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Republicans in South Carolina Just Scored a Historic Win

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  November 22, 2023 8:45 PM

Charleston, South Carolina, will have its first Republican mayor in nearly 150 years. If only the Republican Party could clinch such seismic wins on the national stage instead of the dismal 2020, 2022, and 2023 cycles overall, but for now, this will do (via Post and Courier): 


Charleston will have a new mayor. 

William Cogswell won in a nail-biter runoff election on Nov. 21, delivering a stunning defeat to incumbent Mayor John Tecklenburg after a hard-fought campaign. 

Cogswell declared victory shortly after 8:45 p.m. By 9:10 p.m., Tecklenburg had called him to concede, promising to help with the transition. About five minutes later, Tecklenburg was giving his concession speech — his first appearance of the night at his Election Night watch party.

With all precincts reporting, Cogswell had about 51 percent of the vote compared to 49 percent for Tecklenburg, the city’s mayor who had been seeking his third and final term in office. 

The city limits, while mostly in Charleston County, also extend into Berkeley County. 

With more than 24,000 votes cast across 84 precincts in Charleston County, Tecklenburg came out on top by 153 votes, according to unofficial results. 

But it was Charleston city residents in Berkeley County, on Daniel Island and in the Cainhoy area, that pushed Cogswell ahead in the overall vote total. Of the 2,854 votes cast there, Cogswell received 722 more than Tecklenburg, for nearly 63 percent. 

Cogswell’s overall margin of victory was 569 votes. That percentage is enough to avoid an automatic recount. 

Congratulations, Mayor-elect William Cogswell