1974 South Carolina gubernatorial election

1974 South Carolina gubernatorial election

← 1970 November 5, 1974 1978 →
 
Nominee James B. Edwards W.J. Bryan Dorn
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 266,338 248,861
Percentage 50.3% 47.0%

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.

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.

  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.