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 County results McNair: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Rogers: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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The1966 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1966, to select thegovernor of the state ofSouth Carolina, US. It marked the first time since thegubernatorial election of 1938 that theDemocratic candidate faced opposition from aRepublican candidate. GovernorRobert Evander McNair prevailed as the winner of the election and continued as the108th governor of South Carolina, butJoseph O. Rogers, Jr. had a respectable showing for the first Republican candidate in 28 years.
Both Governor McNair and Joseph O. Rogers, Jr. faced no opposition in their party's primaries which allowed both candidates to concentrate solely on the general election.
The general election was held on November 8, 1966, and Robert Evander McNair was elected to continue his term asgovernor of South Carolina.Turnout was the highest for any gubernatorial election since because it was the first time in 90 years that there was a competitive gubernatorial election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert Evander McNair (incumbent) | 255,854 | 58.2 | −41.8 | |
| Republican | Joseph O. Rogers Jr. | 184,088 | 41.8 | +41.8 | |
| Majority | 71,766 | 16.4 | −83.6 | ||
| Turnout | 439,942 | 49.5 | +11.4 | ||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Preceded by 1962 | South Carolina gubernatorial elections | Succeeded by 1970 |
