Past Endorsements
2021 Municipal Elections
CVSC’s 2021 endorsement below is our first-ever endorsement in a municipal election. We rarely make local endorsements, and often only in exceptional circumstances. We do not anticipate making local endorsements in every local election or in every election Year.
| District | Endorsed Candidate | General Result |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia City Council At-Large | Deitra Stover Matthews | Lost |
2020 Endorsements
In the 2020 primary and general elections, CVSC and CVSC PAC (CVSC-PAC) invested in direct mail, digital, and phone activities – for a total of over 1.3 million voter contacts – leading to a 88% win rate in 2020.
Senate Endorsements
| District | Endorsed Candidate | Primary Result | General Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate District 7 | Karl Allen (D) | Won | Won |
| Senate District 10 | Floyd Nicholson (D) | N/A | Lost |
| Senate District 11 | Glenn Reese (D) | N/A | Lost |
| Senate District 12 | Scott Talley (R) | Won | Won |
| Senate District 16 (open) |
Michael Johnson (R) | Runoff-Won | Won |
| Senate District 17 | Mike Fanning (D) | Won | Won |
| Senate District 18 | Ronnie Cromer (R) | Won | Won |
| Senate District 20 | Dick Harpootlian (D) | N/A | Won |
| Senate District 22 | Mia McLeod (D) | N/A | Won |
| Senate District 23 | Katrina Shealy (R) | N/A | Won |
| Senate District 24 | Tom Young (R) | N/A | Won |
| Senate District 26 | Nikki Setzler (D) | N/A | Won |
| Senate District 27 | Vincent Sheheen (D) | N/A | Lost |
| Senate District 29 | Gerald Malloy (D) | N/A | Won |
| Senate District 32 | Ronnie Sabb (D) | Won | Won |
| Senate District 36 | Kevin Johnson (D) | Won | Won |
| Senate District 37 | Larry Grooms (R) | N/A | Won |
| Senate District 39 (open) |
Vernon Stephens (D) | Runoff-Won | Won |
| Senate District 40 | Brad Hutto (D) | Won | Won |
| Senate District 41 | Sandy Senn (R) | N/A | |
| Senate District 43 | Chip Campsen (R) | N/A | Won |
| Senate District 45 | Margie Bright-Matthews (D) | N/A | Won |
| Senate District 46 | Tom Davis (R) | N/A | Won |
House Endorsements
| District | Endorsed Candidate | Primary Result | General Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| House District 3 (open) |
Jerry Carter (R) | Runoff-Won | Won |
| House District 5 | Neal Collins (R) | Runoff-Won | Won |
| House District 8 | Vaughn Parfitt (R) | Lost | |
| House District 10 | West Cox (R) | Won | Won |
| House District 15 | JA Moore (D) | N/A | Won |
| House District 25 | Leola Robinson-Simpson (D) | Won | Won |
| House District 28 | Ashley Trantham (R) | N/A | Won |
| House District 33 (open) |
Travis Moore (R) | Won | Won |
| House District 35 | Chris Bennett (R) | Runoff-Lost | |
| House District 43 | Randy Ligon (R) | N/A | Won |
| House District 44 | Mandy Powers Norrell (D) | N/A | Lost |
| House District 47 | Tommy Pope (R) | N/A | Won |
| House District 49 | John King (D) | N/A | Won |
| House District 52 | Laurie Funderburk (D) | N/A | Lost |
| House District 54 | Pat Henegan (D) | N/A | Won |
| House District 64 (open) |
Kimberly Johnson (D) | Won | |
| House District 66 | Gilda Cobb-Hunter (D) | N/A | Won |
| House District 71 | Nathan Ballentine (R) | N/A | Won |
| House District 78 | Beth Bernstein (D) | N/A | Won |
| House District 79 | Ivory Thigpen (D) | N/A | Won |
| House District 80 | Jermaine Johnson (D) | Won | Won |
| House District 94 (open) |
Gil Gatch (R) | Won | Won |
| House District 95 | Jerry Govan (D) | Won | Won |
| House District 97 | Mandy Kimmons (R) | N/A | Won |
| House District 100 | Sylleste Davis (R) | Won | Won |
| House District 109 (open) |
Deon Tedder (D) | Runoff-Won | Won |
| House District 110 | William Cogswell (R) | Won | Won |
| House District 113 | Marvin Pendarvis (D) | Won | Won |
| House District 115 (open) |
Spencer Wetmore (D) | Won | Won |
| House District 118 | Bill Herbkersman (R) | Won | Won |
| House District 117 | Krystle Matthews (D) | N/A | Won |
| House District 119 | Leon Stavrinakis (D) | N/A | Won |
| House District 122 | Shedron Williams (D) | N/A | Won |
| House District 123 | Jeff Bradley (R) | Won | Won |
| House District 124 | Shannon Erickson (R) | Won | Won |
| District | Endorsed Candidate |
|---|---|
| Senate District 35 | Thomas McElveen (D) |
| Senate District 42 | Marlon Kimpson (D) |
| House District 21 | Bobby Cox (R) |
| House District 23 | Chandra Dillard (D) |
| House District 31 | Rosalyn Henderson Myers (D) |
| House District 50 | Will Wheeler (D) |
| House District 61 | Roger Kirby (D) |
| House District 69 | Chris Wooten (R) |
| House District 70 | Wendy Brawley (D) |
| House District 72 | Seth Rose (D) |
| House District 89 | Micah Caskey (R) |
| House District 93 | Rusell Ott (D) |
| House District 120 | Weston Newton (R) |
2018 Endorsements
CVSC and CVSC PAC spent $165,600 in the primary and general elections, endorsing 20 Republicans and 14 Democrats for House and Senate elections, with a focus on creating a solid bipartisan clean energy majority at the State House. Our investments led to an 89% win rate in 2018.
| Endorsed Candidate | Primary Result | General Result |
|---|---|---|
| Rep. James Smith | Won | Lost |
| District | Endorsed Candidate | Primary Result | General Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate District 20 | Dick Harpootlian (D) | Won | Won |
| District | Endorsed Candidate | Primary Result | General Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| District 10 | West Cox (R) | n/a | Won |
| District 21 | Bobby Cox (R) | Won | Won |
| District 25 | Rep. Leola Robinson-Simpson (D) | Won | Won |
| District 32 | Max Hyde (R) | Won | Won |
| District 41 | Rep. MaryGail Douglas (D) | Lost | |
| District 43 | Randy Ligon (R) | Won | Won |
| District 47 | Rep. Tommy Pope (R) | n/a | Won |
| District 49 | Rep. John King (D) | n/a | Won |
| District 52 | Rep. Laurie Slade Funderburk (D) | n/a | Won |
| District 62 | Rep. Robert Williams (D) | n/a | Won |
| District 67 | Rep. Murrell Smith (R) | n/a | Won |
| District 71 | Rep. Nathan Ballentine (R) | Won | Won |
| District 75 | Rep. Kirkman Finlay (R) | n/a | Won |
| District 77 | Kambrell Garvin (D) | Won | Won |
| District 84 | Rep. Ronnie Young (R) | n/a | Won |
| District 85 | Rep. Chip Huggins (R) | n/a | Won |
| District 89 | Rep. Micah Caskey (R) | Won | Won |
| District 93 | Rep. Russell Ott (D) | n/a | Won |
| District 94 | Con Chellis (R) | Won | Won |
| District 97 | Rep. Patsy Knight (D) | n/a | Lost |
| District 98 | Rep. Chris Murhpy (R) | Won | Won |
| District 101 | Rep. Cezar McKnight (D) | Won | Won |
| District 102 | Rep. Joe Jefferson (D) | n/a | Won |
| District 109 | Rep. David Mack (D) | n/a | Won |
| District 110 | Rep. William Cogswell (R) | Won(Runoff) | Won |
| District 112 | Rep. Mike Sottile (R) | Won | Won |
| District 114 | Rep. Lin Bennett (R) | n/a | Won |
| District 115 | Rep. Peter McCoy (R) | n/a | Won |
| District 116 | Rep. Robert Brown (D) | n/a | Won |
| District 117 | Jordan Scott Pace (R) | Lost | |
| District 119 | Rep. Leon Stavrinakis (D) | n/a | Won |
| District 120 | Rep. Weston Newton (R) | n/a | Won |
| District 123 | Rep. Jeff Bradley (R) | n/a | Won |
2016 Endorsements
CVSC’s 2016 investments of over $173,000 led to the defeat of the only two Senators who had scored a 0% on our Conservation Scorecard. In route to secure an 82% win rate, CVSC knocked on over 30,250 doors, placed over 12,000 phone calls, and sent 230,000 pieces of mail.
| District | Endorsed Candidate | Primary Result | General Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| District 2 | Senator Larry Martin (R) | Runoff-Lost | |
| District 4 | Senator Mike Gambrell (R) | Won | Won |
| District 5 | John B. White (R) | Lost | |
| District 6 | William Timmons (R) | Runoff-Won | Won |
| District 7 | Senator Karl Allen (D) | Won | Won |
| District 11 | Senator Glenn Reese (D) | N/A | Won |
| District 12 | Scott Talley (R) | Runoff-Won | Won |
| District 10 | Senator Floyd Nicholson (D) | N/A | Won |
| District 15 | Senator Wes Hayes (R) | Lost | |
| District 17 | Mike Fanning (D) | Runoff-Won | Won |
| District 19 | Senator John Scott (D) | Won | Won |
| District 20 | Senator John Courson (R) | N/A | Won |
| District 21 | Senator Darrell Jackson (D) | Won | Won |
| District 22 | Rep. Mia McLeod (D) | N/A | Won |
| District 23 | Senator Katrina Shealy (R) | Won | Won |
| District 26 | Senator Nikki Setzler (D) | N/A | Won |
| District 25 | Senator Shane Massey (R) | Won | Won |
| District 31 | Senator Hugh Leatherman (R) | Won | Won |
| District 34 | Reese Boyd (R) | Runoff-Lost | |
| District 36 | Senator Kevin Johnson (D) | N/A | Won |
| District 37 | Senator Larry Grooms (R) | Won | Won |
| District 42 | Senator Marlon Kimpson (D) | Won | Won |
| District | Endorsed Candidate | Primary Result | General Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| District 3 | Representative Gary Clary (R) | N/A | Won |
| District 4 | Representative Davey Hiott (R) | N/A | Won |
| District 5 | Representative Neal Collins (R) | Won | Won |
| District 13 | Representative Anne Parks (D) | Won | Won |
| District 22 | Jason Elliott (R) | Won | Won |
| District 25 | Representative Leola Robinson-Simpson (D) | N/A | Won |
| District 38 | Representative Doug Brannon (R) | Lost | |
| District 39 | Representative Ralph Kennedy (R) | Lost | |
| District 39 | Cal Forest (R) | N/A | Won |
| District 47 | Representative Tommy Pope (R) | N/A | Won |
| District 50 | Will Wheeler (D) | Runoff-Won | Won |
| District 54 | Representative Patricia Henegan (D) | N/A | Won |
| District 69 | Representative Rick Quinn (R) | Won | Won |
| District 71 | Representative Nathan Ballentine (R) | Won | Won |
| District 79 | Monica Elkins (D) | Runoff-Lost | |
| District 79 | Ivory Thigpen (D) | N/A | Won |
| District 81 | Chris Austin (R) | Lost | |
| District 85 | Representative Chip Huggins (R) | Won | Won |
| District 88 | Representative Mac Toole (R) | Won | Won |
| District 89 | Micah Caskey (R) | N/A | Won |
| District 90 | Representative Justin Bamberg (D) | Won | Won |
| District 96 | Representative Kit Spires (R) | Won | Won |
| District 110 | William Cogswell (R) | Runoff-Won | Won |
| District 112 | Representative Mike Sottile (R) | Won | Won |
| District 116 | Representative Robert Brown (D) | Won | Won |
| District 118 | Representative Bill Herbkersman (R) | N/A | Won |
| District 119 | Representative Leon Stavrinakis (D) | N/A | Won |
| District 121 | Grahame Holmes (D) | Lost | |
| District 124 | Representative Shannon Erickson (R) | N/A | Won |
2014 Endorsements
CVSC and CVSC-PAC secured an 83% success rate in the 2014 elections.
| Office | Endorsed Candidate | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Governor | Vincent Sheheen – D | Lost |
| Commissioner of Agriculture | Hugh Weathers – R | Won |
| District | Endorsed Candidate | Result |
|---|---|---|
| District 59 | Terry Alexander (D) | Win |
| District 24 | Bruce Bannister (R) | Win |
| District 78 | Beth Bernstein (D) | Win |
| District 116 | Robert Brown (D) | Win |
| District 17 | Mike Burns (R) | Win |
| District 3 | Gary Clary (R) | Win |
| District 5 | Neal Collins (R) | Win |
| District 41 | Rep. MaryGail Douglas (D) | Win |
| District 104 | Greg Duckworth (R) | Win |
| District 21 | Rep. Phyllis Henderson (R) | Win |
| District 4 | Rep. Davey Hiott (R) | Win |
| District 11 | Tombo Hite (D) | Loss |
| District 94 | Rep. Jenny Horne (R) | Win |
| District 61 | Roger Kirby (D) | Win |
| District 75 | Joe McCulloch (D) | Loss |
| District 79 | Rep. Mia McLeod (D) | Win |
| District 40 | Rep. Walton McLeod (D) | Win |
| District 108 | Vida Miller (D) | Loss |
| District 25 | Rep. Leola Robinson-Simpson (D) | Win |
| District 96 | Rep. Kit Spires (R) | Win |
| District 119 | Rep. Leon Stavrinakis (D) | Win |
| District 33 | Rep. Eddie Tallon (R) | Win |
2012/2013 Endorsements
CVSC and CVSC-PAC secured a 90% success rate in 2012 and 2013 elections.
| District | Endorsed Candidate | Result |
|---|---|---|
| District 42 Special Election | Marlon Kimpson (D/Charleston) | Win |
| District | Endorsed Candidate | Result |
|---|---|---|
| District 2 | Larry Martin (R/Pickens) | Win |
| District 4 | Sen. Billy O’Dell (R/Anderson) | Win |
| District 6 | Tommie Reece (Petition/Greenville) | Loss |
| District 7 | Karl Allen (D/Greenville) | Win |
| District 10 | Sen. Floyd Nicholson (D/Greenwood) | Win |
| District 11 | Sen. Glenn Reese (D/Spartanburg) | Win |
| District 15 | Sen. Wes Hayes (R/York) | Win |
| District 17 | Sen Creighton Coleman(D/Fairfield) | Win |
| District 18 | Sen. Ronnie Cromer (R/Newberry) | Win |
| District 20 | Sen. John Courson (R/Richland) | Win |
| District 26 | Sen. Nikki Setzler (D/Lexington) | Win |
| District 28 | Greg Hembree (R/Horry) | Win |
| District 32 | Sen. Yancey McGill (D/Clarendon) | Win |
| District 35 | Thomas McElveen (D/Sumter) | Win |
| District 36 | Rep. Kevin Johnson (D/Clarendon) | Win |
| District 41 | Paul Tinkler (D/Charleston) | Loss |
| District | Endorsed Candidate | Result |
|---|---|---|
| District 4 | Rep. Davey Hiott (R/Pickens) | Win |
| District 8 | Ted Luckadoo (P/Anderson) | Loss |
| District 14 | Rep. Mike Pitts (R/Laurens) | Win |
| District 23 | Rep. Chandra Dillard (D/Greenville) | Win |
| District 34 | Rep. Mike Forrester (R/Spartanburg) | Win |
| District 36 | Rep. Rita Allison (R/Spartanburg) | Win |
| District 39 | Rep. Ralph Kennedy (R/Lexington) | Win |
| District 44 | Mandy Powers Norrell (D/Lancaster) | Win |
| District 52 | Rep. Laurie Funderburk (D/Kershaw) | Win |
| District 62 | Rep. Robert Williams (D/Darlington) | Win |
| District 78 | Rep. Joan Brady (R/Richland) | Loss |
| District 90 | Rep. Bakari Sellers (D/Bamberg) | Win |
| District 103 | Rep. Carl Anderson (D/Georgetown) | Win |
| District 110 | Rep. Chip Limehouse (R/Charleston) | Win |
| District 120 | Weston Newton (R/Beaufort) | Win |