# 1992 United States Senate election in South Carolina

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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 sixth (his fifth full) term. Apart from Hollings's first election to the Senate in 1966, this was the closest election of Hollings's Senate career. This is the last time that a Senate candidate was voted for and was elected to the United States Senate in South Carolina at the same time that a presidential candidate of a different political party was voted for in South Carolina and had won South Carolina.

## Republican primary
### Candidates

* Thomas F. Hartnett, former U.S. Representative from the 1st congressional district
* Charlie E. Thompson, teacher
Republican Primary :
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Thomas F. Hartnett | 123,572 | 76.8% |
| Charlie E. Thompson | 37,352 | 23.2% |

## General election
### Candidates
#### Major

* Thomas Hartnett (R), former U.S. Representative
* Fritz Hollings (D), incumbent U.S. Senator

#### Minor

* Robert Clarkson (American)
* Mark Johnson (Libertarian)

### Campaign

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 | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Ernest 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 | Majority | Majority | 36,855 | 3.2% | −24.3% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,180,438 | 76.8% | +20.2% |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |