South Carolina's 2nd congressional district

The 2nd congressional district of South Carolina is a congressional district in central and southwestern South Carolina. The district spans from Columbia to the South Carolina side of the Augusta, Georgia metropolitan area.

South Carolina's 2nd congressional district
South Carolina's 2nd congressional district since January 3, 2013
Representative	Joe Wilson R–Springdale
Population (2000)	668,668
Median income	$58,665[1]
Ethnicity	69.5% white 26.4% black 3.3% Hispanic 1.2% Asian 0.3% Native American 0.1% other
Cook PVI	R+12[2]

From 1993 through 2012, it included all of Lexington, Jasper, Hampton, Allendale and Barnwell counties; most of Richland and Beaufort counties and parts of Aiken, Calhoun and Orangeburg counties.

It was made more compact in the 2010 round of redistricting, and now comprises all of Lexington, Aiken and Barnwell counties, most of Richland County, and part of Orangeburg County. Besides Columbia (60 percent of which is in the district), other major cities in the district include Aiken and North Augusta.

The district's current configuration dates from 1933, following South Carolina losing a seat in apportionment as a result of the 1930 Census showing that the state's population had declined. Before that time, much of its territory had been within the 6th district.

As a Columbia-based district from 1933 to the early 1990s, it was a fairly compact district in the central part of the state, which was largely coextensive with the Columbia metropolitan area. As a result of the 1990 census, the state legislature was required to draw a black-majority district. In a deal between Republicans and Democrats, the 6th district, previously located in the northeastern portion of the state, was redefined to incorporate most of the old 2nd's black residents. To make up for the loss in population, the 2nd was pushed as far west as the fringes of the Augusta suburbs and as far south as Beaufort/Hilton Head.

Since 1965 the 2nd district has been held by the Republican Party, made up of white conservatives in the late 20th-century realignment of political parties in the South. In the decades after the Civil War and before disenfranchisement in 1895 under the new state constitution, members of the Republican Party in South Carolina and the South were mostly African Americans, including many freedmen enfranchised due to Republican support for amendments for emancipation, citizenship and the franchise. After white Democrats regained control of state governments across the South, in the late 19th century, they passed new constitutions from 1890 to 1908 to disenfranchise blacks, excluding them totally from the political process. The Republican Party was crippled in the region and nearly comatose.

As a result of the Civil Rights Movement, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which provided for federal enforcement of blacks' constitutional rights. That year, the 2nd district's second-term Democratic congressman, Albert Watson, resigned, then ran as a Republican in the ensuing special election and won, becoming the first Republican to represent South Carolina in the House since Reconstruction.

Watson gave up the seat to run for governor in 1970. His successor, state senator Floyd Spence, held the seat for more than 30 years. He was chairman of the House Armed Services Committee from 1995 to 2001, and died a few months after being elected to a 16th term. He was succeeded in a special election by one of his former aides, state senator Joe Wilson.

Wilson has since been reelected seven times. In the most recent election, held on November 4, 2014, Wilson earned almost 62.5% of the vote against former Democrat Phil Black and Labor Party candidate Harold Geddings. The district is more than 69% white.

Election results from presidential races

Year	Office	Result
2000	President	Bush 58 - 39%
2004	President	Bush 60 - 39%
2008	President	McCain 59.5 - 39.4%
2012	President	Romney 59.1 - 39.4%
2016	President	Trump 56.3 - 38.6%

List of members representing the district

Member	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history	District location
Aedanus Burke	Anti-Administration	March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1791	1st	Elected in 1788. Retired.	1789–1793: "Beaufort-Orangeburg district" South Carolina congressional districts, 1789–1793   1st district, Charleston   2nd district, Beaufort-Orangeburg   3rd district, Georgetown-Cheraw   4th district, Camden   5th district, Ninety-Six
Robert Barnwell	Pro-Administration	March 4, 1791 – March 3, 1793	2nd	Elected in 1790. [data unknown/missing]
John Hunter	Anti-Administration	March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1795	3rd	Elected in 1793. Moved to the 5th district and lost re-election.	1793–1797: "Beaufort-Orangeburg district" (Map unknown)
Wade Hampton	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1795 – March 3, 1797	4th	Elected January 19–20, 1795 to finish the term of member-elect Robert Barnwell, who had declined to serve. Retired.
John Rutledge Jr.	Federalist	March 4, 1797 – March 3, 1803	5th 6th 7th	Elected in 1796. Re-elected in 1798. Re-elected in 1800. Lost re-election.	1797–1803: "Beaufort district" 1796 election results by district
William Butler	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1813	8th 9th 10th 11th 12th	Redistricted from the 5th district and re-elected in 1803. Re-elected in 1804. Re-elected in 1806. Re-elected in 1808. Re-elected in 1810. [data unknown/missing]	1803–1813: "Beaufort and Edgefield district"
William Lowndes	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1813 – May 8, 1822	13th 14th 15th 16th 17th	Redistricted from the 4th district and re-elected in 1812. Re-elected in 1814. Re-elected in 1816. Re-elected in 1818. Re-elected in 1820. Resigned.	1813–1833: "Beaufort district"
Vacant		May 8, 1822 – December 13, 1822	17th
James Hamilton Jr.	Democratic-Republican	December 13, 1822 – March 3, 1823	17th 18th 19th 20th	Elected to finish Lowndes's term. Re-elected in 1823. Re-elected in 1824. Re-elected in 1826. Retired.
	Jacksonian Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825
	Jackson	March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1829
Robert W. Barnwell	Jackson	March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1831	21st 22nd	Elected in 1828. [data unknown/missing]
	Nullifier	March 4, 1831 – March 3, 1833
William J. Grayson	Nullifier	March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1837	23rd 24th	[data unknown/missing]	1833–1843: [data unknown/missing]
Robert Rhett	Democratic	March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1843	25th 26th 27th	[data unknown/missing] Redistricted to the 7th district.
Richard F. Simpson	Democratic	March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1849	28th 29th 30th	[data unknown/missing]	1843–1853: [data unknown/missing]
James L. Orr	Democratic	March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1853	31st 32nd	[data unknown/missing] Redistricted to the 5th district.
William Aiken Jr.	Democratic	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1857	33rd 34th	Redistricted from the 6th district. [data unknown/missing]
William P. Miles	Democratic	March 4, 1857 – December 24, 1860	35th 36th	[data unknown/missing] Retired.
Vacant		December 24, 1860 – July 20, 1868	36th 37th 38th 39th 40th	Civil War and Reconstruction
Christopher C. Bowen	Republican	July 20, 1868 – March 3, 1871	40th 41st	[data unknown/missing]
Robert C. De Large	Republican	March 4, 1871 – January 24, 1873	42nd	Elected in 1870. Seat declared vacant.
Vacant		January 24, 1873 – March 3, 1875
Alonzo J. Ransier	Republican	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875	43rd	[data unknown/missing]	1873–1883: [data unknown/missing]
Edmund W.M. Mackey	Independent Republican	March 4, 1875 – July 19, 1876	44th	Elected in 1874. Seat declared vacant.
Vacant		July 19, 1876 – November 7, 1876
Charles W. Buttz	Republican	November 7, 1876 – March 3, 1877		Elected to finish Mackey's term. Retired.
Richard H. Cain	Republican	March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1879	45th	Elected in 1876. [data unknown/missing]
Michael P. O'Connor	Democratic	March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1881	46th	contested election at end of term
Samuel Dibble	Democratic	June 9, 1881 – May 31, 1882	47th	lost contested election
Edmund W.M. Mackey	Republican	May 31, 1882 – March 3, 1883	47th	[data unknown/missing] Redistricted to the 7th district.
George D. Tillman	Democratic	March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1893	48th 49th 50th 51st 52nd	[data unknown/missing]	1883–1893: [data unknown/missing]
W. Jasper Talbert	Democratic	March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1903	53rd 54th 55th 56th 57th	[data unknown/missing] Retired to run for Governor of South Carolina.	1893–1903: [data unknown/missing]
George W. Croft	Democratic	March 4, 1903 – March 10, 1904	58th	Elected in 1902. Died.	1903–1913: [data unknown/missing]
Vacant		March 10, 1904 – May 17, 1904
Theodore G. Croft	Democratic	May 17, 1904 – March 3, 1905		Elected to finish Croft's term. [data unknown/missing]
James O'H. Patterson	Democratic	March 4, 1905 – March 3, 1911	59th 60th 61st	[data unknown/missing]
James F. Byrnes	Democratic	March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1925	62nd 63rd 64th 65th 66th 67th 68th	[data unknown/missing]
					1913–1933: Aiken, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Edgefield, Hampton, Jasper, and Saluda Counties[3]
Butler B. Hare	Democratic	March 4, 1925 – March 3, 1933	69th 70th 71st 72nd	[data unknown/missing]
Hampton Fulmer	Democratic	March 4, 1933 – October 19, 1944	73rd 74th 75th 76th 77th 78th	Redistricted from the 7th district. Died.	1933–1943: [data unknown/missing]
					1943–1953: [data unknown/missing]
Vacant		October 19, 1944 – November 7, 1944	78th
Willa L. Fulmer	Democratic	November 7, 1944 – January 3, 1945		Elected to finish her husband's term. [data unknown/missing]
John J. Riley	Democratic	January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1949	79th 80th	[data unknown/missing]
Hugo S. Sims Jr.	Democratic	January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1951	81st	[data unknown/missing]
John J. Riley	Democratic	January 3, 1951 – January 1, 1962	82nd 83rd 84th 85th 86th 87th	[data unknown/missing] Died.
					1953–1963: [data unknown/missing]
Vacant		January 1, 1962 – April 10, 1962	87th
Corinne Boyd Riley	Democratic	April 10, 1962 – January 3, 1963		Elected to finish her husband's term. [data unknown/missing]
Albert Watson	Democratic	January 3, 1963 – February 1, 1965	88th 89th	[data unknown/missing] Resigned.	1963–1973: [data unknown/missing]
Vacant		February 1, 1965 – June 15, 1965	89th
Albert Watson	Republican	June 15, 1965 – January 3, 1971	89th 90th 91st	Re-elected to finish his term as a Republican. [data unknown/missing]
Floyd Spence	Republican	January 3, 1971 – August 16, 2001	92nd 93rd 94th 95th 96th 97th 98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd 103rd 104th 105th 106th 107th	[data unknown/missing] Died.
					1973–1983: [data unknown/missing]
					1983–1993: [data unknown/missing]
					1993–2003: [data unknown/missing]
Vacant		August 16, 2001 – December 18, 2001	107th
Joe Wilson	Republican	December 18, 2001 – present	107th 108th 109th 110th 111th 112th 113th 114th 115th 116th	Elected to finish Spence's term. Re-elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Re-elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018.
					2003–2013:[4]
					2013 – present:
Member	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history	District location

See also

• South Carolina's congressional districts
• List of United States congressional districts

References

1. https://www.census.gov/mycd/?st=45&cd=02
2. "Partisan Voting Index – Districts of the 115th Congress" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
3. "South Carolina". Official congressional directory. p. 104.
4. "The national atlas". nationalatlas.gov. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2014.

• Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present
• Political Graveyard database of South Carolina congressmen