South Carolina State Senate
Special Election for
District 15 in York County
There will be a ‘Special Election’ for State Senate for District 15 in 2026, and the circumstances are a little unusual and perhaps confusing, so here are the details…
Where is District 15?
State Senate District 15 is located entirely inside York County. It is carefully gerrymandered to include the Republican areas of western and northern Rock HIll, the Lake Wylie area, and the City of York. It does not include Fort Mill.
Only voters who are registered in District 15 will see this election on their ballot. Check your registration at SCVotes.gov to see if you are in the District.
Why a Special Election (we’ll get to when…)
The incumbent State Senator, Republican Wes Climer, has resigned the seat (effective November 3) and is running against Democratic candidate Mallory Dittmer for US House District 5, the seat vacated by Ralph Norman in his failed bid for the Republican nomination for Governor. Climer’s resignation from his State Senate seat is ‘irrevocable’, so if he loses the election for US House, he can’t return to his State Senate seat. The term for that seat would normally run until the next election in 2028 — State Senators have four-year terms, and elections are held in ‘Presidential’ years.