South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn wants 18th term in Congress as other longtime Democrats step aside

Joseph Bustos, The State (Columbia, S.C.) on Mar 12, 2026

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn put to rest speculation that he may step back from Congress and formally kicked off his campaign for an 18th term representing South Carolina's 6th Congressional District.

Clyburn, of Santee, is the lone Democratic member of the South Carolina federal delegation. Filing to run for office in South Carolina this year opens Monday.

“I do believe that I’m very well-equipped and healthy enough to move into the next term,” Clyburn told the crowd of about 50 people at the South Carolina Democratic Party headquarters.

He has previously served in House leadership as the Democratic whip and assistant Democratic leader.

Clyburn, who was a history teacher before going into public service and joining Congress, is credited with endorsing Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 South Carolina Democratic Presidential Primary, helping him secure the nomination and win the White House.

Clyburn represents a district designed for Democrats to win. Hard-line conservative members of the state Legislature and U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, who is running for the GOP nomination for governor, have called for the state to join the mid-decade redistricting battles to make the 6th District more competitive.

However, those efforts have not moved in the Legislature as Republican leadership has rebuffed those calls.

Even though Thursday was the public launch of the reelection bid, Clyburn has had a team promoting his accomplishments at public events, including the Richland County Democratic Party Convention last week.

At the end of last year, Clyburn had $1.5 million cash on hand for his campaign.

Clyburn said he is running after getting unanimous buy-in from his three daughters.

Whether the 85-year-old Clyburn would run again has been pondered as other former Democratic leaders have said they’re bowing out of the House. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Majority Leader Steny Hoyer are not running for reelection.

But Clyburn sits on the House Appropriations Committee, which directs how federal money is spent. He remains in good health. And with filing for South Carolina’s elections running form March 16-30, serious potential contenders to succeed Clyburn would have had a short window to mount a campaign.

Clyburn would not say an 18th term would be last.

“I love reading, I love writing, and I love playing golf. And those three things do occupy a lot of time, and I’m looking forward to the day as I can spend more time reading, writing and playing golf. And so this could very well be my last term, and it could very well not be,” Clyburn said. “We’ll just see how things go. I don’t have any interest in doing anything, but what I can to do what’s best for South Carolina, do what’s best for this country.”