1948 United States Senate election in South Carolina
| Elections in South Carolina |
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The 1948 South Carolina United States Senate election was held on November 2, 1948 to select the U.S. Senator from the state of South Carolina. Incumbent Democratic Senator Burnet R. Maybank won the Democratic primary and defeated Republican challenger J. Bates Gerald in the general election to win another six-year term.
Democratic primary
Senator Burnet R. Maybank was opposed in the Democratic primary by U.S. Representative William Jennings Bryan Dorn and three other candidates. Maybank obtained over 50% in the primary election on August 10 to avoid a runoff election.
| Democratic Primary | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Burnet R. Maybank | 161,608 | 51.5 |
| W.J. Bryan Dorn | 76,749 | 24.4 |
| Neville Bennett | 43,068 | 13.7 |
| Alan Johnstone | 17,689 | 5.6 |
| Marcus A. Stone | 14,904 | 4.8 |
General election campaign
Since the end of Reconstruction in 1877, the Democratic Party dominated the politics of South Carolina and its statewide candidates were never seriously challenged. Maybank did not campaign for the general election as there was no chance of defeat.
General election results
#3333FF| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Burnet R. Maybank (incumbent) | 135,998 | 96.4 | -3.6 | |
| Republican | J. Bates Gerald | 5,008 | 3.6 | +3.6 | |
| Majority | 130,990 | 92.8 | -7.2 | ||
| Turnout | 141,006 | ||||
| Democratic hold | |||||
See also
- List of United States Senators from South Carolina
- United States Senate elections, 1948 and 1949
- United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 1948
References
- Jordan, Frank E. The Primary State: A History of the Democratic Party in South Carolina, 1876-1962. p. 79.
- "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, p. 11.