Charleston, South Carolina is a city known for its rich history and vibrant culture. Its politics are just as dynamic, with a variety of local politicians representing the interests of its citizens. Elected officials such as Mayor John Tecklenburg, City Councilman Mike Seekings, and County Commissioner Vic Rawl have all worked to address the needs of the city's residents. Mayor Tecklenburg has focused on improving infrastructure, promoting economic development, and addressing crime issues in Charleston. Councilman Seekings has been dedicated to improving public safety and ensuring responsible use of taxpayer money. Commissioner Rawl has championed environmental sustainability initiatives and advocated for rural communities throughout Charleston County. Through their hard work and dedication, these local politicians have had a positive impact on the lives of many Charlestonians.
The political climate in Charleston, SC is somewhat liberal.
Charleston County, SC is somewhat liberal. In Charleston County, SC 55.5% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 42.6% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 1.9% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Charleston county remained strongly Democratic, 55.5% to 42.6%.
Charleston county voted Democratic in the four most recent Presidential elections, after 2000 and 2004 went Republican.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Charleston, SC is somewhat liberal.
Charleston County, South Carolina is somewhat liberal.
Charleston-North Charleston Metro Area is leaning liberal.
South Carolina is somewhat conservative.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index is based on recent voting in national elections, federal campaign contributions by local residents, and consumer personality profiles.
VoteWord™
Displaying 20 years of Presidential voting, visualized in one word.
Charleston, South Carolina: r r d d d D
How It Works:
Here at BestPlaces, we were looking at the voting patterns since the 2000 election and realized that we could express the results of each election as one letter. R if the Republican Party candidate won, D if the Democratic Party candidate won and I if the Independent Party candidate won. The six elections (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) would be expressed as six-letter word (R R D R R).
Then we went a little further and added the dimension of magnitude. If the difference of victory was greater than 10 percent, the letter is upper case, and lower case if the difference was less than 10 percent. This allows us to see interesting voting patterns at just a glance.
Here's the VoteWord for Iowa d r d d r. In the last six elections the state has been closely contested, voting narrowly for the Republican Party candidate in 2016 and 2020 after voting for the Democratic Party in 2008 and 2012. Virginia (r r d d d D) has voted for the Democratic Party in the last three elections.
Individual Campaign Contributions in Charleston, SC
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 19,225 contributions totaling $3,098,030 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $161 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 6,389 contributions totaling $2,661,725 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $417 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)