1984Final results
1984 election for U.S. Senate in South Carolina
U.S. Senate · South Carolina
Strom Thurmond (R) won with 66.8% of the vote, defeating Melvin Purvis (D) by 35.0 points.
Strom ThurmondRepublican · winner
66.8%644,815
Melvin PurvisDemocrat
31.8%306,982
Stephen DavisLibertarian
1.4%13,333
965,130 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1984
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Melvin PurvisStrom Thurmond
$11.7K
Raised by the campaign
$1.2M
$11.8K
Spent by the campaign
$1.6M
$74
Cash on hand
$364.7K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1984.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1984