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 County results Scott: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Porter: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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The1868 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held for two days from June 2 to June 3, 1868, to elect thegovernor ofSouth Carolina;[1] elections for statewide offices were held following the ratification of theSouth Carolina Constitution of 1868 on April 16.[2]RepublicanRobert Kingston Scott won the election largely with the support of the newly enfranchisedblack vote and became the state's74th governor.
TheRepublican Party was formed in South Carolina in 1867 to contest the elections of 1868. Members were chiefly composed offormer slaves, and much of their support was derived from theUnion League. They nominatedRobert Kingston Scott, anOhioan and assistant commissioner of theFreedmen's Bureau, as their candidate for governor. The platform of thestate Republican Party for the election was to enactRadical Republicanreconstruction of the state.
TheDemocratic Party, which had not been active in state politics since theCivil War, reorganized themselves for the election. They nominatedWilliam D. Porter for governor, although he declined the nomination; he remained on the ballot nonetheless. Thestate Democratic Party's platform for the election called for maintaining a policy ofwhite supremacy and disapproval of South Carolina's newly ratified constitution.
Robert Kingston Scott, who received an overwhelming amount of support from South Carolina's newly enfranchised black voters, defeated William D. Porter in a landslide to become the state's first Republican governor.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Robert Kingston Scott | 70,054 | 75.21 | |
| Democratic | William Dennison Porter | 23,096 | 24.79 | |
| Total votes | 93,150 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicangain fromIndependent | ||||
| Preceded by 1865 | South Carolina gubernatorial elections | Succeeded by 1870 |
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