South Carolina's 7th congressional district
Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023
Representative
  Russell Fry
RMurrells Inlet
Population (2022)762,499[1]
Median household
income
$53,313[1]
Ethnicity
Cook PVIR+11[2]
Created2013

South Carolina's 7th congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in South Carolina, established in 2011 following apportionment of another seat to the state in the redistricting cycle following the 2010 census. It is located in the Pee Dee region, and includes all of Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Georgetown, Horry, Marion, and Marlboro Counties and most of Florence County. The district is represented by Republican Russell Fry who was elected in 2022 and took office on January 3, 2023.

History

The 7th congressional district of South Carolina existed in the 19th century, but was eliminated in 1853 as a result of the 1850 census. After the 1880 census, Congress apportioned the state another seat, and the state legislature re-established the district.

By that time, the Reconstruction era had ended and the state legislature was controlled by Democrats, who wrested control by a mixture of violence and fraud. They defined the boundaries of the 7th district, which was called the "shoestring district" because of its long, narrow shape that included many black precincts. In 1892 and 1894 the majority-black voters of the district elected George W. Murray to Congress; he was the only African American to serve in Congress in those sessions and, following disfranchisement and demographic changes, the last elected from the state until Jim Clyburn in 1992.

In 1895, the Democrat-dominated state legislature passed a new constitution, disfranchising black voters by changes to voter registration and electoral rules that were applied against them in a discriminatory way. For decades after 1896, only white Democrats were elected to Congress from the state. (Such disfranchisement occurred among all the states of the former Confederacy, and their use of poll taxes, literacy tests, grandfather clauses, and white primaries survived several US Supreme Court challenges.)

During the first half of the 20th century, 6.5 million blacks in total left South Carolina and other southern states in the Great Migration to the North, Midwest and West. Following cumulative declines in state population, after the 1930 census, South Carolina lost a seat and the 7th district was eliminated in redistricting. It was last represented by Democrat Hampton P. Fulmer, who was redistricted into the 2nd district.

South Carolina had only six districts for the next 80 years. African Americans were effectively barred from voting until after passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Increases in population led to the state's receiving another congressional seat in the redistricting cycle following the 2010 census.

The 7th district is located in the rapidly developing area of northeastern South Carolina, including the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area (the Grand Strand) and the Pee Dee region.[3][4] It is a white-majority district and its voters elected Republican Tom Rice as US Representative from the district in 2012; he took office in January 2013, when the 113th Congress convened. Due almost entirely to the presence of heavily Republican Horry County, which has as many people as the rest of the district combined, it tilts Republican.

The district boundaries are roughly similar to the configuration of the 6th congressional district before it was reconfigured after the 1990 census as a black-majority district.

Counties

Counties in the 2023–2033 congressional district map:

Election results from presidential races

Year Office Result
2012 President Romney 54.5–44.4%
2016 President Trump 58–39.1%
2020 President Trump 58–40.2%

List of members representing the district

Member
(Residence)
Party Years Cong
ress
Electoral history District location
District established March 4, 1803
Thomas Moore
(Prices Store)
Democratic-Republican March 4, 1803 –
March 3, 1813
8th
9th
10th
11th
12th
Redistricted from the 6th district and re-elected in 1803.
Re-elected in 1804.
Re-elected in 1806.
Re-elected in 1808.
Re-elected in 1810.
Retired.
1803–1813
"Chester district"

Elias Earle
(Centerville)
Democratic-Republican March 4, 1813 –
March 3, 1815
13th Redistricted from the 8th district and re-elected in 1812.
Lost re-election.
1813–1823
"Pendleton district"
John Taylor
(Pendleton)
Democratic-Republican March 4, 1815 –
March 3, 1817
14th Elected in 1814.
Lost re-election.

Elias Earle
(Centerville)
Democratic-Republican March 4, 1817 –
March 3, 1821
15th
16th
Elected in 1816.
Re-elected in 1818.
Retired.
John Wilson
(Golden Grove)
Democratic-Republican March 4, 1821 –
March 3, 1823
17th Elected in 1820.
Redistricted to the 6th district.
Joseph Gist
(Pinckneyville)
Jackson
Republican
March 4, 1823 –
March 3, 1825
18th
19th
Redistricted from the 8th district and re-elected in 1823.
Re-elected in 1824.
Retired.
1823–1833
"Chester district"
Jacksonian March 4, 1825 –
March 3, 1827
William T. Nuckolls
(Hancockville)
Jacksonian March 4, 1827 –
March 3, 1833
20th
21st
22nd
Elected in 1826.
Re-elected in 1828.
Re-elected in 1830.
Retired.
William K. Clowney
(Union)
Nullifier March 4, 1833 –
March 3, 1835
23rd Elected in 1833.
Lost re-election.
1833–1843
[data missing]
James Rogers
(Yorkville)
Jacksonian March 4, 1835 –
March 3, 1837
24th Elected in 1834.
Lost re-election.
William K. Clowney
(Union)
Nullifier March 4, 1837 –
March 3, 1839
25th Elected in 1836.
Retired.
James Rogers
(Maybinton)
Democratic March 4, 1839 –
March 3, 1843
26th
27th
Elected in 1838.
Re-elected in 1840.
Retired.

Robert B. Rhett
(Ashepoo)
Democratic March 4, 1843 –
March 3, 1849
28th
29th
30th
Redistricted from the 2nd district and re-elected in 1843.
Re-elected in 1844.
Re-elected in 1846.
Retired.
1843–1853
[data missing]
William F. Colcock
(Grahamville)
Democratic March 4, 1849 –
March 3, 1853
31st
32nd
Elected in 1848.
Re-elected in 1850.
Retired.
District dissolved March 3, 1853
District re-established March 4, 1883

Edmund W. M. Mackey
(Berkeley)
Republican March 4, 1883 –
January 27, 1884
48th Redistricted from the 2nd district and re-elected in 1882.
Died.
1883–1893
[data missing]
Vacant January 27, 1884 –
March 18, 1884

Robert Smalls
(Beaufort)
Republican March 18, 1884 –
March 3, 1887
48th
49th
Elected to finish Mackey's term.
Re-elected in 1884.
Lost re-election.

William Elliott
(Beaufort)
Democratic March 4, 1887 –
September 23, 1890
50th
51st
Elected in 1886.
Re-elected in 1888.
Lost election contest.

Thomas E. Miller
(Beaufort)
Republican September 24, 1890 –
March 3, 1891
51st Won election contest.
Lost re-election.

William Elliott
(Beaufort)
Democratic March 4, 1891 –
March 3, 1893
52nd Elected in 1890.
Retired.

George W. Murray
(Sumter)
Republican March 4, 1893 –
March 3, 1895
53rd Elected in 1892.
Redistricted to the 1st district.
1893–1903
[data missing]

J. William Stokes
(Orangeburg)
Democratic March 4, 1895 –
June 1, 1896
54th Elected in 1894.
Seat declared vacant while being contested because of Democratic election fraud.
Vacant June 1, 1896 –
November 3, 1896

J. William Stokes
(Orangeburg)
Democratic November 3, 1896 –
July 6, 1901
54th
55th
56th
57th
Elected to finish his own term.
Also elected in 1896 to the next term.
Re-elected in 1898.
Re-elected in 1900.
Died.
Vacant July 6, 1901 –
November 5, 1901
57th

Asbury F. Lever
(Lexington)
Democratic November 5, 1901 –
August 1, 1919
57th
58th
59th
60th
61st
62nd
63rd
64th
65th
66th
Elected to finish Stokes's term.
Re-elected in 1902.
Re-elected in 1904.
Re-elected in 1906.
Re-elected in 1908.
Re-elected in 1910.
Re-elected in 1912.
Re-elected in 1914.
Re-elected in 1916.
Re-elected in 1918.
Resigned to become member of Federal Farm Loan Board.
1903–1913
[data missing]
1913–1923
[data missing]
Vacant August 1, 1919 –
October 7, 1919
66th

Edward C. Mann
(St. Matthews)
Democratic October 7, 1919 –
March 3, 1921
Elected to finish Lever's term.
Lost renomination.

Hampton P. Fulmer
(Orangeburg)
Democratic March 4, 1921 –
March 3, 1933
67th
68th
69th
70th
71st
72nd
Elected in 1920.
Re-elected in 1922.
Re-elected in 1924.
Re-elected in 1926.
Re-elected in 1928.
Re-elected in 1930.
Redistricted to the 2nd district.
1923–1933
[data missing]
District dissolved March 3, 1933
District re-established January 3, 2013

Tom Rice
(Myrtle Beach)
Republican January 3, 2013 –
January 3, 2023
113th
114th
115th
116th
117th
Elected in 2012.
Re-elected in 2014.
Re-elected in 2016.
Re-elected in 2018.
Re-elected in 2020.
Lost renomination.
2013–2023

Russell Fry
(Murrells Inlet)
Republican January 3, 2023 –
present
118th Elected in 2022. 2023–2033

Past election results

2012

2012 South Carolina's 7th congressional district election[5][6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tom Rice 153,068 55.5
Democratic Gloria Tinubu 122,389 44.4
Write-in 281 0.1
Total votes 275,738 100.0
Republican win (new seat)

2014

2014 South Carolina's 7th congressional district election[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tom Rice (Incumbent) 102,833 59.9
Democratic Gloria Bromell-Tinubu 68,576 40.0
Write-in 115 0.1
Total votes 171,524 100.0
Republican hold

2016

2016 South Carolina's 7th congressional district election[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tom Rice (incumbent) 176,468 61.0
Democratic Mal Hyman 112,744 38.9
Write-in 251 0.1
Total votes 289,463 100.0
Republican hold

2018

2018 South Carolina's 7th congressional district election[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tom Rice (incumbent) 142,681 59.6
Democratic Robert Williams 96,564 40.3
Write-in 309 0.1
Total votes 239,554 100.0
Republican hold

2020

2020 South Carolina's 7th congressional district election[10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tom Rice (incumbent) 224,993 61.8
Democratic Melissa Ward Watson 138,863 38.1
Write-in 235 0.1
Total votes 364,091 100.0
Republican hold

2022

2022 South Carolina's 7th congressional district election[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Russell Fry 164,440 64.7
Democratic Daryl W. Scott 89,030 35.0
Write-in 395 0.1
Total votes 253,865 100.0
Republican hold

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "My Congressional District". census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau Center for New Media and Promotion (CNMP).
  2. "2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  3. "Census 2010 shows Red states gaining congressional districts". Washington Post. Retrieved December 21, 2010.
  4. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 13, 2014. Retrieved May 4, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "Election Statistics - US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". Karen Haas, Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  6. The votes for the Democratic candidate includes votes cast for the candidate who also ran under the Working Families Party ticket
  7. "South Carolina Election Commission Official Results". West Virginia Secretary of State. November 4, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  8. "2016 Statewide General Election official results". South Carolina State Election Commission. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  9. Johnson, Cheryl L. (February 28, 2019). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 6, 2018". Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  10. "2020 Statewide General Election Night Reporting - Results". South Carolina Election Commission. November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  11. "2022 Statewide General Election". www.enr-scvotes.org. November 11, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2023.

34°07′N 79°21′W / 34.11°N 79.35°W / 34.11; -79.35

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