| Election Name: | 2001 South Carolina's 2nd congressional district special election |
| Country: | South Carolina |
| Type: | by-election |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2000 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina#District 2 |
| Previous Year: | 2000 |
| Next Election: | 2002 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina#District 2 |
| Next Year: | 2002 |
| Election Date: | December 18, 2001 |
| Nominee1: | Joe Wilson |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 40,355 |
| Percentage1: | 73.1% |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 14,034 |
| Percentage2: | 25.4% |
| U.S. Representative | |
| Before Election: | Floyd Spence |
| Before Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Joe Wilson |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
The 2001 South Carolina 2nd congressional district special election was held on December 18, 2001, to select a Representative for the 2nd congressional district to serve out the remainder of the term for the 107th Congress. The special election resulted from the death of 16-term Republican incumbent Floyd Spence on August 16, 2001. Joe Wilson, a state senator from Lexington County and a former aide to Spence, won the Republican primary and went on to win the general election against Democratic challenger Brent Weaver.
The South Carolina Republican Party held their primary on October 30, 2001. Wilson won 75 percent of the vote, avoiding a runoff election.
| Republican Primary | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| 34,646 | 75.5 | |
| Joe Grimaud | 6,784 | 14.8 |
| Stew Butler | 1,881 | 4.1 |
| Richard Chalk | 1,455 | 3.2 |
| Clyde T. Cobb | 1,115 | 2.4 |
The Republican Party was on the rise in South Carolina and there was a great deal of enthusiasm among its voters. Additionally, the 2nd had long been a Republican stronghold; it had been in GOP hands without interruption since a 1965 special election. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party was clearly on the decline and was expected to fare poorly in the upcoming 2002 elections. Therefore, it was generally understood that Wilson had clinched a seat in Congress with his primary victory.
As expected, Wilson scored a decisive victory in the general election and he was sworn into Congress the very next day.
|-| | colspan=5 |Republican hold|-