state house districtSouth Carolina 78th State House District
presidential margin
2004–2024 · Democratic minus Republican
2004R+16.3
2008R+1.8
2012D+3.7
2016D+12.3
2020D+20.4
2024D+23.7
net swing · 2004→2024D+40.1R+16.3 → D+23.7
vs. U.S. · 2024D+25.2D+23.7 vs R+1.5
presidential returns
2024 turnout 65.0% of 30,480 citizens 18+
Year
Democrat
Republican
Others
Total
CVAP
Turnout
2024
12,068
7,366
369
19,803
30,480
65.0%
2020
11,473
7,535
275
19,283
30,015†
64.2%
2016
8,272
6,364
828
15,464
28,921†
53.5%
2012
7,264
6,741
184
14,189
27,279†
52.0%
2008
7,212
7,477
186
14,875
25,192†
59.0%
2004
5,198
7,255
130
12,583
23,104†
54.5%
† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles from the constituent-county ACS trend anchored to the current figure. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupSC HD 78South CarolinaUnited States
English9.7%12.1%9.5%
German9.1%9.4%12.5%
Irish7.1%9.1%9.4%
American5.4%8.2%5.3%
Italian3.2%3.4%4.8%
Scottish2.1%2.1%1.3%
Scotch-Irish1.8%1.4%—
French1.7%1.1%1.6%
African American†30.8%23.4%9.9%
African0.6%0.6%0.5%
Jamaican0.5%0.2%0.4%
Mexican4.4%3.4%11.3%
Puerto Rican2.6%1.0%1.8%
Honduran0.9%0.4%0.3%
Cuban0.4%0.3%0.7%
Dominican0.4%—0.7%
Panamanian0.4%——
Colombian0.4%0.4%0.4%
Venezuelan0.4%——
Asian Indian1.7%0.5%1.4%
Chinese0.8%0.2%1.3%
Filipino0.7%0.3%0.9%
Korean0.7%—0.4%
Vietnamese0.3%0.2%0.6%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
SC HD 78
South Carolina
United States
Median age
36.8
40.5
39.1
Age 18–24
14.8%
9.1%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
14.2%
18.9%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
SC HD 78
South Carolina
United States
Median household income
$82,644
$69,324
$84,427
Poverty rate
12.0%
14.1%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
40.7%
32.1%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
SC HD 78
South Carolina
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
8.7%
8.4%
22.3%
Spanish
4.3%
5.2%
13.6%
Other Indo-European
1.1%
0.8%
2.0%
Religious landscape
Measure
SC HD 78
South Carolina
United States
Catholic
—
8.0%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
28.6%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
47.5%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
South Carolina 78th State House District
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
−16.3%
2008
−1.8%
2012
+3.7%
2016
+12.3%
2020
+20.4%
2024
+23.7%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
D
60.9%Harris12,068
37.2%Trump7,366
1.9%
D+23.7
D+3.3
D+25.2
19,803
D
59.5%Biden11,473
39.1%Trump7,535
1.4%
D+20.4
D+8.1
D+16.0
19,283
D
53.5%Clinton8,272
41.2%Trump6,364
5.4%
D+12.3
D+8.7
D+10.2
15,464
D
51.2%Obama7,264
47.5%Romney6,741
1.3%
D+3.7
D+5.5
R+0.2
14,189
R
48.5%Obama7,212
50.3%McCain7,477
1.3%
R+1.8
D+14.6
R+9.1
14,875
R
41.3%Kerry5,198
57.7%Bush7,255
1.0%
R+16.3
—
R+13.9
12,583
current representation
Current officeholders
DBeth BernsteinState House · 78
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
District 78 backed the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee by nearly 24 points, placing it among the state's bluest legislative constituencies. Its population of roughly 41,000 reflects a compact, urban-anchored electorate with consistent leftward tendencies.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 23.7 points in 2024 and a Republican high of 16.3 points in 2004. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 3.3 points toward the Democratic candidate; the 2024 margin was 23.7 points.
A population of 41,126, a 47% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $82,644 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State House District 64 and State House District 101.
Akashic
Political twins — state-house districts
The state-house districts whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
South Carolina 78th State House District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/45078/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did South Carolina 78th State House District vote in 2024?
In 2024, South Carolina 78th State House District voted Democratic by 23.7 points (D+23.7), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 19,803 votes cast, 12,068 went Democratic and 7,366 went Republican.
When did South Carolina 78th State House District last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which South Carolina 78th State House District voted Republican was 2008.
How many people live in South Carolina 78th State House District?
South Carolina 78th State House District has a population of 41,126 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in South Carolina 78th State House District?
Median household income in South Carolina 78th State House District is $82,644 — above the national median of $80,734. The South Carolina state median is $69,324.
What is the political history of South Carolina 78th State House District?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in South Carolina 78th State House District from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 4 went Democratic and 2 went Republican.
