1974 South Carolina gubernatorial election

Last updated

1974 South Carolina gubernatorial election
Flag of South Carolina.svg
  1970 November 5, 1974 1978  
  U.S. Secretary of Energy James Edwards of South Carolina.jpg W. J. Bryan Dorn.jpg
Nominee James B. Edwards W.J. Bryan Dorn
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote266,338248,861
Percentage50.3%47.0%

1974 South Carolina gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
County results
Edwards:     50–60%     60–70%
Dorn:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%

Governor before election

John Carl West
Democratic

Elected Governor

James B. Edwards
Republican

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, [1] Republican James B. Edwards defeated Democrat W. J. Bryan Dorn with a narrow majority of the vote.

Contents

Edwards' victory made him the first Republican since Daniel Henry Chamberlain in 1874 to win a gubernatorial election in South Carolina. It was also the closest gubernatorial election in South Carolina since the disputed election of 1876.

Democratic primary

Existing term limit restrictions made Governor John C. West ineligible to run for reelection. [2] The South Carolina Democratic Party held their primary for governor on July 16, 1974 . Charles D. Ravenel emerged as the winner of the runoff election, but the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that Ravenel did not meet the five-year residency requirement in the state's constitution. [3]

U.S. Representative W. J. Bryan Dorn was chosen in a special state convention to be the Democratic candidate in the general election for governor. Dorn, who had supported George McGovern's 1972 presidential campaign, was described by The New York Times as a "political maverick" who took a relatively liberal line on racial and religious issues. [4]

Democratic Primary
CandidateVotes%
Charles D. Ravenel 107,34533.6
W.J. Bryan Dorn 105,743 33.1
Earle E. Morris, Jr. 80,292 25.2
Eugene N. Zeigler 11,091 3.5
L. Maurice Bessinger 7,883 2.5
John Bolt Culbertson 4,187 1.3
Milton J. Dukes 2,529 0.8
Democratic Primary Runoff
CandidateVotes%±%
Charles D. Ravenel 186,98554.8+21.2
W.J. Bryan Dorn 154,18745.2+12.1

Republican primary

The South Carolina Republican Party held their primary on July 16, 1974 and the contest pitted state senator James B. Edwards against former Army Chief of Staff William Westmoreland. Edwards scored an upset victory in the first Republican primary of the state and earned the right to face Dorn in the general election.

Republican Primary
CandidateVotes%
James B. Edwards 20,17757.7
William Westmoreland 14,777 42.3

General election

The general election was held on November 5, 1974 and James B. Edwards defeated W.J. Bryan Dorn in what was a banner year for the Democrats in the wake of the Watergate scandal. Turnout was higher than the previous gubernatorial election because of the increasingly competitive nature of the race between the two parties.

South Carolina Gubernatorial Election, 1974
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican James B. Edwards 266,338 50.3 +4.4
Democratic W.J. Bryan Dorn 248,86147.0-5.1
Independent Peggy Jennings8,3131.6-0.4
No party Write-Ins 5,5281.1+1.1
Majority17,4773.3-2.9
Turnout 529,04053.0-1.2
Republican gain from Democratic
1974 South Carolina gubernatorial election map, by percentile by county.
.mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{}
65+% won by Edwards
60%-64% won by Edwards
55%-59% won by Edwards
50%-54% won by Edwards
<50% won by Edwards
50%-54% won by Dorn
55%-59% won by Dorn
60%-64% won by Dorn
65+% won by Dorn 1974SCGovResults.png
1974 South Carolina gubernatorial election map, by percentile by county.
  65+% won by Edwards
  60%-64% won by Edwards
  55%-59% won by Edwards
  50%-54% won by Edwards
  <50% won by Edwards
  50%-54% won by Dorn
  55%-59% won by Dorn
  60%-64% won by Dorn
  65+% won by Dorn

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James B. Edwards</span> American politician

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1978 United States Senate elections</span>

The 1978 United States Senate elections were held on November 7, in the middle of Democratic President Jimmy Carter's term. The 33 seats of Class 2 were contested in regular elections. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies. Thirteen seats changed hands between parties, resulting in a net gain of three seats for the Republicans. Democrats nevertheless retained a 58–41 majority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1956 United States Senate elections</span>

The 1956 United States Senate elections were elections for the United States Senate that coincided with the re-election of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The 32 seats of Class 3 were contested in regular elections, and three special elections were held to fill vacancies. Although Democrats gained two seats in regular elections, the Republicans gained two seats in special elections, leaving the party balance of the chamber unchanged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Jennings Bryan Dorn</span> South Carolina 3rd District Congressman, 1947–1949 and 1951–1975

William Jennings Bryan Dorn was a United States politician from South Carolina who represented the western part of the state in the United States House of Representatives from 1947 to 1949 and from 1951 to 1975 as a Democrat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1970 South Carolina gubernatorial election</span> Election

The 1970 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1970 to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. John C. West, the Democratic nominee, won a close general election against Albert Watson, the Republican congressman from the 2nd congressional district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1970 Georgia gubernatorial election</span>

The 1970 Georgia gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1970. It was marked by the election as Governor of Georgia of the relatively little-known former state senator Jimmy Carter after a hard battle in the Democratic primary. This election is famous because Carter, who was often regarded as one of the New South Governors, later ran for president in 1976 on his gubernatorial record and won. As of 2023, this was the last time Fulton County was carried by the Republican candidate in a gubernatorial election, the only time it failed to back Carter, and the last time a Democrat in any race won without carrying it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 United States Senate election in South Carolina</span> Election

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1986 New York gubernatorial election</span> Election

The 1986 New York gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1986, to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New York. Incumbent Democratic governor Mario Cuomo defeated Republican Andrew O'Rourke, the County Executive of Westchester County in a landslide. Cuomo carried all but 5 counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1978 United States Senate election in South Carolina</span> Election

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1971 South Carolina's 1st congressional district special election</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina</span> Elections

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 Arizona gubernatorial election</span> Review of the election

The 2002 Arizona gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican Governor Jane Dee Hull was term-limited. The Democratic nominee, Arizona Attorney General Janet Napolitano, narrowly defeated Republican Matt Salmon, a former U.S. Representative. Upon her inauguration, Napolitano became the first woman to succeed another woman as Governor of a state. Until 2022, this was the last gubernatorial election in Arizona in which the margin of victory was single digits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1974 Alabama gubernatorial election</span>

The 1974 Alabama gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 1974. Incumbent Democratic Governor George Wallace was reelected in a landslide over his Republican opponent, businessman Elvin McCary. Wallace was the first Alabama governor to win election to a second consecutive term, as the state's Constitution was amended in 1968 to allow governors to serve a maximum two elected consecutive terms. This was also Wallace's first campaign after having been paralyzed following being shot by Arthur Bremer in an assassination attempt during Wallace's run for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 United States House of Representatives elections</span> House elections for the 116th U.S. Congress

The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections were held on November 6, 2018, as part of the 2018 midterm elections during President Donald Trump's term, with early voting taking place in some states in the weeks preceding that date. Voters chose representatives from all 435 congressional districts across each of the 50 U.S. states to serve in the 116th United States Congress. Non-voting delegates from the District of Columbia and four of the five inhabited U.S. territories were also elected. On Election Day, Republicans had held a House majority since January 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States House of Representatives elections</span> House election for the 118th U.S. Congress

The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections were held on November 8, 2022, as part of the 2022 United States elections during incumbent president Joe Biden's term. Representatives were elected from all 435 U.S. congressional districts across each of the 50 states to serve in the 118th United States Congress, as well as five non-voting members of the U.S. House of Representatives from the District of Columbia and four of the five inhabited insular areas. Numerous other federal, state, and local elections, including the 2022 U.S. Senate elections and the 2022 U.S. gubernatorial elections, were also held on the same date. This was the first election after the 2020 redistricting cycle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1972 United States Senate elections in Georgia</span>

The 1972 United States Senate election in Georgia took place on November 7, 1972, as one of that year's United States Senate elections. It was held concurrently with the 1972 presidential election. This seat had opened up following the death of Richard B. Russell in 1971. Shortly thereafter, Governor of Georgia Jimmy Carter appointed David H. Gambrell to fill Russell's vacant seat. The Democratic Party nominee was Sam Nunn, a conservative Democrat and member of the Georgia House of Representatives, and the Republican Party nominated Fletcher Thompson, the Representative from the Atlanta-area 5th congressional district of Georgia. In the primary, Nunn emerged victorious from a crowded field of Democratic candidates, including Gambrell and former Georgia Governor Ernest Vandiver. Despite President Richard Nixon defeating George McGovern in Georgia in the presidential election on the same day, Nunn defeated Thompson in the general election 54% to 46%.

Charles Dufort "Pug" Ravenel was an American politician and member of the Democratic Party from South Carolina who won the 1974 Democratic gubernatorial primary. Ravenel was the favorite to win the general election until the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled his candidacy invalid on the grounds that he did not meet the state's residency requirements. The eventual winner of the election was James B. Edwards, the state's first Republican governor in decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Pillen</span> 41st Governor of Nebraska

James Douglas Pillen is an American politician, veterinarian and livestock producer serving as the 41st and current governor of Nebraska since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Pillen served on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents from 2013 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">America First Secretary of State Coalition</span> 2022 American right-wing political coalition

The America First Secretary of State Coalition was an American right-wing coalition formed to support a slate of candidates in the 2022 United States secretary of state elections who supported former president Donald Trump's baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen. The coalition's president was Jim Marchant, the unsuccessful Republican nominee for Secretary of State of Nevada, and was headquartered in Las Vegas.

References

  1. Weber, Bruce (December 27, 2014). "James B. Edwards, a Long-Shot as Governor of South Carolina, Dies at 87". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  2. Times, B. Drummond Ayres Jr Special to The New York (November 1, 1974). "Ravenel's Backers Are Pivotal in South Carolina Race". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  3. Mordock, Will (June 23, 2010). "The saga of Pug Ravenel still resonates in state politics". Charleston City Paper. Archived from the original on November 2, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  4. Times, B. Drummond Ayres Jr Special to The New York (November 1, 1974). "Ravenel's Backers Are Pivotal in South Carolina Race". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 13, 2022.
Preceded by
1970
South Carolina gubernatorial elections Succeeded by
1978