Zyon Khalifa
Democrat within 1% of Joe Wilson in South Carolina's 2nd District, forcing a recount.
Khalifa is 2,926 votes behind Representative Joe Wilson in South Carolina's 2nd District, a 0.986% gap among 296,664 ballots that falls under the 1% threshold for the automatic recount the State Election Commission opened by 10 November.
Last refreshed: 11 November 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Can Zyon Khalifa close a 2,926-vote gap in South Carolina's recount?
Timeline for Zyon Khalifa
Trailed by 2,926 votes
US Midterms 2026: SC recounts Joe Wilson's 2nd DistrictBackground
Khalifa is the Democratic nominee in South Carolina's 2nd District. He won the June 2026 primary, WRDW reported, and met Wilson in a single debate at River Bluff High School in Lexington on 19 October.
He trails by 0.986%, close enough for South Carolina's automatic recount, which needs no request from the trailing candidate. "This election is not over. Every vote matters, and every vote deserves to be counted accurately," Khalifa said, ABC News 4 reported.
Wilson has held the seat since 2001, and forecasters rated it safe Republican before polling day. FairVote's study of statewide recounts from 2000 to 2023 found that they shifted margins by an average of 551 votes, far short of Khalifa's deficit.
Reference
Who is Zyon Khalifa?
How close is the South Carolina 2nd District race?
Did Zyon Khalifa concede to Joe Wilson?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 11 November 2026. Editorial standards.