South Carolina’s Climer wins election to succeed Norman in House

Republican Wes Climer is projected to succeed South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman (R) in the House, according to Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ).

Climer was leading with 51 percent of the vote, with 78 percent of the total reported, by DDHQ as of 9:29 p.m. EST Tuesday.

Climer, a state senator, defeated Democrat Mallory Dittmer to clinch the ruby-red district. Norman unsuccessfully ran for both governor and Senate this summer.

The incumbent backed Climer for the 5th District seat in the northern portion of the Palmetto State.

The lawmaker-elect tendered his resignation from the state Senate — effective Election Day — this summer, as election forecasters rated the contest as “safe” for the GOP.

Norman was first elected in 2017 after President Trump nominated then-Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) to lead the Office of Management and Budget. He is a member of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus.

Norman made headlines in the lead-up to the midterms amid his criticism of Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.). Norman lost to Darline Graham by about 5 percentage points in a special GOP primary for Senate after her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), died unexpectedly over the summer.

The House Republican indicated he would vote for Darline Graham over Democrat Annie Andrews, but he said his family was unlikely to do the same.