1972Final resultsIncumbent defeated
1972 election for South Carolina Senate District 16
South Carolina State Senate · South Carolina
5 seats: William W. Doar Jr. (D), Thomas Dewey Wise (D), Thomas F. Hartnett (R), James B. Edwards (R), Allen Carter (D) won.
5 seatsWilliam W. Doar Jr.Democrat · winner
15.2%45,077
Thomas Dewey WiseDemocrat · winner
14.9%44,178
Thomas F. HartnettRepublican · winner
12.8%37,801
James B. EdwardsRepublican · winner
12.0%35,647
Allen CarterDemocrat · winner · incumbent
11.9%35,287
Thomas B. KennedyRepublican
11.0%32,679
Robert ScarboroughDemocrat · incumbent
10.9%32,260
J. Kenneth RentiersDemocrat · incumbent
10.5%31,075
Robert ToporekOther party
0.7%2,219
296,223 votes
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1972
Races before and after
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET