COLUMBIA — The map of top Statehouse races to watch took shape Monday as the filing period for the South Carolina Senate and House ended, with several of the most competitive contests expected to hinge around the Lowcountry.

As usual, the vast majority of races for the Statehouse are not expected to be competitive because they are in either overwhelmingly Republican or Democratic districts.

Dozens of incumbents will not face any hurdles at all: 53 of the 124 S.C. House members and 10 of the 46 S.C. senators effectively secured reelection, with no opponents filing to challenge them in either the primary or general elections.

But both Republicans and Democrats are eyeing potential opportunities to flip a few seats their way.

Democrats are focusing much of their Senate efforts in the Lowcountry, pointing to U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham's upset victory in 2018 as a harbinger of broader changes in the area.

The party's top target is state Sen. Sandy Senn, R-Charleston, who drew two Democratic opponents in Sam Skardon and Jason Mills.

Democrats also see possibilities of upsets against state Sen. Chip Campsen, R-Isle of Palms, who will face Richard Hricik, and state Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Bonneau, against Kathryn Whitaker.

Republicans, on the other hand, are looking to make gains in the Upstate.

Their top target will be state Sen. Floyd Nicholson, D-Greenwood, who drew two Republican opponents in Bryan Hope and Billy Garrett. They are also expecting a competitive race between state Sen. Glenn Reese, D-Spartanburg, and Josh Kimbrell.

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At least three Senate seats will change hands due to incumbents not seeking reelection: Democrat John Matthews of Orangeburg, and Republicans Greg Gregory of Lancaster and Paul Campbell of Goose Creek.

In the House, Republicans are looking to win back two seats they lost in 2018 to state Rep. JA Moore, D-Goose Creek, and Krystle Matthews, D-Ladson. Samuel Rivers will challenge Moore in a rematch, while Matthews will either face Bill Crosby, her 2018 opponent, or Jordan Pace.

Democrats are hoping they can oust several Charleston-area Republicans that they came relatively close to claiming in 2018, including state Reps. Lin Bennett, who will face Ed Sutton, and Williams Cogswell, who will first have to overcome a GOP primary challenge from Rouzy Vafaie before facing either Rebecca Niess Cingolani or Lelia Slater.

The open seat of Peter McCoy, who is departing to become U.S. attorney for S.C., will likely be one of the closest races in the state after he won reelection by just 3 percent in 2018. Two Republicans and three Democrats are running to replace him.

The current make-up of the Senate is 27 Republicans to 19 Democrats, a narrower margin than the House, where Republicans outnumber Democrats 80 to 44.

A few Democrats who have gone unchallenged for several election cycles despite representing potential swing districts will face their first Republican opponents in years.

Lancaster County GOP chairwoman Sandy McGarry filed to run against state Rep. Mandy Powers Norrell, a Lancaster Democrat seen by many in her party as a rising figure after running for lieutenant governor in 2018.

Penry Gustafson was initially one of two Republicans looking to challenge vulnerable state Rep. Laurie Funderburk, D-Camden, but she will instead now go up against the area's Democratic state Sen. Vincent Sheheen as the S.C. GOP looked to cover more bases.