South Carolina - 2nd District

Central and south -- part of Columbia and suburbs, Hilton Head Island

CQ Politics Race Rating: Likely Republican

House Race Rating Chart

Incumbent — Joe Wilson (R); Running for re-election

Most Recent Election
Year	Election	Candidate	Votes	Percent
2008	general	Joe Wilson (R)	184,583	53.7%
2008	general	Rob Miller (D)	158,627	46.2%

Details and state election history

A rematch of the competitive 2008 House race in South Carolina’s 2nd District appears in the offing. Democrat Miller — a former Marine Corps captain and Iraq War veteran — announced early on that he will make another attempt to unseat Wilson, now in his fourth full term after first winning the seat in a December 2001 special election.

The stakes for 2010 were raised considerably after Wilson, on Sept. 9, made headlines for shouting “You lie!” at President Obama during his speech to a joint session of Congress on his proposals to overhaul the health care system. The outburst — aimed specifically at Obama’s statement that his plan would not provide any benefits to illegal immigrants — sparked a media frenzy, and polarized partisan reactions led to heightened profiles for both candidates, as well as a flood of online donations. Both Wilson’s and Miller’s campaigns reported raising more than $1 million each in the days after the speech.

In the short run, at least, Wilson got the bigger boost. Now a hero to many conservatives who are angry about Obama’s policy agenda, he reported nearly $3 million in campaign receipts for the year as of Sept. 30 and had $2.6 million in remaining cash on hand.

But Miller enjoyed a fundraising surge too, boosted his Sept. 30 numbers to $1.8 million in receipts and $1.7 million in cash on hand. This could be significant for Miller, who was outspent by a 2-to-1 ratio in 2008 and had less than $50,000 in his 2010 campaign account at the end of June. Democrats hope that Miller, if on more equal financial footing with incumbent Wilson, can close the gap this time around.

Wilson’s 8 percentage-point victory margin in 2008 didn’t exactly make the race a cliffhanger, but it was far closer than his norm in a district that usually leans strongly Republican. This was echoed at the top of the ticket, as Republican presidential nominee John McCain outran Democrat Barack Obama by 9 points – a more modest outcome than President George W. Bush’s 20-point margin in 2004.

Race Information

Incumbent: Joe Wilson, R
First Elected: 2001 (4th full term)
Last Elected: 2008 (53.74%)
Incumbent Status: Running for re-election
CQ Politics Race Rating: Likely Republican

District Information

Politics in America District Profile

The 2nd runs from the coast up the Georgia border and into central South Carolina, button-hooking north around Columbia to scoop up some of the capital city. The district’s two ends take in wealthy areas — Columbia suburbs in Richland and Lexington counties, and Beaufort and Hilton Head Island in the south.

Government jobs remain the Columbia area’s largest employment base. Ongoing private sector economic diversification, especially in health care, has not insulated the area from rising unemployment rates. On the Georgia border, the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site nuclear complex (shared with the 3rd) still provides jobs. Considerably poorer smaller towns and rural areas dot the land between Columbia and Hilton Head, a destination for retirees and tourists. Military issues are important here — just up the shore from swank resorts, recruits sweat at the Parris Island Marine Corps Recruitment camp. Growing Fort Jackson in Richland County in the north and Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station add to the 2nd’s heavy military presence.

Many families in heavily black Allendale, Barnwell, Hampton and Jasper counties live below the poverty line, relying on tenant farming and sharecropping. That area favored Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election but makes up only a small portion of the 2nd’s total vote. Overall, wealthy white-collar professionals in the north and along the coast push the district into the Republican column. John McCain won 68 percent of the 2008 presidential vote in Lexington County, the 2nd’s most populous, and he took 54 percent of the overall district vote.

Major Industry

Government, military, tourism, health care, agriculture

Military Bases

Fort Jackson (Army), 11,768 military, 2,390 civilian (2008); Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station, 3,710 military, 647 civilian (2008); Marine Corps Recruitment Depot (Parris Island), 2,142 military, 865 civilian (2009)

Cities

Columbia (pt.), 59,771; Hilton Head Island, 33,862

Notable

Mitchelville, established on Hilton Head Island during the Civil War, was the first U.S. town founded specifically for freed black slaves.

Demographics (2000 census): Population: 668,668; Under 18: 25%; Over 65: 11%; Married: 56.8%; Non-Hispanic White: 68%; Black: 26%; Hispanic: 3%; Asian: 1%; Foreign Born: 3.8%; Language other than English: 6.6%; Median Household Income: 42,915; Owner Occupied Housing: 73%; Income above $200k: 2.3

Workforce/Education (2000 census): White Collar: 63.1%; Blue Collar: 23.1%; Services: 13.9%; Bachelor's Degree: 28%; Graduate Education: 9.8%; Civilian Veterans: 75,670

District Election History
Year	Election	Candidate	Votes	Percent
2008	general	Joe Wilson (R)	184,583	53.7%
2008	general	Rob Miller (D)	158,627	46.2%

2006	general	Joe Wilson (R)	127,811	62.6%
2006	general	Michael Ellisor (D)	76,090	37.3%

2004	general	Joe Wilson (R)	181,862	65%
		Michael Ellisor (D)	93,249	33.3%
		Steve Lefemine (CNSTP)	4,447	1.6%

2002	general	Joe Wilson (R)	144,149	84.1%
		Mark Whittington (UC)	17,189	10%
		James Legg (LIBERT)	9,650	5.6%