1914 United States Senate election in South Carolina explained

Election Name:1914 Democratic Senate primary in South Carolina
Country:South Carolina
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1909 United States Senate election in South Carolina
Previous Year:1909
Next Election:1920 United States Senate election in South Carolina
Next Year:1920
Election Date:August 25, 1914
Image1:File:Senator Ellison DuRant Smith.jpg
Nominee1:Ellison D. Smith
Party1:Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:72,256
Percentage1:54.66%
Nominee2:Cole Blease
Party2:Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:55,908
Percentage2:42.29%
U.S. Senator
Before Election:Ellison D. Smith
Before Party:Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:Ellison D. Smith
After Party:Democratic Party (United States)

The 1914 United States Senate election in South Carolina was held on November 3, 1914, to select the U.S. Senator from the state of South Carolina. It was the first election in South Carolina in which the voters were able to choose the candidate in the general election. Incumbent Democratic Senator Ellison D. Smith won the Democratic primary and defeated nominal opposition in the general election to win another six-year term.

Democratic primary

Coleman Livingston Blease, Governor of South Carolina from 1910 to 1914, was barred from seeking another term by the South Carolina constitution. He wanted to continue holding a public office so he challenged incumbent Senator Ellison D. Smith in the Democratic primary election for U.S. Senator. However, the voters were tired of Blease and he and those allied with him suffered defeat in the 1914 Democratic primaries on August 25.

General election campaign

Since the end of Reconstruction in 1877, the Democratic Party dominated the politics of South Carolina and its statewide candidates were never seriously challenged. Smith did not campaign for the general election as there was no chance of defeat.

Results

|-| | colspan=5 |Democratic hold|-

See also

References