Could Democrats’ change at top of ticket impact down-ballot races in SC?

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – President Joe Biden’s decision to not seek reelection adds even more intrigue to an already closely followed election.

But hundreds of other races will also be on South Carolina ballots this November, many for seats in the state legislature.

For the last few weeks, since the presidential debate, some South Carolina Democrats privately said they were concerned about down-ballot races.

They worried if voters were not motivated by Biden to get to the polls, they likely would not go to cast a ballot for races at the State House, where Democrats can’t afford to lose many seats.

“If we lose one seat in the Senate, [Republicans] will have a supermajority,” Sen. Tameika Isaac Devine said. “We already have an uphill battle most of the time, and so I’m committed to make sure all of our Democratic senators come back. I hope we can add one or two.”

Devine said Democrats are reenergized in a way she hasn’t seen in a while with Vice President Kamala Harris now the party’s de facto nominee.

Devine, a Richland County Democrat, said she personally was not overly concerned about down-ballot races if Biden was still running but believes this switch could help Democrats running for the state legislature.

“It certainly was a concern for me that if people aren’t thinking about the election right now, it’s going to be hard for us to really get that momentum after Labor Day,” she said. “Now with this announcement, we’ve got people who are talking about elections. They’re excited about the election.”

Republicans are close to having a supermajority in the South Carolina Senate, and they already have one in the House of Representatives.

A University of South Carolina political science professor said he believes this could at least get Democratic enthusiasm back to where it was before the debate when panic started to set in for some members of the party.

“It was just like, people were getting disheartened, and people were recognizing this is an election where we just don’t have a chance. So it would have kind of discouraged turnout among Democrats,” USC professor Bob Oldendick said.

South Carolina Republican Party Chair Drew McKissick said this change does not make a difference in his party’s plans for State House and other down-ballot races.

“It’s really all about turnout on our side. If we do our jobs and turn out our voters in a state like South Carolina, we’re going to win and we’re going to win big, no matter who they have on their ticket,” McKissick said.

Feel more informed, prepared, and connected with WIS. For more free content like this, subscribe to our email newsletter, and download our apps. Have feedback that can help us improve? Click here.

Copyright 2024 WIS. All rights reserved.