Greenville County
Key Points
- Andrews carried Greenville County. She beat Sen. Darline Graham 49.8% to 47.5% here, a sharp reversal from Lindsey Graham's 17-point county win in 2020.
- Republicans still won the county, by much less. Alan Wilson carried Greenville by 9 points. Henry McMaster won it by 23 in 2022. But that does not tell the whole story. Wilson received 7,626 more votes than McMaster. A) This underscores the population shifts into South Carolina. B) Economic perception and higher prices.
- The county penny tax failed again, but all four city taxes passed. Voters rejected the $1.1 billion roads tax 51.5% to 48.5%, while Greenville, Mauldin, Simpsonville and Travelers Rest approved their own.
- Incumbent Republican seats held every State House seat in the county, many of them narrowly. House District 27 was decided by 42 votes and County Council District 28 by 28. Both fall within South Carolina's automatic-recount range.
Turnout was high. About 62% of the county's 348,950 registered voters cast ballots (216,633), and roughly 21% more people voted for governor than in 2022.
What It Means for Business Advocacy
- County roads funding is still unresolved. After two failed referendums, the $2 billion road backlog falls back on County Council and the General Assembly. Expect pressure for state funding, budget reallocation or a redesigned proposal with specific projects.
- City taxes will change the local landscape. Purchases inside the four cities will now carry a higher sales tax. The cities will also have new project budgets, which creates openings for business input on infrastructure priorities.
- The federal relationships shift. Greenville's members of Congress (Timmons and Biggs) are Republicans, but one of the state's senators will now be a Democrat, Andrews. Chamber outreach in Washington will need to work across both parties.
Statewide
- Republicans maintain control. Republicans in the South Carolina House will continue to see a, reduced, majority in 2027. 89 Republicans in 2026 to 78 in 2027. 2 races are within the recount margin. David Vaughan, District 27 is one of the recount margin races.
- Senate remains at 34. With the vacancy left with Wes Climer’s exit, District 15 special election was contested with Republican James Burns winning election to fill the unexpired term.
- Republicans once again sweep constitutional offices. Alan Wilson and Mike Reichenbach take over the administration of state government. David Stumbo takes over as Attorney General. Mike Burkhold won Comptroller General. Cody Simpson wins Agriculture Commissioner. Mark Hammond, Curtis Loftis, and Ellen Weaver maintain their positions as Secretary of State, Treasurer, and Education Superintendent respectively.
Takeaway
The electorate is changing slightly. The influx of growth into the state is manifesting as a shift. The question that will linger, is this election an outlier of economic perception and prices or a shift in political persuasion?