The 1941 United States Senate special election in South Carolina was held on September 30, 1941[1] to complete the unexpired term of Senator James F. Byrnes, who resigned on July 8. Interim Senator Alva Lumpkin died on August 1 and in turn was succeeded by Roger C. Peace, who did not run for re-election.
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 County results Maybank: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Johnston: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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The election was won by Governor Burnet R. Maybank who defeated former Governor Olin D. Johnston after a run-off in the primary. He was unopposed in the general election.
Background
editIn 1937, Senator James F. Byrnes began a six-year term ending in 1943. On June 12, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt nominated Byrnes as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court, and he was confirmed that same day.[2][a] He resigned from the Senate on July 8, 1941.[3]
To fill the vacancy until a successor could be duly elected, Governor of South Carolina Burnet R. Maybank appointed Judge Alva Lumpkin on July 22, 1941, but Lumpkin died on August 1, 1941. Maybank then appointed Roger C. Peace on August 5, 1941, to succeed Lumpkin. Peace did not run in the special election to complete the term.
Democratic primary
editThe Democratic primary election was held on September 2, 1941.[4] As no candidate won a majority of votes, a run-off was held between the top two candidates on September 16, 1941.[5]
Candidates
edit- Joseph R. Bryson, incumbent U.S. Representative
- Olin D. Johnston, former Governor of South Carolina
- Burnet R. Maybank, incumbent Governor of South Carolina
Results
edit| Democratic Primary[6][7] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Burnet R. Maybank | 59,017 | 47.4 |
| Olin D. Johnston | 40,296 | 32.3 |
| Joseph R. Bryson | 25,257 | 20.3 |
Runoff
edit| Democratic Primary Runoff[6][8] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Burnet R. Maybank | 92,100 | 56.6 | +9.2 |
| Olin D. Johnston | 70,687 | 43.4 | +11.1 |
General election
editResults
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Burnet R. Maybank | 13,264 | 100.00% | ||
| Turnout | 13,264 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ Byrnes only joined the Court for 15 months; on October 3, 1942, between the 1942 primary and general elections, he resigned and was appointed as Roosevelt's Director of Economic Stabilization. He would later go on to serve as Director of War Mobilization and U.S. Secretary of State.
References
edit- ^ "Too Early to Consider Successor, Governor Says". Evening star. Washington, D.C. August 2, 1941. p. A-4. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
- ^ McMillion, Barry J. (January 28, 2022). Supreme Court Nominations, 1789 to 2020: Actions by the Senate, the Judiciary Committee, and the President (PDF) (Report). Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
- ^ "BYRNES, James Francis, (1882 - 1972)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
- ^ "South Carolina Primary Today". The Wilmington morning star. Wilmington, N.C. September 2, 1941. p. 1. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
- ^ "Maybank and Johnston In Runoff Election Today". Evening star. Washington, D.C. September 16, 1941. p. A-4. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
- ^ a b Guide to U.S. Elections. Vol. II. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press. 2005. p. 1420. ISBN 9781568029818.
- ^ "SC US Senate, 1941 – Special D Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
- ^ "SC US Senate, 1941 – Special D Runoff". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
- ^ Guide to U.S. Elections. Vol. II. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press. 2005. p. 1350. ISBN 9781568029818.
- ^ "SC US Senate, 1941 – Special Election". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
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