SC’s Jim Clyburn heads to 16th term after defeating Republican Buckner for House seat

Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/AP

Congressman James Clyburn easily won re-election Tuesday to the seat he has held for nearly three decades as South Carolina’s only Black U.S representative.

Clyburn, the third-ranking Democrat in the U.S. House, faced Republican Duke Buckner.

The Associated Press called the race in favor of Clyburn shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday. With 94 percent of the votes counted as of 1:08 a.m Wednesday, Clyburn had taken more than 61 percent to less than 39 percent for Buckner..

“I am grateful to the people of South Carolina’s 6th district for trusting me to serve another term in Congress,’’ Clyburn said in a tweet. “My focus remains on doing everything in my power to make America’s greatness accessible and affordable for all.’’

Clyburn, who lives in Columbia, has become increasingly influential in national Democratic politics since his election in 1992 to represent the 6th Congressional District. Among other initiatives, he has championed efforts to help impoverished rural areas, such as expanding access to broadband internet, as well as historic preservation and environmental causes, such as elevating the Congaree Swamp to national park status.

The son of a Sumter minister and a beautician, Clyburn now serves as House majority whip — a position that has made him sought after by Democratic candidates and journalists for his views on a range of issues, from the Jan. 6 Capitol riot to the nation’s economic challenges.

His endorsement of then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in 2020 energized the campaign and is credited with helping get the former former vice president elected.

With Republicans poised to take control of the House, Clyburn would lose some of the power he has.

Asked recently if a Republican takeover would cause him not to run for reelection in 2024, the 82-year-old Clyburn was non-committal, saying it would depend on his health.

He recently spent 13 days stumping for Democratic candidates in more than a half-dozen states ahead of the midterm elections. Despite what appeared to be a Republican win of the House, Clyburn told The State newspaper last week that “Nobody has given up. We’re working hard.”

In an interview with CBS Tuesday night, Clyburn said the Democrats should conduct a “real good assessment’’ if they lose the House, as has been projected.

Known for his often blunt assessments of problems, Clyburn has been critical of former President Donald Trump’s hold on the Republican Party. He has said the country’s democracy is in trouble because of Trump, and has likened Trump boosters to “cult-worshiping’’ individuals.

Tuesday’s expected win by Clyburn, a longtime incumbent, comes as no surprise.

Clyburn represents a majority Democratic district that changed only slightly in the latest redistricting cycle.

“Providing good paying jobs and educational opportunities for our children; controlling the costs of healthcare and putting broadband in every home and business; and protecting Social Security and Medicare will remain my focus in the 118thCongress,’’ Clyburn said in a statement after 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Buckner, who also is Black, is an attorney from Walterboro who graduated high school just two years before Clyburn was first elected to Congress.

On campaign stops, Buckner said Clyburn wasn’t doing enough to help the 6th District avoid poverty that plagues the area.

The Buckner campaign urged people to vote for him because the district has been “stagnant economically’’ for three decades.

This is a developing story. It will be updated.

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