2025 South Carolina House of Representatives District 50 special election
 | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 14.31% | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||
 Precinct results (with counties labeled) Scott: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% 90–100% Oden: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Tie No votes | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| Elections in South Carolina |
|---|
 |
A special election was held in the U.S. state of South Carolina on June 3, 2025, to elect a new member for District 50 in the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing portions of three counties in central South Carolina. The election filled a vacancy caused by the resignation of Democratic member Will Wheeler in January 2025.
Background
- White (47.1%)
- Black (50.5%)
- All others (2.40%)
After the 2024 general election, Republicans held a supermajority in the South Carolina House of Representatives, outnumbering Democrats 88 to 36.
The special election was made necessary by the resignation of incumbent Democratic representative Will Wheeler on January 16, 2025, to become eligible for a judicial seat in the 12th Circuit Court in 2026. Under South Carolina, judicial candidates must be out of the legislature at least a year out from the election.[1]
The general election is scheduled for June 3, 2025. A primary was held on April 1, 2025, with a runoff primary election additionally scheduled for April 15, 2025, but was not necessary.[2]
As of May 20, 2025, there were 25,815 registered voters in HD 50. It is majority-minority, with 51% of the district's registered voters being Black.[3]
Previous general election results
This table shows every general election in HD 50 won by the previous incumbent, Democrat Will Wheeler, and the election immediately preceding. Until this special election, Republicans had only contested this seat one time since 2014. Wheeler had not faced any primary opposition from any fellow Democrats since 2016.
| Year | Democrats | Republican | Write-in | Mgn. | Ref. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Will Wheeler (i) | 13,512 | 98.12% | 259 | 1.88% | D+96.24 | [4] | |||
| 2022 | Will Wheeler (i) | 7,815 | 59.98% | Marvin Jones | 5,201 | 39.92% | 13 | 0.10% | D+20.06 | |
| 2020 | Will Wheeler (i) | 12,628 | 97.36% | 343 | 2.64% | D+94.72 | ||||
| 2018 | Will Wheeler (i) | 9,139 | 98.51% | 138 | 1.49% | D+97.02 | ||||
| 2016 | Will Wheeler (i) | 11,983 | 99.43% | 69 | 0.57% | D+98.86 | ||||
| 2014 | Grady Brown (i) | 8,574 | 98.53% | 128 | 1.47% | D+97.06 | [5] | |||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Keishan Scott, Bishopville city councilor
Eliminated in primary
- Carl Whetsel, former Bishopville city councilor and businessman
Results
| Scott: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% 90–100% | Whetsel: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% No votes Tie |
Unofficial vote tallies saw Scott leading Whetsel 1,435–1,425. Due to the tight margin, the election was subject to an automatic recount. The recount expanded Scott's unofficial 10-vote lead by one.[6]
Keishan Scott won a majority of votes cast in Kershaw County and Sumter County, while Whetsel won Lee County.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Keishan Scott | 1,436 | 50.19% | |
| Democratic | Carl Whetsel | 1,425 | 49.81% | |
| Total votes | 2,861 | 100.00% | ||
| Turnout | 2,877 | 11.14% | ||
| Registered electors | 25,818 | |||
Republican nominee
The Republican primary was canceled as only one candidate, former U.S. Air Force colonel William Oden, filed to run.[8]
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Keishan Scott | 2,593 | 70.56% | ||
| Republican | William Oden | 1,078 | 29.33% | ||
| Write-in | 4 | 0.11% | |||
| Total votes | 3,675 | 100.0 | |||
| Registered electors | 25,816 | ||||
| Turnout | 14.31% | ||||
| Democratic hold | |||||
See also
- 2025 South Carolina House of Representatives District 113 special election
- 2025 United States state legislative special elections
External links
References
- ^ Laird, Skyler (16 January 2025). "SC House Democrat unexpectedly resigns after easily winning a 5th term". South Carolina Daily Gazette. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ "State House District 50 Special Election". SC Votes. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ "Voter Registration Statistics By District". South Carolina Election Commission. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ "Search Past Elections (Candidate: Will Wheeler)". South Carolina Election Commission. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ "2014 Statewide General Election". South Carolina Election Commission. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ Currin, Deirdre (5 April 2025). "10-vote margin leads to recount in S.C. House 50 Democratic primary; Scott is winner". The Item. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ "State House of Representatives District 50 Primary Recount April 4, 2025 Election Night Reporting". South Carolina Election Commission. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ Cahn, Martin (May 26, 2025). "It's Scott vs. Oden in special House 50 election". Chronicle-Independent. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
- ^ "STATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DISTRICT 50 SPECIAL ELECTION, JUNE 3, 2025". South Carolina Secretary of State. June 3, 2025. Retrieved June 3, 2025.