The 1970 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1970 to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. John C. West, the Democratic nominee, won a close general election against Albert Watson, the Republican congressman from the 2nd congressional district.
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 County results West: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Watson: 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% | |||||||||||||||||
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The New York Times credited West's victory to his success among Black voters, "whites who were moderate on racial issues", and segments of the white working-class who supported George Wallace's 1968 presidential campaign but were disappointed with the state of the economy.[1]
Central to the campaign was the issue of school integration: Watson ran a segregationist campaign and pledged to "stand up" to federal judicial orders to desegregate schools.[2]
Primaries
editBoth John Carl West and Albert Watson faced no opposition in their party's primaries which allowed both candidates to concentrate solely on the general election.
General election
editCandidates
edit- Alfred W. Bethea, candidate for Governor in 1962 (American Independent)
- Albert Watson, U.S. Representative from Columbia (Republican)
- John C. West, Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina (Democratic)
Campaign
editWatson's campaign was supported by President Richard Nixon and Senator Strom Thurmond.[1] Watson's anti-integration campaign rhetoric is considered to have contributed to a white supremacist riot that targeted Black schoolchildren.[3] Watson would defend the rioters, stating that "you can expect that to happen when you have frustrated people ... People get restless and then things occur."[4]
The general election was held on November 3, 1970 and West was elected as the next governor of South Carolina. Turnout was even higher than the previous gubernatorial election because of the recent enfranchisement of Black voters and the controversial candidacy of Albert Watson.
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Carl West | 251,151 | 52.1 | −6.1 | |
| Republican | Albert Watson | 221,236 | 45.9 | +4.1 | |
| American Independent | Alfred W. "Red" Bethea | 9,758 | 2.0 | +2.0 | |
| Majority | 29,915 | 6.2 | −10.2 | ||
| Turnout | 482,145 | 54.2 | +4.7 | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Bigart, Homer (November 4, 1970). "West Tops Watson in South Carolina". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ "Campaigning for Political Reform". 2016. doi:10.4135/9781473975545.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Albert Watson, 72, Lawmaker; Opposed Integration of Schools". The New York Times. Associated Press. September 27, 1994. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ "South Carolina 1970 school bus assault survivors tell their story". Carolina Panorama Newspaper. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
External links
edit| Preceded by 1966 |
South Carolina gubernatorial elections | Succeeded by 1974 |
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