South Carolina may not be a major presidential battleground as Donald Trump and Kamala Harris vie for 270 electoral votes, but voters in the Palmetto State still face choices that could alter the political landscape here and even make history.

Will South Carolina see a second Republican woman added to its federal delegation?

Can a Democrat defy the odds in the Upstate — a conservative stronghold that has long been hostile territory for the party — and pull off a shocking upset?

Will Charleston County have a new sheriff? Will a former prosecutor defeat his former boss in the Charleston-Berkeley attorney race?

And who will keep their seat in the Statehouse — and which newcomers will present their ideas to Columbia during the next legislative session that begins in January?

Here are the South Carolina races to watch on election night as results come in on November 5.

Congress

Which throw? This year, incumbent congressional candidates are widely expected to be headed for re-election, thanks in part to redistricting. But not everyone is interested in returning to Washington.

Earlier this year, upstate Republican Rep. Jeff Duncan by Laurens announced that he would not run again after 14 years in Washington, an exit that attracted a host of Republican candidates to the state’s most conservative congressional district.

Republican Sheri Biggs beat six other candidates in a crowded GOP primary who went to a runoff against MAGA pastor Mark Burnsthe head of a multinational Christian television conglomerate in Easley whose campaign was nearly a million dollars in debt.

But in South Carolina, where state lawmakers draw the political boundaries of their own legislative districts and congressional maps after each decennial census, the June GOP primary is often the deciding contest.

Today, more than half of those elections are already decided: Records show that 19 of the Senate’s 46 seats are uncontested, as are 70 of the House’s 124 seats.

This year, Democrats are on the offensive in the House, trying to expand their influence where they can and playing defense in the Senate to hold on to the seats they have.

Here are the key races:

State House

Democrats are hoping this year that enthusiasm for the presidential race will translate into gains in the election. It will still be a difficult climb: the Democrats only hold 35 seats, compared to 87 seats for the Republicans. (There are two vacancies.)

In an interview earlier this year, state Democratic Party Executive Director Jay Parmley told the Post and Courier he thinks the party could actually win seats in the Legislature if they can match or exceed the turnout they saw for President Joe Biden in 2020.

Most of the action will take place in the Lowcountry.

House Neighborhood 115

After a narrow 1.6% victory in 2020, Folly Beach Democratic incumbent Rep. Spencer Wetmore will compete in a redrawn (and geographically larger) district, which census data shows is the most competitive district of the state. She faces a challenge from Republican Warren Sloane, who ran unsuccessfully for James Island mayor in 2010.

House Neighborhood 116

Drama has taken center stage in the battle to represent the western part of Charleston County. The race between Democrat Charlie Murray and Republican James Teeple has been marred by multiple ethics allegations, a lawsuit targeting an opponent’s family member and a disturbing video showing a candidate threatening a relative during a presidential election. a school bus incident in 2022.

The battle for the open Statehouse seat on Nov. 5 is one of the biggest political showdowns in South Carolina this year.

Republicans are eager to hold on to the seat they won two years ago when Johns Island Republican Matt Leber narrowly defeated Hollywood Democrat Chardale Murray, the first black woman ever elected to the office and the sister by Charlie Murray. (Leber is now running for a seat in the state Senate.) Democrats view the seat as one of their best stall opportunities.

House Neighborhood 75

Over the past decade, this Richland County seat has been the rare competitive seat where political gerrymandering has not taken hold. In 2012, 2020 and 2022, the winner’s margin of victory was determined by fewer than 300 votes.

This year, it’s a rematch between former Republican state Rep. Kirkman Finlay and current Democratic Rep. Heather Bauer. In 2022, the dominant issue was abortion. During this go-around, issues surrounding the management of the local school district, Richland One, and the state’s education system have been a major concern for both candidates.

The District — a compact urban area covering several young, affluent neighborhoods in downtown Columbia — could be another problem.

State Senate

Senate District 26

There are a handful of Senate seats that will be competitive on election night, mainly in the Midlands. But among them, the Senate District 26 race enters Democrat Russell Ott and Republican Jason Guerry will be among the most scrutinized of the evening.

Ott, who has served in the House of Representatives since succeeding his father, former House Minority Leader Harry Ott, in 2013, is one of the Democrats’ strongest candidates. He proved his knack for winning tough races in a vicious primary with former state Democratic Party chairman and Alex Murdaugh attorney Dick Harpootlian. This is a competitive district, so Guerry will likely get strong support from deep-red Lexington County and rural areas of the district.

Senate District 41

On paper, the Senate District 41 centered on western Charleston County should not be competitive. Census data shows Republicans are favored here by about a dozen points. But the big question here may not be whether the Republican wins, but by how much.

Republican Matt Leber earned a close victory against more moderate incumbent Sandy Senn in one of the state’s most hotly contested primaries in June, in part over their views on abortion.

His opponent, Democrat Rita Adkins, avoided attacking Leber in the final weeks of the election. It therefore remains to be seen whether Senn’s opposition during the primary will hamper Leber on Tuesday evening.

Downvote: Sheriffs, Lawyers and More

Voters will also be able to weigh in on various county-level elections throughout the state, including elections for county council and courthouse offices like sheriff, attorney, clerk, probate judge and coroner.

In Charleston County sheriff’s race is the most closely watched contest and has the potential to be one of the most competitive races on the ballot.

Sheriff Kristin GrazianoWHO stunned many in 2020 when she became the first Democratic sheriff elected here in 32 years and the first openly gay female sheriff ever elected in South Carolina, took on the former Mount Pleasant chief. Carl Ritchiea Republican whose campaign focused on his more than three decades of local law enforcement experience.

Dorchester County also has a closely watched sheriff’s race with the potential to make history. If elected, Republican Sam Richardson, who has the support of Attorney General Alan Wilson, would be South Carolina’s only black Republican sheriff.

For more information about your local races and to confirm your voting choices and voter registration, visit scvotes.govthe SC State Election Commission website.

Polling stations are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Reporter Nick Reynolds contributed to this report from Columbia, South Carolina.