| State: | South Carolina |
| District Number: | 2 |
| Image Caption: | Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023 |
| Representative: | Joe Wilson |
| Party: | Republican |
| Residence: | Springdale |
| Disamb: | Lexington County |
| Population: | 750,640 |
| Population Year: | 2022 |
| Median Income: | $71,562[1] |
| Percent White: | 61.1 |
| Percent Hispanic: | 7.0 |
| Percent Black: | 24.9 |
| Percent Asian: | 2.2 |
| Percent More Than One Race: | 4.0 |
| Percent Other Race: | 0.8 |
| Cpvi: | R+8[2] |
South Carolina's 2nd congressional district is in central and southwestern South Carolina. The district spans from Columbia to the South Carolina side of the Augusta, Georgia metropolitan area.
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 reconfigured 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. As of 2019, the district was more than 69% white.[3]
Since 1965 the 2nd district has been held by the Republican Party, coinciding with 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.
However, the district had begun shedding its Yellow Dog Democrat roots before then. Some of the old-line Democrats began splitting their tickets as early as the 1940s, and some counties in the district haven't supported the official Democratic candidate for president since the 1950s. The district swung hard to Strom Thurmond during his third-party bid for president in 1948, and gave an equally massive margin to Barry Goldwater in 1964. Since 1964, Jimmy Carter has been the only Democrat to come close to carrying it. However, conservative Democrats held most local offices well into the 1980s.
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 eleven times. In the most recent election, held on November 11, 2022, Wilson earned 60% of the vote against Democrat Judd Larkins.
Counties in the 2023–2033 district map:
| Year | Office | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | President | Bush 58–39% | |
| 2004 | President | Bush 60–39% | |
| 2008 | President | McCain 60–39% | |
| 2012 | President | Romney 59–39% | |
| 2016 | President | Trump 56–39% | |
| 2020 | President | Trump 56–44% |
| Member | Party | Years | Cong ress | Electoral history | District location | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District established March 4, 1789 | ||||||||
| align=left | Aedanus Burke | Anti-Administration | nowrap | March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1791 | Elected in 1788. Retired. | 1789–1793 "Beaufort-Orangeburg district" | ||
| align=left | Robert Barnwell | Pro-Administration | nowrap | March 4, 1791 – March 3, 1793 | Elected in 1790. Retired. | |||
| align=left | John Hunter | Anti-Administration | nowrap | March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1795 | Elected in 1793. Redistricted to the and lost re-election. | 1793–1797 "Beaufort-Orangeburg district" | ||
| align=left | Wade Hampton | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1795 – March 3, 1797 | Elected January 19–20, 1795 to finish the term of member-elect Robert Barnwell, who had declined to serve. Retired. | |||
| align=left | John Rutledge Jr. | Federalist | nowrap | March 4, 1797 – March 3, 1803 | Elected in 1796. Re-elected in 1798. Re-elected in 1800. Lost re-election. | 1797–1803 "Beaufort district" | ||
| align=left | William Butler | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1813 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1803. Re-elected in 1804. Re-elected in 1806. Re-elected in 1808. Re-elected in 1810. Retired. | 1803–1813 "Beaufort and Edgefield district" | ||
| align=left | William Lowndes | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1813 – May 8, 1822 | Redistricted from the 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 | nowrap | May 8, 1822 – December 13, 1822 | ||||||
| align=left rowspan=2 | James Hamilton Jr. | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | December 13, 1822 – March 3, 1825 | Elected to finish Lowndes's term. Re-elected in 1823. Re-elected in 1824. Re-elected in 1826. Retired. | |||
| Jackson | nowrap | March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1829 | ||||||
| align=left rowspan=2 | Robert W. Barnwell | Jackson | nowrap | March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1831 | Elected in 1828. Re-elected in 1830. Retired. | |||
| Nullifier | nowrap | March 4, 1831 – March 3, 1833 | ||||||
| align=left | William J. Grayson | Nullifier | nowrap | March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1837 | Elected in 1833. Re-elected in 1834. Lost re-election. | 1833–1843 | ||
| align=left | Robert Rhett | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1843 | Elected in 1836. Re-elected in 1838. Re-elected in 1840. Redistricted to the . | |||
| align=left | Richard F. Simpson | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1849 | Elected in 1843. Re-elected in 1844. Re-elected in 1846. Retired. | 1843–1853 | ||
| align=left | James L. Orr | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1853 | Elected in 1848. Re-elected in 1850. Redistricted to the . | |||
| align=left | William Aiken Jr. | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1857 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1853. Re-elected in 1854. Retired. | 1853–1860 | ||
| align=left | William P. Miles | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1857 – December 24, 1860 | Re-elected in 1856. Re-elected in 1858. Re-elected in 1860 but retired due to Civil War. | |||
| District inactive | nowrap | December 24, 1860 – July 20, 1868 | Civil War and Reconstruction | |||||
| align=left | Christopher C. Bowen | Republican | nowrap | July 20, 1868 – March 3, 1871 | Elected to finish the short term. Also elected to the next term. Lost re-election. | 1868–1873 | ||
| align=left | Robert C. De Large | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1871 – January 24, 1873 | Elected in 1870. Seat declared vacant. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | January 24, 1873 – March 3, 1873 | ||||||
| align=left | Alonzo J. Ransier | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875 | Elected in 1872. Retired. | 1873–1883 | ||
| align=left | Edmund W.M. Mackey | Independent Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1875 – July 19, 1876 | Elected in 1874. Seat declared vacant. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | July 19, 1876 – November 7, 1876 | ||||||
| align=left | Charles W. Buttz | Republican | nowrap | November 7, 1876 – March 3, 1877 | Elected to finish Mackey's term. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Richard H. Cain | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1879 | Elected in 1876. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Michael P. O'Connor | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1879 – April 26, 1881 | Elected in 1878. Re-elected in 1880. Died pending an election contest. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | April 26, 1881 – June 9, 1881 | ||||||
| align=left | Samuel Dibble | Democratic | nowrap | June 9, 1881 – May 31, 1882 | Elected to finish O'Connor's term. Lost the election contest. | |||
| align=left | Edmund W.M. Mackey | Republican | nowrap | May 31, 1882 – March 3, 1883 | Won election contest. Redistricted to the . | |||
| align=left | George D. Tillman | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1893 | Elected in 1882. Re-elected in 1884. Re-elected in 1886. Re-elected in 1888. Re-elected in 1890. Lost renomination. | 1883–1893 | ||
| align=left | W. Jasper Talbert | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1903 | Elected in 1892. Re-elected in 1894. Re-elected in 1896. Re-elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Retired to run for governor of South Carolina. | 1893–1903 | ||
| align=left | George W. Croft | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1903 – March 10, 1904 | Elected in 1902. Died. | 1903–1913 | ||
| Vacant | nowrap | March 10, 1904 – May 17, 1904 | ||||||
| align=left | Theodore G. Croft | Democratic | nowrap | May 17, 1904 – March 3, 1905 | Elected to finish his father's term. Retired. | |||
| align=left | James O'H. Patterson | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1905 – March 3, 1911 | Elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Retired. | |||
James F. Byrnes | Democratic | March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1925 | Elected in 1910. Re-elected in 1912. Re-elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Re-elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920. Re-elected in 1922. Retired to run for U.S. senator. | |||||
| 1913–1933 Aiken, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Edgefield, Hampton, Jasper, and Saluda counties[4] | ||||||||
| align=left | Butler B. Hare | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1925 – March 3, 1933 | Elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Retired. | |||
Hampton Fulmer | Democratic | March 4, 1933 – October 19, 1944 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1932. Re-elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Died. | 1933–1943 | ||||
| 1943–1953 | ||||||||
| Vacant | nowrap | October 19, 1944 – November 7, 1944 | ||||||
| align=left | Willa L. Fulmer | Democratic | nowrap | November 7, 1944 – January 3, 1945 | Elected to finish her husband's term. Retired. | |||
| align=left | John J. Riley | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1949 | Elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Lost renomination. | |||
| align=left | Hugo S. Sims Jr. | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1951 | Elected in 1948. Lost renomination. | |||
John J. Riley | Democratic | January 3, 1951 – January 1, 1962 | Elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Died. | |||||
| 1953–1963 | ||||||||
| Vacant | nowrap | January 1, 1962 – April 10, 1962 | ||||||
| align=left | Corinne Boyd Riley | Democratic | nowrap | April 10, 1962 – January 3, 1963 | Elected to finish her husband's term. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Albert Watson | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1963 – February 1, 1965 | Elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Resigned to contest special election as a Republican. | 1963–1973 | ||
| Vacant | nowrap | February 1, 1965 – June 15, 1965 | ||||||
| align=left | Albert Watson | Republican | nowrap | June 15, 1965 – January 3, 1971 | Re-elected to finish his term as a Republican. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Retired to run for governor. | |||
Floyd Spence | Republican | January 3, 1971 – August 16, 2001 | Elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Died. | |||||
| 1973–1983: | ||||||||
| 1983–1993: | ||||||||
| 1993–2003 | ||||||||
| Vacant | nowrap | August 16, 2001 – December 18, 2001 | ||||||
Joe Wilson | Republican | December 18, 2001 – present | 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. Re-elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022. | |||||
| 2003–2013[5] | ||||||||
| 2013–2023 | ||||||||
| 2023–2033 | ||||||||