1916 South Carolina gubernatorial election

none January 2025 September 2023 1916 South Carolina Democratic gubernatorial primary runoff South Carolina 1916 presidential Popular Democratic Party (US) 1914 South Carolina gubernatorial election 1914 1916 09 12 1918 South Carolina gubernatorial election 1918 x150px File:Richard Irvine Manning III circa 1915.jpg Richard Irvine Manning III Democratic Party (US) 71,463 51.69% File:Coleman L Blease (cropped).jpg Cole Blease Democratic Party (US) 66,791 48.31% 1916 South Carolina gubernatorial Democratic primary election results map by county.svg 220px County resultsManning: #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% #584cde 70–80% Blease: #51C2C2 50–60% #2AACAC 60–70% Governor of South Carolina Richard Manning III Democratic Party (United States) Richard Manning III Democratic Party (United States) The 1916 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1916, to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. Governor Richard Irvine Manning III faced a strong challenge from former governor Coleman Livingston Blease in the Democratic primary, but Manning won a second two-year term as governor. Democratic primary Candidates Cole L. Blease, former Governor of South Carolina (191115) Robert Archer Cooper, former State Representative from Laurens and candidate for Governor in 1914 John M. DesChamps John T. Duncan, perennial candidate Richard Irvine Manning III, incumbent Governor since 1915 Campaign Governor Richard Irvine Manning III ran for a second term, but faced a challenge in the state Democratic primary from former governor Coleman Livingston Blease and Robert Archer Cooper. The progressive reforms initiated by Governor Manning alarmed many of the textile owners who threw their support to Cooper. Blease revived his political coalition of mill workers and sharecroppers and he made political capital out of Manning's use of troops to enforce a court eviction order against strikers at a mill in Anderson. Senator Ben Tillman openly supported the re-election of Governor Manning. The results of the primary on August 29 had Blease in first place, but just short of a majority necessary to avoid a runoff election. With the elimination of Cooper, the mill executives threw their support to Manning. Indeed, most South Carolinians not already supporting Blease preferred Manning to Blease. Many viewed the election as one of government and misgovernment. Manning eked out a victory in the runoff on September 12 and was essentially elected to a second two-year term because there was nominal opposition in the general election. Results Democratic PrimaryCandidateVotes% Coleman Livingston Blease 64,384 46.7 Richard Irvine Manning III 41,536 30.2 Robert Archer Cooper 31,305 22.7 John M. DesChamps 307 0.2 John T. Duncan 269 0.2 Runoff results Democratic Primary RunoffCandidateVotes%±% Richard Irvine Manning III 71,463 51.7 +21.5 Coleman Livingston Blease 66,791 48.3 +1.6 General election The general election was held on November 7, 1916, and Richard Irvine Manning III was re-elected governor of South Carolina without opposition. Turnout increased over the previous gubernatorial election because there was also a presidential election on the ballot. South Carolina Gubernatorial Election, 1916 Democratic Party (United States) Richard Irvine Manning III (incumbent) 60,405 97.91 -1.9 Independent politician Coleman Livingston Blease 1,089 1.77 +1.8 Socialist Party of America J.C. Gibbes 163 0.26 +0.1 No party Write-Ins 38 0.06 0.0 59,316 96.14 -3.5 61,695 |- | Democratic Party (United States) | colspan=5 |Democratic hold |- See also Governor of South Carolina List of governors of South Carolina South Carolina gubernatorial elections References Ernest McPherson Jr. Lander A History of South Carolina, 1865–1960 1970 University of South Carolina Press 0-87249-169-2 54–55 https://archive.org/details/historyofsouthca0000land/page/54 Results of First Primary Declared The News and Courier 6 September 1916 2 Governor Manning Declared Nominee The News and Courier 20 September 1916 2 Jordan Frank E The Primary State: A History of the Democratic Party in South Carolina, 1876–1962 31–33 "Report of the Secretary of State to the General Assembly of South Carolina. Part II." Reports and Resolutions of the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina. Volume II. Columbia, South Carolina: 1917, pp. 5–6. External links SCIway Biography of Richard Irvine Manning III 1914 South Carolina gubernatorial elections 1918 Gubernatorial 1916 Category:1916 United States gubernatorial elections Category:November 1916 in the United States