Nov 7, 2026 · @ https://x.com/myrtlebeachnews
South Carolina’s 2026 midterm drew close to 60 percent of registered voters, the strongest non-presidential showing in more than three decades, and Horry County’s statehouse races pulled nearly as many votes as they did in the 2024 presidential year.
That is the headline. The fine print matters more for people who live here. Horry County’s own turnout trailed the state average, according to a post-election analysis by the Post and Courier. Yet for the first time in years, every incumbent in the county’s legislative delegation faced a named opponent, and one of them lost.
This piece lines up three elections side by side: the 2022 midterm, the 2024 presidential race and the 2026 midterm decided Tuesday. It draws on certified state and county figures for 2022 and 2024, unofficial 2026 returns, and a district-by-district results sheet compiled by MyrtleBeachSC News [MyrtleBeachSC News results compilation, 2026]. All 2026 figures remain unofficial until the State Election Commission certifies them.
The results of the elections are particularly significant for Horry County Voters in 2026, reflecting shifting dynamics and voter engagement within the region.
Statewide, 2026 landed squarely between the last two cycles, but much closer to a presidential year than a typical midterm.
| Election | SC ballots cast | SC turnout (registered) | Horry County turnout | Horry early votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 midterm | about 1.72 million | 51% | 51.4% | 52,000+ |
| 2024 presidential | about 2.56 million | 75% | 77% (206,453 ballots) | 122,570 |
| 2026 midterm (unofficial) | 2 million+ | 59.7% | below state average; figure not yet published | 88,568 |
The state’s 2022 total came to roughly 1.72 million ballots, or about half of active registered voters, according to the State Election Commission’s certification notice [SC Election Commission, 2022]. Two years later, the commission’s annual report put 2024 turnout at about 2.56 million ballots, three out of four registered voters [SC Election Commission, 2025]. For 2026, the Post and Courier reported 59.7 percent of the state’s 3,438,317 registered voters took part, the best non-presidential turnout since the 1994 governor’s race [Post and Courier, 2026].
Horry County followed the same arc at a slightly lower level. In 2022, about 51 percent of county voters cast ballots, ranking 17th among the 46 counties, per WBTW’s post-election review [WBTW, 2022]. In 2024, county elections director Sandy Martin reported 206,453 ballots from 267,402 active voters, a 77 percent turnout that was the county’s best since 1992 [MyHorryNews, 2024]. For 2026, the Post and Courier found Horry below the statewide average, alongside other large Republican-leaning counties such as Spartanburg and Berkeley.
Early voting tells the clearest story about habits changing. Horry voters cast more than 52,000 early ballots in 2022 [WBTW, 2022] and 122,570 in 2024 [MyHorryNews, 2024]. In 2026, the figure reached 88,568, fourth-highest in the state, according to State Election Commission data reported by WIS [WIS/Fox Carolina, 2026]. That is roughly 70 percent more early voters than the last midterm.
Georgetown County shows a similar pattern. About 57 percent of its voters turned out in 2022 [WBTW, 2022], and 17,921 residents voted early this fall, according to WPDE [WPDE, 2026]. A final 2026 Georgetown turnout percentage had not been posted at publication.
U.S. Rep. Russell Fry won the 7th Congressional District for a third time, but the shape of his win changed sharply.
| Year | Fry (R) votes | Opponent | Opponent votes | Total votes | Fry margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 164,440 (64.8%) | Daryl Scott (D) | 89,030 | 253,865 | about 29.7 pts |
| 2024 | 240,326 (64.9%) | Mal Hyman (D) | 129,522 | 370,329 | about 29.9 pts |
| 2026 | about 172,308 (56.7%) | John Gregory Vincent (D) | about 131,319 | about 303,831 | about 13.5 pts |
Source: MyrtleBeachSC News results compilation (certified 2022 and 2024; unofficial 2026).
About 50,000 more people voted in this race than in 2022, a 20 percent jump for a midterm. But nearly 66,500 fewer voted than in 2024, so the district kept about 82 percent of its presidential-year electorate.
The more striking change is where those votes went. Fry’s raw total rose only modestly over 2022, while the Democratic challenger’s total rose by more than 42,000, slightly above even the 2024 Democratic nominee’s count. Fry’s margin fell by more than half, to roughly 13.5 points. The Post and Courier’s unofficial tally likewise puts him near 57 percent [Post and Courier, 2026].
One caution: a single cycle does not make a trend. A larger opposition vote in a high-turnout midterm can reflect a national mood as much as a local one. Still, it is the narrowest result Fry has posted in this district, and it came in the same election that unseated one statehouse incumbent.
The biggest local change in 2026 was not turnout. It was competition. All eight Horry-area House incumbents in the results compilation faced a named opponent this year, and their races drew about 145,600 votes combined, within 1 percent of the 2024 presidential-year total.
Compare that with the earlier cycles. In 2022, five of these eight seats had no opponent beyond write-ins. In 2024, seven of eight were uncontested [MyrtleBeachSC News results compilation, 2026]. Rep. Kevin Hardee’s District 105 race is the clearest example: about 19,400 votes in the 2024 presidential year with no challenger, and about 19,900 this year against Democrat David Wilson, even though the overall electorate was smaller.
Challengers also did better than the scoreboard suggests. Most incumbents won with 59 to 67 percent, a far cry from the 98 or 99 percent typical of uncontested years. Democrats drew roughly a third or more of the vote in every district, from about 33 percent against Rep. Val Guest to about 39 percent against Reps. Carla Schuessler and Case Brittain.
Then there is District 57. Rep. Lucas Atkinson, who switched from Democrat to Republican in March, lost to Democrat Cynthia Ford, 51.6 to 48.4 percent. He was the only member of the county’s legislative delegation to lose [Post and Courier, 2026]. Two years earlier, running as a Democrat, Atkinson won the same seat with nearly 59 percent.
Put the three elections together and a few things stand out for local readers.
Competition drives participation down the ballot. In 2024, a presidential race brought people to the polls, but many skipped statehouse races with only one name listed. In 2026, the overall crowd was smaller, yet contested House races held their vote. A voter with a real choice is more likely to make one. That has implications for anyone weighing a run for local office: an uncontested seat does not just hand an incumbent a term, it also lowers engagement in that race.
Horry is still firmly Republican, but less lopsided. Two of every three Horry voters who chose a straight party ticket picked Republicans this year, the Post and Courier found [Post and Courier, 2026]. Every other Republican in the county’s House delegation won reelection. But Fry’s margin halved, Democratic challengers took a third or more of the vote across the board, and a party-switching incumbent lost in the county’s western edge.
Growth makes raw totals look bigger than they are. Horry is among the state’s fastest-growing counties, as WBTW has noted [WBTW, 2024]. More residents mean more ballots even when the share of voters participating holds flat. That is why the percentage matters: a county that cast far more early votes than in the last midterm still turned out at a lower rate than South Carolina as a whole. Final county turnout percentages will settle that question once certified.
Early voting is now the norm. Statewide, more than 1 million South Carolinians voted early this year, roughly double the 2022 midterm figure but short of 2024 [WIS/Fox Carolina, 2026]. Locally, the 2026 early-vote count landed between the last two cycles, mirroring the overall turnout pattern.
The numbers in this story will move a little before they are final. County election boards certify results first, then the State Election Commission certifies statewide totals, as it did on Nov. 17 after the 2022 election [SC Election Commission, 2022]. Once that happens, MyrtleBeachSC News will update this comparison with official 2026 county turnout for Horry and Georgetown and the certified district totals.
Three questions are worth watching from here:
If you voted, or chose not to, we want to hear why. Reply in the comments or email the newsroom.
Horry County Voters in 2026 – MyrtleBeachSC News, Horry County Legislative Results 2026 (results compilation, Nov. 2026; available from the newsroom)
Horry County Voters in 2026 – Inflation. High prices. Democracy. South Carolina voter turnout Nov. 3 was highest in decades. — Post and Courier, 2026
Horry County Voters in 2026 – Most Horry County incumbents cruise to victory. Here are the unofficial results. — Post and Courier, 2026
Horry County Voters in 2026 – 6 Horry County Council incumbents win their races — MyHorryNews, 2026
Horry County Voters in 2026 – Horry County Voters in 2026 – Record turnout: South Carolina breaks 2 voter records in midterm election — Fox Carolina, 2026
Horry County Voters in 2026 – Over 1 million votes cast in South Carolina during record early voting period — WIS/Fox Carolina, 2026
Horry County Voters in 2026 – South Carolina early voting tops 1 million, almost doubles 2022 midterm early votes — WPDE, 2026
Horry County Voters in 2026 – Horry County voter turnout an impressive 77%, highest since 1992 — MyHorryNews, 2024
Horry County Voters in 2026 – Horry County second highest in state for ballots cast in GOP primary — WBTW, 2024
Horry County Voters in 2026 – SC State Election Commission 2024 annual report — SC Election Commission, 2025
Horry County Voters in 2026 – Here are the 3 big Horry County midterm election takeaways — WBTW, 2022
Horry County Voters in 2026 – SEC Certifies Successful 2022 General Election — SC Election Commission, 2022
Horry County Voters in 2026 – Official election results, 2008–2026 — SC Election Commission
