1948 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina
The 1948 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina were held on November 2, 1948, to select six Representatives for two-year terms from the state of South Carolina. Four incumbents were re-elected, but John J. Riley of the 2nd congressional district was defeated in the Democratic primary by Hugo S. Sims, Jr. The seat remained with the Democrats along with the open seat in the 3rd congressional district and the composition of the state delegation remained solely Democratic.
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All 6 South Carolina seats to the United States House of Representatives | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 District results
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1st congressional district
editIncumbent Democratic Congressman L. Mendel Rivers of the 1st congressional district, in office since 1941, defeated Republican challenger W.T. Baggott.
General election results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | L. Mendel Rivers (incumbent) | 24,527 | 89.1 | −10.4 | |
| Republican | W.T. Baggott | 2,987 | 10.9 | +10.9 | |
| No party | Write-Ins | 13 | 0.0 | −0.5 | |
| Majority | 21,540 | 78.2 | −20.8 | ||
| Turnout | 27,527 | ||||
| Democratic hold | |||||
2nd congressional district
editIncumbent Democratic Congressman John J. Riley of the 2nd congressional district, in office since 1945, was defeated in the Democratic primary by Hugo S. Sims, Jr. who also defeated Republican W. Edward Moore in the general election.
Democratic primary
edit| Democratic primary | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Hugo S. Sims, Jr. | 33,747 | 53.7 |
| John J. Riley | 29,045 | 46.3 |
General election results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Hugo S. Sims, Jr. | 27,677 | 96.4 | −2.2 | |
| Republican | W. Edward Moore | 1,020 | 3.6 | +3.6 | |
| Majority | 26,657 | 92.8 | −4.4 | ||
| Turnout | 28,697 | ||||
| Democratic hold | |||||
3rd congressional district
editIncumbent Democratic Congressman W.J. Bryan Dorn of the 3rd congressional district, in office since 1947, chose to not seek re-election and instead made an unsuccessful run for Senator. James Butler Hare won the Democratic primary and defeated Republican D.F. Merill in the general election.
Democratic primary
edit| Democratic primary | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| James Butler Hare | 26,007 | 42.6 |
| John C. Taylor | 17,319 | 28.4 |
| R.L. "Buck" Gamble | 12,484 | 20.4 |
| Leon Rice | 5,270 | 8.6 |
| Democratic primary runoff | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| James Butler Hare | 38,266 | 65.3 | +22.7 |
| John C. Taylor | 20,291 | 34.7 | +6.3 |
General election results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James Butler Hare | 19,181 | 97.8 | −2.1 | |
| Republican | D.F. Merill | 421 | 2.2 | +2.2 | |
| No party | Write-Ins | 6 | 0.0 | −0.1 | |
| Majority | 18,760 | 95.6 | −4.2 | ||
| Turnout | 19,608 | ||||
| Democratic hold | |||||
4th congressional district
editIncumbent Democratic Congressman Joseph R. Bryson of the 4th congressional district, in office since 1939, defeated Republican challenger James B. Gaston.
General election results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joseph R. Bryson (incumbent) | 26,098 | 94.9 | −4.7 | |
| Republican | James B. Gaston | 1,410 | 5.1 | +5.1 | |
| Majority | 24,688 | 89.8 | −9.4 | ||
| Turnout | 27,508 | ||||
| Democratic hold | |||||
5th congressional district
editIncumbent Democratic Congressman James P. Richards of the 5th congressional district, in office since 1933, defeated Roy C. Cobb in the Democratic primary and Republican J.D. Hambright in the general election.
Democratic primary
edit| Democratic primary | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| James P. Richards | 26,268 | 60.6 |
| Roy C. Cobb | 17,070 | 39.4 |
General election results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James P. Richards (incumbent) | 14,544 | 97.1 | −2.9 | |
| Republican | J.D. Hambright | 428 | 2.9 | +2.9 | |
| Majority | 14,116 | 94.2 | −5.8 | ||
| Turnout | 14,972 | ||||
| Democratic hold | |||||
6th congressional district
editIncumbent Democratic Congressman John L. McMillan of the 6th congressional district, in office since 1939, defeated Republican challenger F.L. Bradfield.
General election results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John L. McMillan (incumbent) | 21,703 | 97.1 | +0.2 | |
| Republican | F.L. Bradfield | 639 | 2.9 | +2.9 | |
| Majority | 21,064 | 94.2 | −0.3 | ||
| Turnout | 22,342 | ||||
| Democratic hold | |||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 1948" (PDF). clerk.house.gov. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- Jordan, Frank E. The Primary State: A History of the Democratic Party in South Carolina, 1876-1962. pp. 107, 116, 125.
- "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. Volume I. Columbia, SC: 1949, pp. 12–14.