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 County results West: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Watson: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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The1970 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1970 to select thegovernor of the state ofSouth Carolina.John C. West, theDemocratic nominee, won a close general election againstAlbert Watson, theRepublicancongressman from the2nd 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 supportedGeorge Wallace's 1968 presidential campaign but were disappointed with the state of the economy.[1]
Central to the campaign was the issue ofschool integration: Watson ran asegregationist campaign and pledged to "stand up" to federal judicial orders to desegregate schools.[2]
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.
Watson's campaign was supported by PresidentRichard Nixon and SenatorStrom Thurmond.[1] Watson's anti-integration campaign rhetoric is considered to have contributed to awhite supremacist riot that targeted Black schoolchildren.[3] 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."[4]
The general election was held on November 3, 1970 and West was elected as the nextgovernor 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.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Carl West | 251,151 | 52.1 | −6.1 | |
| Republican | Albert Watson | 221,236 | 45.9 | +4.1 | |
| American Independent | Alfred W. "Red" Bethea | 9,758 | 2.0 | +2.0 | |
| Majority | 29,915 | 6.2 | −10.2 | ||
| Turnout | 482,145 | 54.2 | +4.7 | ||
| Democratichold | |||||
6 constitutional amendments were voted on during the election, includingone that removed the defunct provision requiring a voter to be a male.[5]
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)| Preceded by 1966 | South Carolina gubernatorial elections | Succeeded by 1974 |
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