The 1946 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1946, to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. Strom Thurmond won the contested Democratic primary and ran unopposed in the general election becoming the 103rd governor of South Carolina.
Democratic primary Candidates Archie J. Beattie Carl B. Epps John D. Long James C. McLeod, Florence County physician Dell O'Neal Roger W. Scott Marcus A. Stone John C. Taylor, former U.S. Representative from Anderson Strom Thurmond, World War II veteran and former State Senator from Edgefield Ransome Judson Williams, incumbent Governor A.L. Wood
The South Carolina Democratic Party held their primary for governor in the summer of 1946 and ten candidates entered the contest. The race featured Governor Ransome Judson Williams, who became governor in 1945 upon the resignation of Olin D. Johnston, but it mainly became a contest between Strom Thurmond and James McLeod. Strom Thurmond was a World War II veteran and advocated a progressive platform whereas, James McLeod, a physician from Florence County, had the support of the "Barnwell Ring" and sought to maintain the status quo. Race was not an issue in the campaign and Strom Thurmond emerged victorious with the support of the returning veterans of World War II who wanted to reform South Carolina.
Democratic PrimaryCandidateVotes% Strom Thurmond 96,691 33.4 James C. McLeod 83,464 28.9 Ransome Judson Williams 35,813 12.4 John C. Taylor 22,447 7.8 Dell O'Neal 16,574 5.7 John D. Long 16,503 5.7 Carl B. Epps 5,189 1.8 Marcus A. Stone 4,353 1.5 A.L. Wood 3,040 1.0 Archie J. Beattie 2,889 1.0 Roger W. Scott 2,251 0.8
Democratic Primary RunoffCandidateVotes%±% Strom Thurmond 144,420 57.0 +23.6 James C. McLeod 109,169 43.0 +14.1
General election The general election was held on November 5, 1946, and Strom Thurmond was elected the next governor of South Carolina without opposition on account of South Carolina's effective status as a one-party state. Being a non-presidential election and with few contested races, turnout was much lower than in the Democratic primary election.
| colspan=5 |Democratic hold
See also Governor of South Carolina List of governors of South Carolina South Carolina gubernatorial elections
References
"Supplemental Report of the Secretary of State to the General Assembly of South Carolina." Reports and Resolutions of South Carolina to the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina. Volume I. Columbia, South Carolina: 1947, p. 10.
External links SCIway Biography of Governor James Strom Thurmond