South Carolina voters chose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting the Republican nominee, businessman Donald Trump, and running mate Indiana Governor Mike Pence against Democratic nominee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her running mate, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine.

[1] Trump continued the Republican tradition in South Carolina, carrying the state with 54.9% of the vote.

[2] Trump became the first Republican to win the White House without carrying Charleston County since Dwight Eisenhower in 1956.

On February 20 and 27, 2016, in the presidential primaries, South Carolina voters expressed their preferences for the Republican and Democratic parties' respective nominees for president.

29 delegates are awarded to the candidate that wins the plurality of the vote in the South Carolina primary.

South Carolina has generally been reckoned to be a solidly red state ever since it voted for Barry Goldwater in 1964.

From 1964 on, the Republican ticket has carried South Carolina in every election apart from 1976, when the state voted for Jimmy Carter, from neighboring Georgia.

Four years prior to the 2016 election, in 2012, Republican Mitt Romney defeated Barack Obama by 10.5%.

^Highest rating given Republican Donald Trump won every pre-election poll, but by varying margins.