2014 South Carolina gubernatorial election

The 2014 South Carolina gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the Governor of South Carolina, concurrently with the regularly-scheduled election and special election to both of South Carolina's U.S. Senate seats, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

Incumbent Republican Governor Nikki Haley ran for re-election to a second term in office. She faced Democratic State Senator Vincent Sheheen in the general election. Republican-turned-Independent Tom Ervin had been running, but he withdrew from the race and endorsed Sheheen.

Haley defeated Sheheen again in 2014, as she won nearly 56 percent of the vote to his 41 percent.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Nikki Haley, incumbent governor

Withdrew

• Tom Ervin, attorney, former state representative and former circuit court judge (ran as an Independent and later dropped out of the race to endorse Vincent Sheheen)

Declined

• Tom Davis, state senator
• Bobby Harrell, Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives
• Curtis M. Loftis, Jr., state treasurer
• Glenn F. McConnell, Lieutenant Governor
• Mick Mulvaney, U.S. Representative
• William Walter Wilkins, former Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
• Alan Wilson, Attorney General of South Carolina

Polling

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Vincent Sheheen, state senator and nominee for governor in 2010

Declined

• Stephen K. Benjamin, Mayor of Columbia
• Harry L. Ott, Jr., Minority Leader of the South Carolina House of Representatives

Endorsements

Independent and third parties

Candidates

Declared

• Steve French (Libertarian), businessman
• Morgan Bruce Reeves (United Citizens Party), former NFL player and nominee for governor in 2010
• Angry Grandpa (Charles Green) youtuber, comedian, former nut salesman, and weed rights activist

Withdrew

• Tom Ervin (Independent), attorney, former Republican state representative and former circuit court judge (endorsed Sheheen)

Declined

• André Bauer (Independent), former Republican Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina, candidate for governor in 2010 and candidate for SC-07 in 2012

General election

Predictions

Polling

Results

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Abbeville (largest city: Abbeville)
• Barnwell (largest city: Barnwell)
• Chester (largest town: Chester)
• Chesterfield (Largest city: Cheraw)
• Colleton (largest city: Walterboro)
• Florence (Largest city: Florence)
• Kershaw (Largest city: Camden)
• McCormick (largest town: McCormick)
• Union (Largest city: Union)

References

External links

• South Carolina gubernatorial election, 2014 at Ballotpedia

Official campaign websites

• Nikki Haley for Governor incumbent
• Tom Ervin for Governor
• Steve French for Governor
• Vincent Sheheen for Governor