35.2
Vermont	193,087	38.8	Governor	2,095	1.1
Virginia	2,194,346	36.6	U.S. Senate	16,727	0.8
Washington	2,123,901	43.1	N/A	N/A	N/A
West Virginia	451,498	31.2	U.S. Senate	124,667	27.6
Wisconsin	2,410,314	56.5	Governor	137,607	5.7
Wyoming	168,390	39.3	Governor	52,703	33.6

Note: Information from the United States Elections Project was last updated on December 16, 2014.

Key deadlines

Deadline	Event
March 30, 2014	Primary and convention filing deadline^[11]
June 10, 2014	Primary election
August 15, 2014	Filing deadline for petition and nonpartisan candidates
November 4, 2014	General election
January 14, 2015	Inauguration for state executives

State executive organization

Executive officials in South Carolina are part of a three-pronged government structure that includes state legislators and state judges.

Ballotpedia reports

To learn more about developments in these races, check out the following news articles from Ballotpedia:

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term "South + Carolina + state + executive + elections"

South Carolina state executive elections News Feed

Footnotes

↑ NCSL,"State Primary Election Types," accessed October 25, 2019
↑ FairVote,"Primaries," accessed October 25, 2019
↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
↑ South Carolina Election Commission',"Nomination by Political Party," accessed October 25, 2019
↑ Washington Post, "South Carolina Gov. Haley launches re-election campaign (Video)," August 26, 2013
↑ ColaDaily.com "Pat McKinney withdraws from lieutenant governor race," June 12, 2014
↑ United States Elections Project, "2014 November General Election Turnout Rates," November 7, 2014
↑ TIME, "Voter Turnout in Midterm Elections Hits 72-Year Low," November 10, 2014
↑ PBS, "2014 midterm election turnout lowest in 70 years," November 10, 2014
↑ U.S. News & World Report, "Midterm Turnout Down in 2014," November 5, 2014
↑ Souith Carolina Election Commission, "2014 Election Calendar," January 8, 2014

[ncsl-1] NCSL,"State Primary Election Types," accessed October 25, 2019

[fairvote-2] FairVote,"Primaries," accessed October 25, 2019

[3] Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.

[4] South Carolina Election Commission',"Nomination by Political Party," accessed October 25, 2019

[5] Washington Post, "South Carolina Gov. Haley launches re-election campaign (Video)," August 26, 2013

[McKinneywithdraw-6] ColaDaily.com "Pat McKinney withdraws from lieutenant governor race," June 12, 2014

[7] United States Elections Project, "2014 November General Election Turnout Rates," November 7, 2014

[8] TIME, "Voter Turnout in Midterm Elections Hits 72-Year Low," November 10, 2014

[9] PBS, "2014 midterm election turnout lowest in 70 years," November 10, 2014

[10] U.S. News & World Report, "Midterm Turnout Down in 2014," November 5, 2014

[11] Souith Carolina Election Commission, "2014 Election Calendar," January 8, 2014

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South Carolina state executive official elections, 2014

Partisan breakdown

Candidates by office

Primary election results

Primary runoff results

Primary runoff results

General election results

Voter turnout

Key deadlines

State executive organization

Ballotpedia reports

Recent news

See also

Footnotes

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