The 1992 United States Senate election in South Carolina was held on November 3, 1992. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Fritz Hollings won reelection to his fifth full term.
The race between Hollings and Hartnett was between two politicians from the Lowcountry. Hartnett attacked Hollings for co-sponsoring a bill in 1983 that would have outlawed discrimination against homosexuals and Hollings shot back about questions of Hartnett's integrity for pushing for military contracts with a firm he had ties with in North Charleston. The anti-incumbency mood helped to bring Hartnett close to topping Hollings in the general election, but South Carolina voters traditionally support their incumbent politicians and Hollings was elected for another six-year term, albeit with a much reduced margin.
Results[]
South Carolina U.S. Senate Election, 1992
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
±%
Democratic
Fritz Hollings (incumbent)
591,030
50.1%
-13.0%
Republican
Thomas F. Hartnett
554,175
46.9%
+11.3%
Libertarian
Mark Johnson
16,987
1.9%
+1.2%
American
Robert Barnwell Clarkson II
11,568
1.0%
+0.4%
No party
Write-Ins
703
0.1%
+0.1%
Majority
36,855
3.2%
-24.3%
Turnout
1,180,438
76.8%
+20.2%
Democratichold
See also[]
List of United States senators from South Carolina