Who won South Carolina in the 1896 presidential election?

Bryan (Democratic) carried South Carolina in 1896, winning its 9 electoral votes.

How many electoral votes did South Carolina have in 1896?

South Carolina cast 9 electoral votes in the 1896 presidential election.

Did South Carolina vote for the national winner in 1896?

No. South Carolina backed Bryan, while William McKinley won the presidency nationally.

Progressive EraSC · 9 EV

1896

South Carolina: Bryan carries 9 EV.

South Carolina cast its 9 electoral votes for Bryan (Democratic). National winner: William McKinley (Republican) — South Carolina voted against the national winner this cycle.

South Carolina in 1896

The 1896 contest saw South Carolina line up behind Bryan, delivering 9 electoral votes to the Democratic ticket. Nationally the result broke the other way — William McKinley (Republican) won the presidency, leaving South Carolina among the states he did not carry.

It marked the 5th consecutive election in which South Carolina backed the Democratic party, a streak reaching back to 1880. South Carolina did not move alone — neighboring Georgia and North Carolina broke the same way in 1896. Across the 59 presidential elections South Carolina has taken part in, it has most often sided with the Democratic party (28 times). The vote fell within the Progressive Era — Trust-busting, suffrage, and World War I.

In the national count, William McKinley took 271 of the 447 electoral votes, against William Jennings Bryan's 176. William McKinley led the national popular vote with 51.02% of the ballots cast.

The 1896 national map

South Carolina full history →