1986Flipped from RepublicanFinal results
1986 election for South Carolina's 4th District
U.S. House · South Carolina
Elizabeth Patterson (D) won with 51.4% of the vote, defeating Bill Workman (R) by 4.1 points, a seat Republicans won last time.
Elizabeth PattersonDemocrat · winner
51.4%67,012
Bill WorkmanRepublican
47.3%61,648
Bob WilsonOther party
1.3%1,644
130,407 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 1986
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.
Elizabeth PattersonBill Workman
$620.2K
Raised by the campaign
$643.7K
$594K
Spent by the campaign
$639.9K
$26.2K
Cash on hand
$3.8K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1986.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1986