South Carolina gubernatorial election, 1974
Encyclopedia
The 1974 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1974 to select the governor
of the state of South Carolina
. James B. Edwards
defeated W.J. Bryan Dorn
and became 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
.
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 residency requirements in the state's constitution. W.J. Bryan Dorn
was chosen in a special state convention to be the Democratic candidate in the general election for governor.
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.
. Turnout
was higher than the previous gubernatorial election because of the increasingly competitive nature of the race between the two parties.
| colspan=5 |Republican
gain from Democratic
|-
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...
. James B. Edwards
James B. Edwards
James Burrows Edwards is a politician and administrator from South Carolina. He was the first Republican to be elected the Governor of South Carolina since Reconstruction.-Early life and career:...
defeated W.J. Bryan Dorn
William Jennings Bryan Dorn
William Jennings Bryan Dorn was a United States politician from South Carolina who represented the state in the United States House of Representatives from 1947 to 1949 and from 1951 to 1975 as a Democrat....
and became the first 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...
since Daniel Henry Chamberlain
Daniel Henry Chamberlain
Daniel Henry Chamberlain was a planter, lawyer, author and the 76th Governor of South Carolina from 1874 until 1877....
in 1874
South Carolina gubernatorial election, 1874
The 1874 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1874 to select the governor and lieutenant governor of the state of South Carolina...
to win a gubernatorial election in South Carolina. It was also the closest gubernatorial election in South Carolina since the disputed election of 1876
South Carolina gubernatorial election, 1876
The 1876 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1876 to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. The election campaign was a referendum on the Radical Republican-led state government and their Reconstruction policies...
.
Democratic primary
The South Carolina Democratic PartySouth 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....
held their primary
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....
for governor on July 16, 1974 . Charles D. Ravenel emerged as the winner of the runoff election, but the South Carolina Supreme Court
South Carolina Supreme Court
The South Carolina Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The court is composed of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices.-Selection of Justices:...
ruled that Ravenel did not meet the residency requirements in the state's constitution. W.J. Bryan Dorn
William Jennings Bryan Dorn
William Jennings Bryan Dorn was a United States politician from South Carolina who represented the state in the United States House of Representatives from 1947 to 1949 and from 1951 to 1975 as a Democrat....
was chosen in a special state convention to be the Democratic candidate in the general election for governor.
| Democratic Primary | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic Primary Runoff | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Charles D. Ravenel | 186,985 | 54.8 | +21.2 |
| W.J. Bryan Dorn William Jennings Bryan Dorn William Jennings Bryan Dorn was a United States politician from South Carolina who represented the state in the United States House of Representatives from 1947 to 1949 and from 1951 to 1975 as a Democrat.... |
154,187 | 45.2 | +12.1 |
Republican primary
The South Carolina Republican PartySouth 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...
held their primary on July 16, 1974 and the contest pitted state senator
South Carolina Senate
The South Carolina Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives...
James B. Edwards
James B. Edwards
James Burrows Edwards is a politician and administrator from South Carolina. He was the first Republican to be elected the Governor of South Carolina since Reconstruction.-Early life and career:...
against former Army Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff of the United States Army
The Chief of Staff of the Army is a statutory office held by a four-star general in the United States Army, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Army, and as such is the principal military advisor and a deputy to the Secretary of the Army; and is in...
William Westmoreland
William Westmoreland
William Childs Westmoreland was a United States Army General, who commanded US military operations in the Vietnam War at its peak , during the Tet Offensive. He adopted a strategy of attrition against the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam and the North Vietnamese Army. He later served as...
. 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % |
General election
The general election was held on November 5, 1974 and James B. Edwards shockingly defeated W.J. Bryan Dorn in what was a banner year for the Democrats in the wake of the Watergate scandalWatergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
. 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...
was higher than the previous gubernatorial election because of the increasingly competitive nature of the race between the two parties.
| colspan=5 |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...
gain from 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...
|-
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