# 2001 South Carolina's 2nd congressional district special election

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The 2001 South Carolina 2nd congressional district special election was held on December 18, 2001, to select a Representative for the 2nd congressional district to serve out the remainder of the term for the 107th Congress. The special election resulted from the death of 16-term Republican incumbent Floyd Spence on August 16, 2001. Joe Wilson, a state senator from Lexington County and a former aide to Spence, won the Republican primary and went on to win the general election against Democratic challenger Brent Weaver.

## Republican primary

The South Carolina Republican Party held their primary on October 30, 2001. Wilson won 75 percent of the vote, avoiding a runoff election.
Republican Primary :
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Joe Wilson | 34,646 | 75.5 |
| Joe Grimaud | 6,784 | 14.8 |
| Stew Butler | 1,881 | 4.1 |
| Richard Chalk | 1,455 | 3.2 |
| Clyde T. Cobb | 1,115 | 2.4 |

## General election campaign

The Republican Party was on the rise in South Carolina and there was a great deal of enthusiasm among its voters. Additionally, the 2nd had long been a Republican stronghold; it had been in GOP hands without interruption since a 1965 special election. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party was clearly on the decline and was expected to fare poorly in the upcoming 2002 elections. Therefore, it was generally understood that Wilson had clinched a seat in Congress with his primary victory.
As expected, Wilson scored a decisive victory in the general election and he was sworn into Congress the very next day.

## Election results

South Carolina's 2nd Congressional District Special Election Results, 2001 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Joe Wilson | 40,355 | 73.1 | +16.1 |
| | Democratic | Brent Weaver | 14,034 | 25.4 | −15.4 |
| | Libertarian | Warren Eilertson | 420 | 0.8 | −0.5 |
| | Constitution | Steve LeFemine | 404 | 0.7 | +0.7 |
| | No party | Write-Ins | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 26,321 | 47.7 | +31.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,214 | | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |