South Carolina may not be the main presidential battleground as Donald Trump and Kamala Harris battle for 270 electoral votes, but voters in the Palmetto State still face choices that could change the political landscape here and even make history.

Will South Carolina add a second Republican woman to the federal delegation?

Can a Democrat defy the odds in the Upstate — a conservative stronghold that has long been hostile territory for the party — and pull off a shocking upset?

Will Charleston County get a new sheriff? Will a former prosecutor beat his former boss in the Charleston-Berkeley attorney race?

And who will keep their seats in the Statehouse — and which newcomers will bring their ideas to Columbia during the next legislative session that begins in January?

Here are the South Carolina races to watch on election night as results come in on November 5.

Congress

What kind of toss? Incumbent members of Congress are widely expected to be headed for reelection this year, thanks in part to redistricting. But not everyone is interested in returning to Washington.

At the start of the year, Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan of Laurens announced he would not seek re-election after fourteen years in Washington, an exit that attracted a bevy of Republican candidates in the state’s most conservative congressional district.

Republican Sheri Biggs defeated six other candidates in a crowded Republican Party primary that culminated in a runoff against MAGA pastor Mark Burns, the leader of a multinational Christian television conglomerate in Easley, whose campaign was nearly $1 million in debt .

But in deep-red South Carolina, where state lawmakers draw the political boundaries for their own legislative districts and congressional maps after each decennial census, the Republican Party’s June primaries are often the deciding contest.

Now more than half of these races have already been decided: records show that 19 of the 46 seats in the Senate are uncontested, along with 70 of the 124 seats in the House of Representatives.

This year, Democrats in the House of Representatives are on the offensive, trying to expand their influence where they can, and defending in the Senate to hold on to the seats they have.

These are the main races:

State House

This year, Democrats are hoping that enthusiasm for the presidential race will translate into a drop in votes. It will still be an uphill climb: Democrats have only 35 seats, compared to Republicans, who represent 87 seats. (There are two vacancies.)

In an interview earlier this year, Democratic Party Executive Director Jay Parmley told The Post and Courier that he believes the party could actually win some seats in the Legislature if they manage to boost the turnout they projected for president in 2020 saw, equaled or surpassed Joe Biden.

Most of the action will take place in the Low Country.

Huiswijk 115

After a narrow 1.6 percent victory in 2020, incumbent Folly Beach Democratic Rep. Spencer Wetmore will compete in a redrawn (and geographically expanded) district that census data shows is the most competitive in the state. She faces a challenge from Republican Warren Sloane, who unsuccessfully ran for mayor of James Island in 2010.

Huiswijk 116

Drama was central to the battle to represent western Charleston County. The race between Democrat Charlie Murray and Republican James Teeple was marred by multiple ethics charges, a lawsuit against an opponent’s family member, and a disturbing video that emerged of a candidate threatening a parent during a 2022 school bus incident.

The battle for the open Statehouse seat on Nov. 5 is one of the biggest political showdowns in South Carolina this year.

Republicans are eager to keep the seat they won two years ago when Johns Island Republican Matt Leber narrowly defeated Hollywood Democrat Chardale Murray, the first Black woman ever elected to the post and the sister of Charlie Murray. (Leber is now running for a Senate seat.) Democrats see this seat as one of their best chances.

Huiswijk 75

Over the past decade, this Richland County seat has been the rare competitive seat where political gerrymandering has not taken hold. In 2012, 2020 and 2022, the winner’s margin of victory was determined by fewer than 300 votes.

This year it’s a rematch between former Republican state Rep. Kirkman Finlay and current Democratic Rep. Heather Bauer. In 2022, abortion was the dominant topic. This relaunch, issues with the management of the local school district, Richland One, and the state’s education system have been a dominant focus for both candidates.

The district — a compact, urban area that includes several young and affluent neighborhoods in downtown Columbia — could be another nail-biter.

State Senate

Senate District 26

There are a handful of Senate seats that will be competitive on election night, especially in the Midlands. But among them, the race in Senate District 26 between Democrat Russell Ott and Republican Jason Guerry will be among the most closely scrutinized of the evening.

Ott, who has served in the House of Representatives since taking over from his father, former House Minority Leader Harry Ott, in 2013, is one of the strongest candidates Democrats have. He proved his acumen in winning tough races in a vicious primary with former Democratic Party chairman and Alex Murdaugh attorney Dick Harpootlian. It’s a competitive district, so Guerry will likely receive strong support from deep-red Lexington County and rural parts of the district.

Senate District 41

On paper, Senate District 41, located in western Charleston County, is not expected to be competitive. Census data shows Republicans have an advantage here by about a dozen points. But the big question here may not be whether the Republican wins, but by how much.

Republican Matt Leber won a narrow victory over more moderate incumbent President Sandy Senn in June, in part because of their views on abortion.

His opponent, Democrat Rita Adkins, has avoided an attack on Leber in the final weeks of the election, so it remains to be seen whether Senn’s opposition from the primary will stand in Leber’s way Tuesday night.

Downvote: Sheriffs, Lawyers and More

Voters will also be able to weigh in on various county-level elections in the state, including municipal races and courthouse positions such as sheriff, attorney, clerk, probate judge and coroner.

In Charleston County, the sheriff’s race is the most watched contest and has the potential to be one of the most competitive races on the ballot.

Sheriff Kristin Graziano, who surprised many in 2020 when she became the first Democratic sheriff elected here in 32 years and the first openly gay female sheriff ever elected in South Carolina, is running against former Mount Pleasant Chief Carl Ritchie, a Republican whose campaign focused on his more than three decades of experience in local law enforcement.

Dorchester County also has a closely watched sheriff’s race with the potential to make history. If elected, Republican Sam Richardson, who has the backing of Attorney General Alan Wilson, would be the only black Republican sheriff in South Carolina.

For more information about your local races and to confirm your voting choices and voter registration, visit scvotes.gov, the website of the SC State Election Commission.

The polling stations are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m

Reporter Nick Reynolds contributed to this report from Columbia, SC