United States Senate election in South Carolina, 1914
Encyclopedia
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from the state of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. It was the first election in South Carolina in which the voters were able to choose the candidate in the general election. Incumbent Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Senator Ellison D. Smith
Ellison D. Smith
Ellison DuRant "Cotton Ed" Smith was a Democratic Party politician from the U.S. state of South Carolina. He represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1909 until 1944....
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 CarolinaGovernor of South Carolina
The Governor of the State of South Carolina is the head of state for the State of South Carolina. Under the South Carolina Constitution, the Governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the South Carolina executive branch. The Governor is the ex officio...
from 1910 to 1914, was barred from seeking another term by the South Carolina constitution
South Carolina Constitution
The Constitution of the State of South Carolina is the governing document of the U.S. state of South Carolina. It describes the structure and function of the state's government. The current constitution took effect on December 4, 1895...
. He wanted to continue holding a public office so he challenged incumbent Senator Ellison D. Smith
Ellison D. Smith
Ellison DuRant "Cotton Ed" Smith was a Democratic Party politician from the U.S. state of South Carolina. He represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1909 until 1944....
in the Democratic primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general 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 PartyDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
dominated the politics of South Carolina
Politics of South Carolina
Prior to the 1960s, the state Democratic Party was firmly in control of the government of South Carolina at all levels. The state Republican Party was little more than a country club group organized to reap the benefits when a Republican was in the White House...
and its statewide candidates were never seriously challenged. Smith did not campaign for the general election as there was no chance of defeat.
General election results
| colspan=5 |DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
hold
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See also
- List of United States Senators from South Carolina
- United States Senate elections, 1914
- United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 1914United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 1914The 1914 South Carolina United States House of Representatives elections were held on November 3, 1914 to select seven Representatives for two-year terms from the state of South Carolina. The primary elections were held on August 25 and the runoff elections were held two weeks later on September 8...
- South Carolina gubernatorial election, 1914South Carolina gubernatorial election, 1914The 1914 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1914, to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. Richard Irvine Manning III emerged from the crowded Democratic primary to win in the runoff and won the general election to become the 92nd governor of South...