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South Carolina's 1st congressional district | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Map showing South Carolina's congressional districts in 1971 with SC-01 shown in teal | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Elections in South Carolina |
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The 1971 South Carolina 1st congressional district special election was held on April 27, 1971 to select a Representative for the 1st congressional district to serve out the remainder of the term for the 92nd Congress. The special election resulted from the death of longtime Representative L. Mendel Rivers on December 28, 1970. Mendel Jackson Davis, a former aide to Rivers and his godson, won a surprising victory in the Democratic primary and went on to win the general election against Republican challenger James B. Edwards.
Democratic Primary | ||
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Candidate | Votes | % |
Mendel Jackson Davis | 26,709 | 54.3 |
J. Palmer Gaillard, Jr. | 12,006 | 24.4 |
Thomas F. Hartnett | 5,252 | 10.7 |
J. Mitchell Graham | 5,247 | 10.6 |
The South Carolina Democratic Party held their primary on February 23, 1971. Charleston mayor J. Palmer Gaillard, Jr. was the frontrunner to win the primary, but he faced stiff competition from state representative Thomas F. Hartnett and from 28-year-old former congressional aide to Rivers, Mendel Jackson Davis. It was widely expected that a runoff would be required two weeks later, but Mendel Jackson Davis garnered over fifty percent and avoided a runoff election. Davis campaigned for the sympathy vote and claimed that he would have more influence in Washington since he had worked with the Democrats for the past ten years.
Republican Primary | ||
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Candidate | Votes | % |
James B. Edwards | 4,690 | 58.8 |
Arthur Ravenel, Jr. | 2,419 | 30.3 |
Harry B. "Buck" Limehouse | 871 | 10.9 |
The Republicans viewed this open seat as an excellent opportunity to take it from the Democrats because the Lowcountry was a hotbed of conservatism. In fact, Mendel Rivers had stated to Arthur Ravenel, Jr. that the congressman to follow him would be a Republican. [1] The South Carolina Republican Party had never held a primary election for a congressional race, but was compelled by Ravenel to use the primary instead of a nominating convention. The primary date was set for February 20, a Saturday, and Charleston dentist James B. Edwards defeated Ravenel. Edwards was the most conservative of the candidates and he received most of his vote from Charleston County whereas Ravenel dominated the rural counties, but was noted as a liberal who sought support from the black community.
The general election came down to whether Davis could win enough votes from those who still grieved at the loss of his mentor and namesake. While Edwards was a conservative and his positions more closely matched that of the voters than did Davis, he was a Republican in a district that had not had a Republican Representative since 1897. The district electorate was 35% black and Dorchester County black activist Victoria DeLee entered the race as a candidate for the United Citizens Party. Davis tried to solidify his position in the black community by eschewing identity politics and instead proclaiming that he was a Democrat representing both blacks and whites. Although Davis won the election, he did so with less than fifty percent of the vote in large part because DeLee took almost ten percent of the vote.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
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Democratic | Mendel Jackson Davis | 37,821 | 48.3 | -51.7 | |
Republican | James B. Edwards | 32,443 | 41.4 | +41.4 | |
United Citizens Party | Victoria DeLee | 8,029 | 10.2 | +10.2 | |
No party | Write-Ins | 63 | 0.1 | +0.1 | |
Majority | 5,378 | 6.9 | -93.1 | ||
Turnout | 78,356 | ||||
Democratic hold |
James Burrows Edwards was an American politician and administrator from South Carolina. He was the first Republican to be elected governor of South Carolina since the post-Civil War Reconstruction era in the 1870s. He later served as the U.S. secretary of energy under Ronald Reagan.
Lucius Mendel Rivers was a Democratic U.S. Representative from South Carolina, representing the Charleston-based 1st congressional district for nearly 30 years. As chair of the House Armed Services Committee, Rivers developed a reputation for his unwavering support of American involvement in the Vietnam War. His reputation suffered as the American public at large turned against further escalation in the Vietnam War. In 1968, Rivers condemned American servicemen who attempted to stop the My Lai massacre, labeling them as "traitors". Rivers served in the House until his death in 1970.
South Carolina's 1st congressional district is a coastal congressional district in South Carolina, represented by Republican Nancy Mace since January 3, 2021. She succeeded Democrat Joe Cunningham, having defeated him in the 2020 election. Cunningham was the first Democrat to represent the district since the 1980s.
The 1974 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1974 to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. Initially considered a longshot candidate, Republican James B. Edwards defeated Democrat W. J. Bryan Dorn with a narrow majority of the vote.
Mendel Jackson Davis was an attorney and a United States Representative from South Carolina.
Thomas Forbes "Tommy" Hartnett is a former American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from South Carolina.
The 2004 United States Senate election in South Carolina was held on November 2, 2004. Longtime incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Fritz Hollings retired, and Republican U.S. Representative Jim DeMint won the open seat. DeMint was the first Republican to hold this Senate seat since 1879, and the first Republican to ever be popularly elected to the seat.
The 1968 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina were held on November 5, 1968, to select six Representatives for two-year terms from the state of South Carolina. The primary elections were held on June 11 and the runoff elections were held two weeks later on June 25. All five incumbents who ran were re-elected and the open seat in the 5th district was retained by the Democrats. The composition of the state delegation remained five Democrats and one Republican.
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The 1978 South Carolina United States Senate election was held on November 7, 1978, to select the U.S. senator from the state of South Carolina. Popular incumbent Republican Senator Strom Thurmond defeated Democratic challenger Charles D. Ravenel.
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The 1978 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina were held on November 7, 1978, to select six Representatives for two-year terms from the state of South Carolina. The primary elections for the Democrats and the Republicans were held on June 13. All five incumbents who ran were re-elected, but the open seat in the 4th congressional district was taken by the Republicans from the Democrats. The composition of the state delegation after the elections was four Democrats and two Republicans.
The 1980 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina were held on November 4, 1980, to select six Representatives for two-year terms from the state of South Carolina. The primary elections for the Democrats and the Republicans were held on June 10 and the runoff elections were held two weeks later on June 24. Three incumbents were re-elected, but John Jenrette of the 6th congressional district was defeated in his bid for re-election and the open seat in the 1st congressional district was taken by the Republicans from the Democrats. The composition of the state delegation after the elections was four Republicans and two Democrats.
The 1994 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina were held on November 8, 1994, to select six Representatives for two-year terms from the state of South Carolina. The primary elections for the Democrats and the Republicans were held on August 9 and the runoff elections were held two weeks later on August 23. All four incumbents who ran were re-elected and the Republicans won both of the open seats in the 1st congressional district and the 3rd congressional district. The composition of the state delegation after the elections was four Republicans and two Democrats.
The 1974 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina were held on November 5, 1974, to select six Representatives for two-year terms from the state of South Carolina. The primary elections were held on July 16 and the runoff elections were held two weeks later on July 30. Three incumbents were re-elected, Democrat John Jenrette defeated incumbent Republican Edward Lunn Young in the 6th district and the two open seats in the 3rd and 5th districts were retained by the Democrats. The composition of the state delegation after the elections was five Democrats and one Republican.
Benjamin Frasier Jr. is a perennial candidate for political office in South Carolina, having run for Congress over fifteen times since 1972. He became the Democratic Party nominee for the November 2010 election, "surpris[ing] observers" by beating retired Air Force Reserve Colonel Robert Burton in South Carolina's 1st congressional district Democratic Party primary, with 56 percent of the vote to Burton's 44 percent.
A special election for South Carolina's 1st congressional district was held on May 7, 2013, to fill the seat following the resignation of U.S. Representative Tim Scott, who was appointed to the United States Senate by Governor Nikki Haley to fill the seat previously held by Jim DeMint. DeMint resigned from the Senate on January 2, 2013, to accept a position as president of The Heritage Foundation.
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