1922 South Carolina gubernatorial election

The 1922 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1922, to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. Thomas Gordon McLeod won the Democratic primary and ran unopposed in the general election becoming the 95th governor of South Carolina.

1922 South Carolina Democratic gubernatorial primary runoff

← 1920 September 12, 1922 (1922-09-12) 1924 →
 
Candidate Thomas McLeod Cole Blease
Party Democratic Democratic
Popular vote 100,114 85,834
Percentage 53.8% 46.2%

Governor of South Carolina before election

Robert Archer Cooper
Democratic

Elected Governor of South Carolina

Thomas Gordon McLeod
Democratic

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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  • Cole L. Blease, former Governor of South Carolina (1911–15)
  • J.J. Cantey
  • William Coleman
  • John T. Duncan, perennial candidate
  • George K. Laney
  • Thomas Gordon McLeod, former Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina (1907–11)

Campaign

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The South Carolina Democratic Party held their primary for governor in the summer of 1922 and it shaped up to be a heated contest between Thomas Gordon McLeod and former Governor Cole Blease. McLeod emerged victorious from the runoff and effectively became the next governor of South Carolina because there was no opposition in the general election on account of South Carolina's status as an effective one-party state.

Results

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Democratic Primary
Candidate Votes %
Coleman Livingston Blease 77,798 44.8
Thomas Gordon McLeod 65,768 37.9
George K. Laney 23,164 13.4
William Coleman 3,797 2.2
John T. Duncan 1,780 1.0
J.J. Cantey 1,260 0.7

Runoff results

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Democratic Primary Runoff
Candidate Votes % ±%
Thomas Gordon McLeod 100,114 53.8 +15.9
Coleman Livingston Blease 85,834 46.2 +1.4

General election

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The general election was held on November 7, 1922, and Thomas McLeod was elected the next governor of South Carolina without opposition. Being a non-presidential election and few contested races, turnout was approximately half of that for 1920.

South Carolina Gubernatorial Election, 1922
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Thomas Gordon McLeod 34,065 100.0%  
Majority 34,065 100.0%  
Turnout 34,065
Democratic hold
  65+% won by McLeod

See also

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References

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  • "Report of the Secretary of State to the General Assembly of South Carolina. Part II." Reports of State Officers Boards and Committees to the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina. Volume I. Columbia, South Carolina: 1923, p. 57.
  • Jordan, Frank E. The Primary State: A History of the Democratic Party in South Carolina, 1876–1962. pp. 34–36.
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Preceded by
1920
South Carolina gubernatorial elections Succeeded by
1924