The latest episode of The Map Room is out on Old Bull TV! This week, Eric Cunningham (@decunningham2) and Jared Stone (@JStonePolitics) discuss South Carolina. Long a Republican bastion, South Carolina expected to vote in the Republican column again in the 2020 elections. However, Democrats see a long-term opportunity in this surprisingly urban state.
The hosts explain all you need to know about the basics of South Carolina politics: the strong population base adjacent to the North Carolina border, the rapidly-growing coastal populations in Myrtle Beach and the Lowcounty, and the Democratic strength based in the rural black belt and Columbia area. They also discuss all the major races this century and the presidential trends going back to 1976. As recently as 2010, Democrats even ran close in gubernatorial races.
Major emphasis is placed not on the Charleston area, but rather the highly-populated Greenville/Spartanburg area. Republican gains here helped overcome swings in Charleston in 2016. If Democrats want to win statewide races in South Carolina, they’ll have to make major gains here. The hosts also discussed the history of Congressional races in South Carolina, including the surprising Democratic strength in 2008.
You can find the full episode of The Map Room on YouTube below. If you prefer, you can also listen to it in audio form at Apple Podcasts, PodBay, or PodBean. You can find a full list of episodes at oldbull.tv. Be sure to subscribe to Old Bull TV so you can catch the show each week, and if you liked it be sure to like the episode on YouTube and give it a five-star review wherever you get your podcasts!
