South Carolina Democratic Party

Letter from the Chair

Democrats Can Change South Carolina Too!

Over the past two years the South Carolina Democratic Party has worked hard to build an organization that can win elections at every level. 

In 2007, we began to build excitement around our state party and candidates with our first-in-the-nation presidential primary debate. This event was just the beginning of a significant turning point in history for South Carolina Democrats.

In 2008, we captured the attention of the country and showed everyone this state isn't so red.  In January, we made history with our First-In-The- South Democratic presidential primary election.  A record number of voters --more than 532,000 -- turned out, giving Barack Obama a big boost in his quest for the presidential nomination.  Democrats outvoted Republicans in 36 counties and were very competitive in the remaining 10 counties.

After the primary we made significant strides in our mission to turn SC blue. We registered over 300,000 new voters across the state, picked up seats in the SC General Assembly, and helped to put a Democrat back in the White House. On Election Day, all but 2 of our counties voted more Democratic than they had in 2004.  And in every county Democrats turned out in higher numbers than ever before.

Although we've accomplished a great deal over the past two years, South Carolina Democrats still have a lot of work to do. If we want to change our state, we must take back the governor's mansion and defeat Senator DeMint in 2010.  Recent polling shows that equal numbers of South Carolina voters identify themselves as Democrats and Republicans.  It's up to us to take advantage of the opportunities that offers.

There's a part for every single Democrat to play as we get ready to win.  If you don't know what to do to help elect Democrats, let us give you some suggestions or call your county party chair to offer your help.  There's no time to waste.

Carol Fowler