South Carolina's 2nd congressional district special election, 2001

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.

Republican primary

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	%
Joe Wilson	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

General election campaign

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.

Election results

South Carolina's 2nd Congressional District Special Election Results, 2001

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Joe Wilson	40,355	73.1	+16.1
	Democratic	Brent Weaver	14,034	25.4	-15.4
	Libertarian	Warren Eilertson	420	0.8	-0.5
	Constitution	Steve LeFemine	404	0.7	+0.7
	No party	Write-Ins	1	0.0	0.0
Majority			26,321	47.7	+31.5
Turnout			55,214
	Republican hold

See also

• South Carolina's 2nd congressional district

External links

• South Carolina Election Returns