1950 South Carolina gubernatorial election

The 1950 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1950, to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. James F. Byrnes won the Democratic primary and ran unopposed in the general election becoming the 104th governor of South Carolina.

1950 South Carolina Democratic gubernatorial primary

← 1946 July 11, 1950 1954 →
 
Nominee James F. Byrnes Lester L. Bates Thomas H. Hope
Party Democratic Democratic Democratic
Popular vote 248,069 63,143 29,622
Percentage 71.8% 18.2% 8.6%

County results
Byrnes:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90%
Hope:      40-50%

Governor before election

Strom Thurmond
Democratic

Elected Governor

James F. Byrnes
Democratic

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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The South Carolina Democratic Party held their primary for governor on July 11. The race was a cakewalk for the popular James F. Byrnes as he faced minimal opposition in the Democratic primary.

Democratic Primary
Candidate Votes %
James F. Byrnes 248,069 71.6
Lester L. Bates 63,143 18.2
Thomas H. Pope Jr. 29,622 8.6
Marcus A. Stone 5,495 1.6

General election

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The general election was held on November 7, 1950 and James F. Byrnes was elected the next governor of South Carolina without opposition. Being a non-presidential election and few contested races, turnout was much lower than the Democratic primary election.

South Carolina Gubernatorial Election, 1950
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic James F. Byrnes 50,633 100.0 0.0
No party Write-Ins 9 0.0 0.0
Majority 50,624 100.0 0.0
Turnout 50,642
Democratic hold
  65+% won by Byrnes

See also

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References

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  • Jordan, Frank E. The Primary State: A History of the Democratic Party in South Carolina, 1876–1962. pp. 46–47.
  • "Supplemental Report of the Secretary of State to the General Assembly of South Carolina." Reports and Resolutions of South Carolina to the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina. Columbia, South Carolina: 1951, p. 11.
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Preceded by
1946
South Carolina gubernatorial elections Succeeded by
1954