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United States · Election results history · 1970 governors · South Carolina
Election 1970 Results

Each election opens in its own mode: the forecast before the votes are counted, the live count while races are still too close to call, and the results once every race is decided.

1970 South Carolina governor election

John C. West (Democrat) beat Albert W. Watson (Republican) in South Carolina in 1970, 51.6% to 45.7%, a margin of 5.9 points and 28,718 votes.

The Democratic hold continued from 1966, when Robert Evander McNair won.

Democrats led in 36 of the 46 counties as they stood then and Republicans in 10. The largest, Richland, cast 46,328 votes and went to the Democrat by 10.8 points. The closest was Bamberg, where 14 votes separated the two parties.

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Early projection, based on early and incomplete polling: the likely matchups, each weighted by the betting markets' odds of both nominations, not a result. Each county is its 2024 presidential margin moved by its state's projected swing; set a national vote and every state, district and county moves by the same amount from our projection. Colours run in 100 steps from a safe Republican to a safe Democratic margin. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

Governor

CandidatePartyVotesShare
John C. West won Democratic 249,951 51.6%
Albert W. Watson Republican 221,233 45.7%
All other candidates 13,073 2.7%
Total484,257

Every county

CountyDemocratRepublicanOthersTotalMargin
Richland 24,958 53.9% 19,946 43.1% 1,424 46,328 D+10.8
Charleston 24,007 52.2% 21,084 45.9% 859 45,950 D+6.4
Greenville 19,874 47.2% 21,893 52.0% 374 42,141 R+4.8
Spartanburg 14,061 52.1% 12,251 45.4% 678 26,990 D+6.7
Aiken 8,565 43.3% 10,718 54.2% 487 19,770 R+10.9
Lexington 7,084 36.0% 12,018 61.1% 573 19,675 R+25.1
Florence 9,115 48.6% 9,304 49.6% 352 18,771 R+1.0
Anderson 10,532 63.4% 5,362 32.3% 710 16,604 D+31.1
Orangeburg 7,711 50.3% 7,221 47.1% 403 15,335 D+3.2
Sumter 5,535 47.1% 5,889 50.1% 338 11,762 R+3.0
York 6,890 58.8% 4,616 39.4% 204 11,710 D+19.4
Horry 5,563 50.1% 5,362 48.3% 181 11,106 D+1.8
Darlington 4,447 42.1% 5,690 53.9% 420 10,557 R+11.8
Pickens 5,531 54.3% 4,427 43.4% 232 10,190 D+10.8
Berkeley 5,823 57.2% 4,169 40.9% 193 10,185 D+16.2
Kershaw 4,708 51.7% 4,190 46.0% 212 9,110 D+5.7
Greenwood 5,228 58.8% 3,424 38.5% 245 8,897 D+20.3
Laurens 4,142 50.8% 3,755 46.0% 258 8,155 D+4.7
Dorchester 4,171 51.4% 3,608 44.5% 330 8,109 D+6.9
Newberry 3,606 44.7% 4,021 49.8% 442 8,069 R+5.1
Williamsburg 4,030 50.0% 3,757 46.6% 280 8,067 D+3.4
Lancaster 4,008 51.7% 3,651 47.1% 96 7,755 D+4.6
Georgetown 4,548 58.9% 3,026 39.2% 146 7,720 D+19.7
Colleton 2,702 42.3% 3,428 53.7% 251 6,381 R+11.4
Union 3,511 58.8% 2,305 38.6% 157 5,973 D+20.2
Chester 3,533 59.6% 2,316 39.1% 81 5,930 D+20.5
Chesterfield 3,788 64.0% 1,977 33.4% 154 5,919 D+30.6
Clarendon 3,266 55.5% 2,405 40.9% 211 5,882 D+14.6
Cherokee 3,046 54.0% 2,450 43.4% 145 5,641 D+10.6
Oconee 3,207 59.3% 2,106 38.9% 96 5,409 D+20.4
Beaufort 2,773 51.4% 2,431 45.0% 195 5,399 D+6.3
Marion 2,938 58.0% 2,044 40.3% 85 5,067 D+17.6
Dillon 2,568 50.8% 1,949 38.6% 536 5,053 D+12.3
Barnwell 2,197 48.9% 2,173 48.3% 125 4,495 D+0.5
Lee 2,086 47.4% 2,182 49.5% 136 4,404 R+2.2
Fairfield 2,700 63.0% 1,435 33.5% 151 4,286 D+29.5
Marlboro 2,459 58.6% 1,620 38.6% 119 4,198 D+20.0
Abbeville 2,905 70.2% 1,071 25.9% 165 4,141 D+44.3
Edgefield 1,870 50.7% 1,697 46.0% 125 3,692 D+4.7
Saluda 1,685 46.3% 1,797 49.4% 154 3,636 R+3.1
Hampton 2,051 57.3% 1,467 41.0% 62 3,580 D+16.3
Bamberg 1,654 47.4% 1,640 47.0% 199 3,493 D+0.4
Calhoun 1,249 50.0% 1,176 47.1% 74 2,499 D+2.9
Allendale 1,315 56.3% 959 41.1% 61 2,335 D+15.2
Jasper 917 43.5% 869 41.3% 320 2,106 D+2.3
McCormick 1,394 78.2% 354 19.9% 34 1,782 D+58.4

Counties as they stood in 1970; some have since been split, merged or renamed. Margin: the Democrat's share of all votes minus the Republican's. Sources and how the results were checked.

South Carolina governor elections we hold

YearWinnerMargin
2022 Henry McMaster (R) R+17.4
2018 Henry McMaster (R) R+8.0
2014 Nikki R. Haley (R) R+14.5
2010 Nikki R. Haley (R) R+4.5
2006 Mark Sanford (R) R+10.3
2002 Mark Sanford (R) R+5.8
1998 James H. Hodges (D) D+8.0
1994 David Beasley (R) R+2.5
1990 Carroll Campbell (R) R+41.6
1986 Carroll Campbell (R) R+3.1
1982 Richard Riley (D) D+39.6
1978 Richard W. Riley (D) D+23.6
1974 James B. Edwards (R) R+3.3
1970 John C. West (D) D+5.9
1966 Robert Evander McNair (D) D+16.3
1962 Donald S. Russell (D) D+100.0
1958 Ernest F. Hollings (D) D+100.0
1954 George Bell Timmerman (D) D+100.0
1950 James F. Byrnes (D) D+100.0
1946 James Strom Thurmond (D) D+100.0
1942 Olin D. Johnston (D) D+100.0
1938 Burnet Rhett Maybank (D) D+98.9
1934 Olin D. Johnston (D) D+100.0
1930 Ibra C. Blackwood (D) D+100.0
1926 John G. Richards (D) D+100.0
1924 Thomas G. McLeod (D) D+100.0
1922 Thomas G. McLeod (D) D+100.0
1920 Robert A. Cooper (D) D+100.0
1918 Robert A. Cooper (D) D+100.0
1916 Richard Irvine Manning III (D) D+97.9
1914 Richard Irvine Manning III (D) D+99.8
1912 Coleman L. Blease (D) D+99.5
1910 Coleman L. Blease (D) D+99.8
1908 Martin F. Ansel (D) D+100.0
1906 Martin F. Ansel (D) D+99.9
1904 Duncan C. Heyward (D) D+100.0
1902 Duncan C. Heyward (D) D+100.0
1900 Miles B. McSweeney (D) D+100.0
1898 William H. Ellerbe (D) D+100.0
1896 William H. Ellerbe (D) D+82.5
1894 John Gary Evans (D) D+69.6
1892 Benjamin Ryan Tillman (D) D+99.9
1890 Benjamin Ryan Tillman (D) D+79.8
1888 John P. Richardson (D) D+100.0
1886 John P. Richardson (D) D+100.0
1884 Hugh S. Thompson (D) D+100.0
1882 Hugh S. Thompson (D) D+79.0
1880 Johnson Hagood (D) D+96.4
1878 Wade Hampton (D) D+99.8
1876 Wade Hampton (D) D+0.6
1874 Daniel H. Chamberlain (R) R+53.9
1872 Franklin J. Moses Jr. (R) R+65.4
1870 Robert K. Scott (R) R+62.3
1868 Robert K. Scott (R) R+50.4
1865 James Lawrence Orr (other)