PolitiFinder

1990 South Carolina U.S. Senate Election

South Carolina · 4 candidates · See every 1990 U.S. Senate race

Who won the 1990 South Carolina U.S. Senate Election?

Strom Thurmond won the 1990 South Carolina U.S. Senate Election. Strom Thurmond received 482,032 popular votes (64.21%). The main challenger was Bob Cunningham (32.52%).

See the full head-to-head between Thurmond and Cunningham

Thurmond +31.7 pts · won by 237,920 votes
Strom ThurmondRepublicanWINNER64.21%
482,032 votes
Bob CunninghamDemocratic32.52%
244,112 votes
William H. GriffinLibertarian1.84%
13,805 votes
Marion C. MettsAmerican1.37%
10,317 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.