1968 United States Senate election in South Carolina

The 1968 South Carolina United States Senate election was held on November 5, 1968, to select the U.S. Senator from the state of South Carolina. Incumbent Democratic Senator Fritz Hollings easily defeated Republican state senator Marshall Parker in a rematch of the election two years earlier to win his first full term.

1968 United States Senate election in South Carolina

November 5, 1968
 
Nominee Ernest Hollings Marshall Parker
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 404,060 248,780
Percentage 61.9% 38.1%

County results
Hollings:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election

Ernest Hollings
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Ernest Hollings
Democratic

Democratic Primary

Fritz Hollings, the incumbent Senator, easily defeated his primary opponent, John Bolt Culberson.[1]

1968 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in South Carolina
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Fritz Hollings 308,016 78.3
Democratic John Bolt Culberson 84,913 21.7
Majority 223,103 56.6
Total votes 392,929 100.0

Republican Primary

Marshall Parker, the state senator from Oconee County in the Upstate, was persuaded by South Carolina Republicans to enter the race and he did not face a primary challenge.

General election campaign

After a close election loss to Fritz Hollings in 1966, the Republicans felt that Parker might have a chance at defeating Hollings by riding Nixon's coattails in the general election. However, the Republicans did not provide Parker with the financial resources to compete and he subsequently lost by a bigger margin to Hollings than two years prior.

Election results

South Carolina U.S. Senate Election, 1968
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Fritz Hollings 404,060 61.9% -10.6%
Republican Marshall Parker 248,780 38.1% -10.6%
No party Write-Ins 15 0.0% 0.0%
Majority 155,280 23.8% +21.2%
Turnout 652,855 76.5% +27.4%
Democratic hold

See also

References

  • "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 II. Columbia, SC: 1969, p. 19.
  • Kalk, Bruce H. (2001). The Origins of the Southern Strategy: Two-Party Competition in South. Lexington Books. p. 86.
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