Certified recount results released on Wednesday confirmed the defeat of South Carolina House Majority Leader Micah Caskey in a deep-red Lexington County district.
Recounts Confirm Ousting
Official tallies show Democratic challenger Joe Madge defeated Caskey by 106 votes out of more than 14,400 ballots cast, capturing 50.3% of the vote. Caskey’s loss in District 89 stands as one of the most surprising defeats among the 10 state House Republicans unseated during a national blue wave. Four years ago, Caskey survived a primary challenge by just 25 votes, and in 2024, he defeated his Democratic challenger by nearly 21 percentage points.
Responding on social media, Caskey said he called Madge to congratulate him on Wednesday.
“The people have made their choice, and I respect it fully,” Caskey wrote on X, as reported by News From The States. “The seat has never belonged to me. It belongs to the people of Cayce, Springdale, and West Columbia, and it has been the honor of my life to hold it in trust for you.”
The 10-year incumbent and Marine veteran added that service remains a way of living that does not end when an election concludes. Caskey had just been elected majority leader in August to replace Davey Hiott of Pickens, who did not seek re-election, meaning the House GOP Caucus must now select a new leader.
Challenger Focuses on Consensus
Madge, a 59-year-old engineer at tire manufacturer Continental and former chairman of the Lexington County Democratic Party from 2018 to 2022, decided to challenge Caskey because he was tired of legislative inaction on everyday struggles. He knocked on doors to rally voters who do not normally participate in midterms, aiming to bridge partisan divides.
The recount in House District 89 has been completed, and it confirmed the result of last Tuesday’s election. The people have made their choice, and I respect it fully. I called Joe Madge this morning to congratulate him, and I wish him every success.
“Can we focus on the things that the voters want to see us work on — reducing healthcare costs, improving our education system, fixing our roads and bridges?” Madge told News From The States. “I think everybody wants to do those things. So that’s what I would like to see us focus on.”
Madge will represent a district situated entirely within Lexington County, where he will likely manage policy disagreements with fellow local lawmakers, including members of the uber-conservative Freedom Caucus. The same political wave nearly unseated U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson in the neighboring 2nd Congressional District, where Wilson secured a narrow victory finalized Wednesday by an automatic recount margin of 0.95 percentage points.
Vaughan Survives Simpsonville Contest
In Greenville County, Republican Rep. David Vaughan of Simpsonville also survived a mandatory recount to hold District 27 by just 32 votes out of nearly 18,300 ballots cast against Democratic challenger John MacCarthy.
“I feel very thankful,” Vaughan told News From The States. “I knew that people were angry. I know that everybody was hurting from gas prices and grocery prices, and I knew that voter apathy was going to be a big issue. But I really and truly had no idea that it would quite turn out the way that it would.”
Vaughan said that the exceptionally tight margin serves as a wake-up call for the Legislature to address economic pain by reducing government spending and lowering taxes. MacCarthy, a physics professor at Spartanburg Community College and former engineer, ran on a platform emphasizing that the state can perform better for its residents.
With all recount tallies finalized on Wednesday, election results across South Carolina are officially certified.
