South Carolina gubernatorial election, 1896
Encyclopedia
The 1896 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1896 to select the governor
of the state of South Carolina
. William Haselden Ellerbe
won the Democratic
primary and easily won the general election to become the 86th governor of South Carolina.
was promulgated in 1895 under the direction of Pitchfork Ben Tillman
and it disenfranchised
the remaining blacks
who were eligible to vote. With the removal of blacks from the electorate, the South Carolina Democratic Party
felt safe to have its statewide ticket selected from a primary election
. Thus, the 1896 election in South Carolina was the first that featured the use of a primary election by a party to select its nominees of statewide office for the general election.
Governor John Gary Evans
declined to seek a second term and instead sought election to the U.S. Senate
. Three candidates entered the Democratic primary and William Haselden Ellerbe
from the start was the heavy favorite to win. He had been a candidate in the previous gubernatorial election
, but lost to Evans after Tillman shifted his support from Ellerbe to Evans. This time Tillman fully backed Ellerbe and the other candidates never generated any traction with the voters of the state. The primary was held on August 26 and Ellerbe coasted to victory while the voters were chiefly interested in the battle between Evans and Joseph H. Earle
for the open Senate seat.
candidate in the previous gubernatorial election
and gained an impressive 30% of the vote in a state completely run by the Democratic party machine. Upset at the new state constitution promulgated in 1895 and the lack of opposition by the state Republicans
, Pope established a new party called the "Reorganized Republicans". It was composed chiefly of white men and requested recognition as the official South Carolina Republican Party from the Republican National Committee
.
However, the official state party did not want to lose its official status because of the potential spoils system
to be gained by the election of William McKinley
for president in 1896
. They called for a state convention on September 17 in Columbia
to nominate a statewide ticket. Sampson Pope likewise called for a convention of his Reorganized Republicans at the same time hoping that the two factions would merge or fuse
for the general election. The old guard Republicans refused any merger and would only accept complete subordination forcing the Reorganized Republicans to also nominate a slate of statewide candidates.
against the two Republican candidates. Turnout
increased for this election over the previous election
because it was a contested election and there also was a presidential election
on the ballot.
|-
| bgcolor="#FF3333" |
| Reorganized Republican
| Sampson Pope
| align="right" | 4,432
| align="right" | 6.6
| align="right" | -23.8
|-
| colspan=5 |Democratic
hold
|-
Governor of South Carolina
The Governor of the State of South Carolina is the head of state for the State of South Carolina. Under the South Carolina Constitution, the Governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the South Carolina executive branch. The Governor is the ex officio...
of the state of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. William Haselden Ellerbe
William Haselden Ellerbe
William Haselden Ellerbe was the 86th Governor of South Carolina from 1897 to 1899.Born in Marion, South Carolina, he was raised in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina and attended Wofford College and Vanderbilt University...
won the Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
primary and easily won the general election to become the 86th governor of South Carolina.
Democratic primary
A new South Carolina ConstitutionSouth Carolina Constitution
The Constitution of the State of South Carolina is the governing document of the U.S. state of South Carolina. It describes the structure and function of the state's government. The current constitution took effect on December 4, 1895...
was promulgated in 1895 under the direction of Pitchfork Ben Tillman
Benjamin Tillman
Benjamin Ryan Tillman was an American politician who served as the 84th Governor of South Carolina, from 1890 to 1894, and as a United States Senator, from 1895 until his death in office. Tillman's views were a matter of national controversy.Tillman was a member of the Democratic Party...
and it disenfranchised
Disfranchisement
Disfranchisement is the revocation of the right of suffrage of a person or group of people, or rendering a person's vote less effective, or ineffective...
the remaining blacks
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
who were eligible to vote. With the removal of blacks from the electorate, the South Carolina Democratic Party
South Carolina Democratic Party
The South Carolina Democratic Party is the South Carolina affiliate of the United States Democratic Party. The Democratic party thrived during the Second Party System between 1832 and the mid-1850s and was one of the causes of the collapse of the Whig Party....
felt safe to have its statewide ticket selected from a primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
. Thus, the 1896 election in South Carolina was the first that featured the use of a primary election by a party to select its nominees of statewide office for the general election.
Governor John Gary Evans
John Gary Evans
John Gary Evans was the 85th Governor of South Carolina from 1894 to 1897.-Early life:Evans was born in Cokesbury, South Carolina to an aristocratic and well connected family. His father was Nathan George Evans, a Confederate general, and after his father died in 1868, he went to live in Edgefield...
declined to seek a second term and instead sought election to the U.S. Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. Three candidates entered the Democratic primary and William Haselden Ellerbe
William Haselden Ellerbe
William Haselden Ellerbe was the 86th Governor of South Carolina from 1897 to 1899.Born in Marion, South Carolina, he was raised in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina and attended Wofford College and Vanderbilt University...
from the start was the heavy favorite to win. He had been a candidate in the previous gubernatorial election
South Carolina gubernatorial election, 1894
The 1894 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1894 to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. John Gary Evans was nominated by the Democrats and became the 85th governor of South Carolina.-Democratic campaign:...
, but lost to Evans after Tillman shifted his support from Ellerbe to Evans. This time Tillman fully backed Ellerbe and the other candidates never generated any traction with the voters of the state. The primary was held on August 26 and Ellerbe coasted to victory while the voters were chiefly interested in the battle between Evans and Joseph H. Earle
Joseph H. Earle
Joseph Haynsworth Earle was a United States Senator from South Carolina. Born in Greenville, he attended private schools in Sumter. He was a first year cadet at the South Carolina Military Academy at the outbreak of the Civil War enlisted in the Confederate Army...
for the open Senate seat.
| Democratic Primary | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % |
Republican split
Sampson Pope had been an independentIndependent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
candidate in the previous gubernatorial election
South Carolina gubernatorial election, 1894
The 1894 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1894 to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. John Gary Evans was nominated by the Democrats and became the 85th governor of South Carolina.-Democratic campaign:...
and gained an impressive 30% of the vote in a state completely run by the Democratic party machine. Upset at the new state constitution promulgated in 1895 and the lack of opposition by the state Republicans
South Carolina Republican Party
The South Carolina Republican Party and the South Carolina Democratic Party are the two major political parties within the U.S. state of South Carolina...
, Pope established a new party called the "Reorganized Republicans". It was composed chiefly of white men and requested recognition as the official South Carolina Republican Party from the Republican National Committee
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...
.
However, the official state party did not want to lose its official status because of the potential spoils system
Spoils system
In the politics of the United States, a spoil system is a practice where a political party, after winning an election, gives government jobs to its voters as a reward for working toward victory, and as an incentive to keep working for the party—as opposed to a system of awarding offices on the...
to be gained by the election of William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
for president in 1896
United States presidential election, 1896
The United States presidential election held on November 3, 1896, saw Republican William McKinley defeat Democrat William Jennings Bryan in a campaign considered by political scientists to be one of the most dramatic and complex in American history....
. They called for a state convention on September 17 in Columbia
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
to nominate a statewide ticket. Sampson Pope likewise called for a convention of his Reorganized Republicans at the same time hoping that the two factions would merge or fuse
Electoral fusion
Electoral fusion is an arrangement where two or more political parties on a ballot list the same candidate, pooling the votes for that candidate...
for the general election. The old guard Republicans refused any merger and would only accept complete subordination forcing the Reorganized Republicans to also nominate a slate of statewide candidates.
General election
The general election was held on November 3, 1896 and William Haselden Ellerbe was easily elected as governor of South CarolinaGovernor of South Carolina
The Governor of the State of South Carolina is the head of state for the State of South Carolina. Under the South Carolina Constitution, the Governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the South Carolina executive branch. The Governor is the ex officio...
against the two Republican candidates. Turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
increased for this election over the previous election
South Carolina gubernatorial election, 1892
The 1892 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1892 to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. Governor Ben Tillman was renominated by the Democrats and was elected in the general election to a second two-year term....
because it was a contested election and there also was a presidential election
United States presidential election, 1896
The United States presidential election held on November 3, 1896, saw Republican William McKinley defeat Democrat William Jennings Bryan in a campaign considered by political scientists to be one of the most dramatic and complex in American history....
on the ballot.
|-
| bgcolor="#FF3333" |
| Reorganized Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
| Sampson Pope
| align="right" | 4,432
| align="right" | 6.6
| align="right" | -23.8
|-
| colspan=5 |Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
hold
|-
See also
- Governor of South CarolinaGovernor of South CarolinaThe Governor of the State of South Carolina is the head of state for the State of South Carolina. Under the South Carolina Constitution, the Governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the South Carolina executive branch. The Governor is the ex officio...
- List of Governors of South Carolina
- South Carolina gubernatorial elections