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United States · Election results history · 1978 governors · South Carolina
Election 1978 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.

1978 South Carolina governor election

Richard W. Riley (Democrat) beat Edward L. Young (Republican) in South Carolina in 1978, 61.4% to 37.8%, a margin of 23.6 points and 147,952 votes.

South Carolina changed party: in 1974 it went Republican, for James B. Edwards.

Democrats led in 45 of the 46 counties as they stood then and Republicans in 1. The largest, Richland, cast 60,829 votes and went to the Democrat by 24.9 points. The closest was Florence, where 209 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
Richard W. Riley won Democratic 384,898 61.4%
Edward L. Young Republican 236,946 37.8%
All other candidates 5,338 0.9%
Total627,182

Every county

CountyDemocratRepublicanOthersTotalMargin
Richland 37,697 62.0% 22,573 37.1% 559 60,829 D+24.9
Greenville 41,921 70.2% 17,418 29.2% 368 59,707 D+41.0
Charleston 30,438 52.7% 26,795 46.4% 494 57,727 D+6.3
Spartanburg 24,515 63.0% 14,153 36.3% 272 38,940 D+26.6
Lexington 14,775 47.9% 15,788 51.2% 278 30,841 R+3.3
Florence 11,792 50.3% 11,583 49.4% 80 23,455 D+0.9
Aiken 12,732 54.6% 10,077 43.2% 523 23,332 D+11.4
Anderson 16,119 71.7% 6,164 27.4% 186 22,469 D+44.3
Orangeburg 12,592 63.6% 7,122 36.0% 80 19,794 D+27.6
Horry 9,337 56.7% 6,995 42.5% 135 16,467 D+14.2
Sumter 9,334 60.6% 5,933 38.5% 144 15,411 D+22.1
Berkeley 8,590 56.7% 6,457 42.6% 98 15,145 D+14.1
York 9,709 67.0% 4,611 31.8% 168 14,488 D+35.2
Darlington 7,089 54.8% 5,659 43.7% 195 12,943 D+11.0
Greenwood 8,579 71.0% 3,416 28.3% 82 12,077 D+42.8
Pickens 7,872 65.5% 4,053 33.7% 88 12,013 D+31.8
Dorchester 6,584 56.7% 4,959 42.7% 65 11,608 D+14.0
Beaufort 5,623 50.9% 5,182 46.9% 238 11,043 D+4.0
Laurens 6,767 67.8% 3,157 31.6% 58 9,982 D+36.2
Lancaster 6,830 68.7% 3,016 30.3% 103 9,949 D+38.3
Kershaw 5,445 55.6% 4,254 43.4% 98 9,797 D+12.2
Williamsburg 5,532 57.7% 3,996 41.6% 67 9,595 D+16.0
Georgetown 5,730 62.7% 3,344 36.6% 70 9,144 D+26.1
Oconee 6,424 72.9% 2,310 26.2% 75 8,809 D+46.7
Newberry 4,818 60.6% 3,088 38.8% 50 7,956 D+21.7
Cherokee 5,199 68.0% 2,385 31.2% 67 7,651 D+36.8
Colleton 4,364 59.6% 2,918 39.8% 42 7,324 D+19.7
Union 5,246 71.9% 1,987 27.2% 61 7,294 D+44.7
Chesterfield 4,711 71.1% 1,880 28.4% 32 6,623 D+42.7
Clarendon 3,750 58.3% 2,658 41.3% 24 6,432 D+17.0
Marion 3,659 63.3% 2,091 36.2% 30 5,780 D+27.1
Chester 3,728 66.8% 1,794 32.2% 58 5,580 D+34.7
Marlboro 3,997 72.3% 1,486 26.9% 42 5,525 D+45.4
Dillon 3,236 58.8% 2,236 40.6% 29 5,501 D+18.2
Lee 2,923 53.9% 2,460 45.4% 36 5,419 D+8.5
Abbeville 3,455 70.8% 1,393 28.6% 31 4,879 D+42.3
Fairfield 3,455 73.0% 1,238 26.2% 39 4,732 D+46.9
Barnwell 2,769 62.7% 1,624 36.8% 24 4,417 D+25.9
Hampton 3,201 73.6% 1,095 25.2% 53 4,349 D+48.4
Edgefield 2,876 70.3% 1,173 28.7% 43 4,092 D+41.6
Bamberg 2,198 58.0% 1,568 41.4% 26 3,792 D+16.6
Saluda 2,106 56.8% 1,571 42.4% 31 3,708 D+14.4
Calhoun 1,800 59.6% 1,203 39.8% 19 3,022 D+19.8
Jasper 2,034 71.0% 807 28.2% 24 2,865 D+42.8
Allendale 1,904 68.1% 854 30.6% 37 2,795 D+37.6
McCormick 1,443 76.7% 422 22.4% 16 1,881 D+54.3

Counties as they stood in 1978; 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)