Senator Jim DeMint won re-election to a second term, defeating Democratic nominee Alvin Greene.

At the time of his Senate campaign, Greene was unemployed and living with and caring for his father[10] in Manning, South Carolina.

In August 2010, South Carolina Democratic Party chairwoman Carol Fowler asserted that the criminal charges against Greene would make it impossible for him to run a statewide campaign.

[23] A Winthrop University poll conducted between October 5 and 10, 741 likely South Carolina voters found Clements running second with 12.2% of the vote against 11.2% for Greene and 58.3% for incumbent Republican Sen. Jim DeMint.

[24][25] An October 13 article in the Columbia Free Times noted that prominent Democrats were privately donating money to the Clements campaign.

[27] Write-in candidates also joined the race, including the Reverend Mazie Ferguson,[28] Mauldin High School teacher Greg Snoad,[29][30][31] Michael C Neumann, and chef Nathalie Dupree.

[38] Diverse media outlets frequently referred to DeMint as a party "kingmaker" for supporting successful primary challengers to mainstream Republican candidates.

[39][40][41] At an October 3 appearance before a rally at Spartanburg North Baptist Church, DeMint reminded the audience of his 2004 comments that gay men and sexually active single women should be prohibited from teaching in public schools.

[47] Challenger Tom Clements condemned DeMint's stance in a subsequent interview with the Herald-Journal: "He's trying to push his version of religion onto the entire country.