A 24-year-old Democrat pulled off a landslide win in Sen. Lindsey Graham’s backyard to secure a seat in the South Carolina House of Representatives.
Keishan Scott became the representative for rural District 50 after securing a nearly 41-point lead against his Republican opponent William Oden on Tuesday night, according to unofficial results from the South Carolina Election Commission.
“This victory is definitely not mine alone,” Scott said in a victory speech broadcast on his Facebook page. “It belongs to all of the people of District 50… I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for your vote of confidence.”
Scott ran on a campaign of improving access to health care, quality education, workforce empowerment, and expanding infrastructure. A native of Bishopville, Scott became the city’s youngest councilman at age 22.
The win makes Scott the youngest member of South Carolina’s House, which is still dominated by Republicans.
The Democratic National Committee said Scott’s victory extends the party’s “overperformance streak” this year.
“As long as Trump and MAGA Republicans peddle an out-of-touch agenda that puts billionaires’ interests first and takes away health care from millions of Americans, they will continue to sink and lose,” DNC chairperson Ken Martin said in a statement.
Todd Rutherford, South Carolina’s House Democratic leader, hailed Tuesday as “a great night for Democrats.”
“Keishan proved what is possible when we organize and run a sharp, focused campaign—and his win sets the tone for 2026,” he said.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris narrowly won the South Carolina district against Donald Trump in last year’s presidential election.
Scott’s win marks the latest victory for the Democratic Party, which in March flipped a Pennsylvania Senate district that Trump won by a wide margin.
In April, voters in the race for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court handed a humiliating loss to Trump and Elon Musk, who had invested millions into supporting the Republican candidate.
Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville said the recent triumphs were a cause for optimism amid terrible polling for Democrats.
“The political press is going to be reporting polling numbers, and I’m going to be looking at election results,” he told CNN last month.
