1970 South Carolina gubernatorial election

none January 2025 September 2023 1970 South Carolina gubernatorial election South Carolina presidential no 1966 South Carolina gubernatorial election 1966 1974 South Carolina gubernatorial election 1974 November 3, 1970 Image:Gov. John C. West portrait.jpg 150x150px John C. West Democratic Party (United States) 251,151 52.09% File:Albert W. Watson.jpg Albert Watson Republican Party (United States) 221,236 45.89% 1970 South Carolina gubernatorial election results map by county.svg 230px County resultsWest: #a5b0ff 40–50% #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% #584cde 70–80%Watson: #ffb2b2 40–50% #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% Governor Robert Evander McNair Democratic Party (United States) John Carl West Democratic Party (United States) The 1970 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1970 to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. John C. West, the Democratic nominee, won a close general election against Albert Watson, the Republican congressman from the 2nd congressional district. The New York Times credited West's victory to his success among Black voters, "whites who were moderate on racial issues", and segments of the white working-class who supported George Wallace's 1968 presidential campaign but were disappointed with the state of the economy.Bigart Homer 1970-11-04 West Tops Watson in South Carolina en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/04/archives/west-tops-watson-in-south-carolina.html 2022-02-13 0362-4331 Central to the campaign was the issue of school integration: Watson ran a segregationist campaign and pledged to "stand up" to federal judicial orders to desegregate schools.2016 Campaigning for Political Reform http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781473975545 10.4135/9781473975545 subscription Primaries Both John Carl West and Albert Watson faced no opposition in their party's primaries which allowed both candidates to concentrate solely on the general election. General election Candidates Alfred W. Bethea, candidate for Governor in 1962 (American Independent) Albert Watson, U.S. Representative from Columbia (Republican) John C. West, Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina (Democratic) Campaign Watson's campaign was supported by President Richard Nixon and Senator Strom Thurmond. Watson's anti-integration campaign rhetoric is considered to have contributed to a white supremacist riot that targeted Black schoolchildren.Associated Press 1994-09-27 Albert Watson, 72, Lawmaker; Opposed Integration of Schools en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/27/obituaries/albert-watson-72-lawmaker-opposed-integration-of-schools.html 2022-02-13 0362-4331 Watson would defend the rioters, stating that "you can expect that to happen when you have frustrated people ... People get restless and then things occur."South Carolina 1970 school bus assault survivors tell their story https://www.carolinapanorama.com/news/south_carolina/south-carolina-1970-school-bus-assault-survivors-tell-their-story/article_0e5c6198-74bd-11ea-89b5-e337490332af.html 2022-02-13 Carolina Panorama Newspaper en The general election was held on November 3, 1970 and West was elected as the next governor of South Carolina. Turnout was even higher than the previous gubernatorial election because of the recent enfranchisement of Black voters and the controversial candidacy of Albert Watson. Results South Carolina Gubernatorial Election, 1970 Democratic Party (United States) John Carl West 251,151 52.09 -6.1 Republican Party (United States) Albert Watson 221,236 45.89 +4.1 American Independent Party Alfred W. "Red" Bethea 9,758 2.02 +2.0 29,915 6.20 -10.2 482,145 54.24 +4.7 |- | Democratic Party (United States) | colspan=5 |Democratic hold |- Ballot measures 6 constitutional amendments were voted on during the election, including one that removed the defunct provision requiring a voter to be a male.REPORT of the SOUTH CAROLINA ELECTION COMMISSION For the Period Ending June 30, 1973 https://scvotes.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Election_Report_1969-1973.pdf 13 December 2025 South Carolina Election Commission See also Governor of South Carolina List of governors of South Carolina South Carolina gubernatorial elections References External links SCIway Biography of Governor John Carl West 1966 South Carolina gubernatorial elections 1974 1970 Category:1970 United States gubernatorial elections Gubernatorial Category:November 1970 elections in the United States