SOUTH CAROLINA
      Nov. 8, 2022 U.S. Senate                                      

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+Tim Scott (R) i
 		1,066,274
 		62.88%
Krystle Matthews (D)
 		627,616
 		37.01%
write-ins
 		1,812
 		0.11%

1,695,702
Registration: 3,379,089.  Ballots Cast: 1,718,626.
Plurality: 438,658 votes (25.87 percentage points).
 SC Election Commission



Notes:  Sen. Tim Scott (R), who was first appointed to the Senate in 2012 and is seen as a possible 2024 presidential candidate, coasted to re-election over state Rep. Krystle Matthews (D). 

Scott launched his re-election campaign with a rally and video (>) on June 28, 2021, and was unopposed in the June 14, 2022 primary.  However, Scott really seemed to have his eye on 2024.  He raised a staggering amount of money during the cycle.  Scott's campaign  reported $51.3 million raised, $33.5 million spent, and $21.7 million in cash on hand for the six year cycle (>) and in 2021-22 his Opportunity Matters super PAC raised $36.6 milion and spent $24.7 million (>).  The Des Moines Register reported that Scott made five trips to Iowa from 2019 through Aug. 2022.  Also in August he came out with a new book AMERICA, A REDEMPTION STORY: Choosing Hope, Creating Unity (Thomas Nelson, Aug. 9).

Meanwhile, Matthews found herself in hot water a couple of times after Project Veritas released recordings of her making controversial remarks.  In late June 2022 the group released a recording from February of Matthews bantering with a prison inmate.  In September it released a video of Matthews making disparaging remarks about white people (>,+).  Some Democrats called on her to quit the race and the Post & Courier ran an editorial on "her unfitness for office."  The Matthews campaign achieved very meager fundrasing, reporting $134,856 raised, $92,664 spent and $36,223 cash on hand.  On Election Day, Matthews not only lost the U.S. Senate race, but also her re-election bid for her State House seat.
 
June 14 Democratic Primary
Three candidates, all Black women, ran in the Democratic primary to challenge Scott.  The race went to a runoff.

Rep. Matthews, who was elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2020 representing District 117 (Ladson, North Charleston and Goose Creek), works as an engineering planner at Boeing.  She announced her candidacy on Apr. 12, 2021.

Angela Geter, an accountant, veteran and chair of the Spartanburg County Democratic Party, announced her candidacy on May 6, 2021 in Greer.

Columbia activist, preservationist and author Catherine Fleming Bruce entered the race relatively late, in Jan. 2022.  She is director of the Black Voters Matter South Carolina Initiative, and Tsnova Global Commons.

Each tallied about a third of the vote in the June primary.  Bruce finished first with 34.7% followed by Matthews at 33.2% and Geter at 32.1%.  In the June 28 primary runoff campaign, Bruce and Matthews participated in a forum hosted by the SC State Conference NAACP on June 24.  Matthews went on to defeat Bruce by 55.8% to 44.2%.


See also:
Jeffrey Collins.  Tim Scott heading back to US Senate as bigger ambitions loom."  AP, Nov. 8, 2022.

Bridget Bowman.  "Tim Scott's super PAC donates $5 million to GOP Senate group."  NBC News, Sept. 26, 2022.

Editorial Staff.  "Krystle Matthews' latest display of her unfitness for office  The Post and Courier, Sept. 14, 2022.

John Bustos.  "SC Rep. Matthews won't resign or suspend Senate bid after leaked video, campaign says."  The State, Sept. 9, 2022.

Meg Kinnard.  "SC Democrats call on their party's US Senate nominee to quit."  AP, Sept. 8, 2022.

Brianne Pfannenstiel.  "Sen. Tim Scott for president? 'Of my homeowners' association,' he says in Iowa," Des Moines Register, Aug. 29, 2022.

Nick Reynolds.  "State Rep. Krystle Matthews stands by prison phone call banter in recording leaked by Project Veritas."  The Post and Courier, June 29, 2022

Alex Isenstadt.  "GOP megadonors flock to Tim Scott, building 2024 buzz."  Politico, Aug. 9, 2021.

Jamie Lovegrove.  "Sen. Tim Scott kicks off 2022 SC reelection campaign as strong favorite."  The Post and Courier, June 28, 2021.

Eric Connor.  "Spartanburg Democratic chairwoman announces bid for Republican Sen. Tim Scott's seat."  The Post and Courier, May 6, 2021.

"Thomas Novelly.  "Lowcountry Democratic lawmaker announces challenge to Republican Sen. Tim Scott in 2022."  The Post and Courier, Apr. 12, 2021.



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