Democrat Joe Madge defeats Micah Caskey in SC House District 89

Democrat Joe Madge defeats Micah Caskey in SC House District 89

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State Rep. Micah Caskey, R-West Columbia, lost his re-election bid to Democrat Joe Madge in House District 89 by just 101 votes, an outcome that has forced the South Carolina House to find a new majority leader. Caskey was only appointed to the leadership role in September.

A Narrow Defeat

In a district that had a 13.5 point Republican lean, Caskey was unseated by Madge, according to unofficial counts. The results are required to be certified by Friday, after which election officials will begin the automatic recount process, which is triggered when the margin of votes is less than or equal to one percent. Caskey has acknowledged the results, stating, while the night didn’t go as he’d hoped, he doesn’t expect a state-mandated recount to change the results of the election. He added, I’m proud of the work I’ve done on election integrity in the General Assembly and we all have every reason to expect the final results to be exactly what the Election Commission says they are.

Who is Joe Madge?

Madge is an engineer by trade, with a longstanding background in grassroots organizing. He previously served as the chair of the Lexington County Democratic Party. He ran on a platform focused on defending reproductive rights, supporting public schools over private school vouchers, reducing healthcare costs, and investing in South Carolina’s deteriorating roads and bridges. Madge said he was surprised by the results, noting, I thought we were going to get very close, and I thought all along there was a chance we could win, but yeah, it’s still kind of sinking in.

What Happened in Lexington?

Lexington County experienced the second highest swing of all counties statewide from 2020 to 2026, according to a Post and Courier analysis of South Carolina Election Commission data. In 2024, Caskey won the seat handily, defeating his Democratic challenger, Wayne Borders, by 20 percentage points. Madge attributed his success to his campaign’s focus on “face-to-face conversations” and knocking on more than 10,000 doors. He also suggested the district’s demographics were shifting, stating, His district has been changing, and he wasn’t changing with the district. So, people were looking for something new, and we offered them something.

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