PolitiFinder

1980 South Carolina U.S. Senate Election

South Carolina · 2 candidates · See every 1980 U.S. Senate race

Who won the 1980 South Carolina U.S. Senate Election?

Ernest Fritz Hollings won the 1980 South Carolina U.S. Senate Election. Ernest Fritz Hollings received 612,554 popular votes (70.37%). The main challenger was Marshall Mays (29.63%).

See the full head-to-head between Hollings and Mays

Hollings +40.7 pts · won by 354,608 votes
Ernest Fritz HollingsDemocraticWINNER70.37%
612,554 votes
Marshall MaysRepublican29.63%
257,946 votes
Popular-vote totals for U.S. Senate elections come from the MIT Election Data and Science Lab (1976–2024).

Data last verified July 28, 2026.