However, Bandy added, the climate in South Carolina has changed for the better since U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, an African-American, ran for secretary of state in 1978 and 1986, losing both times.

CNN: African-American vies for S.C. attorney general

In the case of South Carolina's 1st District, that meant that the largely African-American neighborhood of North Charleston was added to the neighboring district of James Clyburn, the state's sole Democratic congressional representative, who won re-election in 2012, virtually unchallenged.

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