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1994 South Carolina gubernatorial election

{{Short description|none}}

{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}

{{Infobox election

| election_name = 1994 South Carolina gubernatorial election

| country = South Carolina

| type = presidential

| ongoing = no

| previous_election = 1990 South Carolina gubernatorial election

| previous_year = 1990

| next_election = 1998 South Carolina gubernatorial election

| next_year = 1998

| election_date = November 8, 1994

| image1 = Image:GovernorBeasley.JPG

| image_size = 150x150px

| nominee1 = David Beasley

| party1 = Republican Party (United States)

| popular_vote1 = 470,756

| percentage1 = 50.4%

| image2 = Image:Lt. Gov. Nick Theodore of SC.jpg

| nominee2 = Nick Theodore

| party2 = Democratic Party (United States)

| popular_vote2 = 447,002

| percentage2 = 47.9%

| map_image = 1994 South Carolina gubernatorial election results map by county.svg

| map_size = 230px

| map_caption = County results
Beasley: {{legend0|#ffb2b2|40-50%}} {{legend0|#e27f7f|50-60%}} {{legend0|#d75d5d|60-70%}}
Theodore: {{legend0|#a5b0ff|40–50%}} {{legend0|#7996e2|50–60%}} {{legend0|#6674de|60–70%}}

| title = Governor

| before_election = Carroll A. Campbell Jr.

| before_party = Republican Party (United States)

| after_election = David Beasley

| after_party = Republican Party (United States)

}}

{{ElectionsSC}}

The 1994 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1994, to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. The contest featured two politicians from the Upstate and David Beasley narrowly defeated Nick Theodore to become the 113th governor of South Carolina.

Democratic primary

The South Carolina Democratic Party held their primary for governor on August 9, 1994. Lieutenant Governor Nick Theodore, from the Upstate, emerged as the winner of the runoff election on August 23 against popular Charleston mayor Joseph P. (Joe) Riley Jr. and the three-term Attorney General of South Carolina, Thomas T. Medlock.

{{col-float|width=22em}}

class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"

! colspan="3" | Democratic Primary

colspan="1" style="width: 170px"|Candidate

! style="width: 50px"|Votes

! style="width: 40px"|%

{{Party shading/Democratic}}

| Nick Theodore

| align="right" | 129,572

| align="right" | 49.6

{{Party shading/Democratic}}

| Joseph P. Riley Jr.

| align="right" | 99,967

| align="right" | 38.2

{{Party shading/Democratic}}

| Thomas T. Medlock

| align="right" | 22,468

| align="right" | 8.6

{{Party shading/Democratic}}

| William Holler

| align="right" | 9,439

| align="right" | 3.6

{{col-float-break|width=22em}}

class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"

! colspan="4" | Democratic Primary Runoff

colspan="1" style="width: 170px"|Candidate

! style="width: 50px"|Votes

! style="width: 40px"|%

! style="width: 40px"|±%

{{Party shading/Democratic}}

| Nick Theodore

| align="right" | 113,127

| align="right" | 50.4

| align="right" | +0.8

{{Party shading/Democratic}}

| Joseph P. Riley Jr.

| align="right" | 111,517

| align="right" | 49.6

| align="right" | +11.2

{{col-float-end}}

Republican primary

The South Carolina Republican Party held their primary on August 9, 1994, and the contest featured state representative David Beasley from the Upstate against two Lowcountry politicians. Beasley cruised to victory and benefited from the campaign of popular Charleston mayor Joe Riley for the Democratic nomination by drawing Lowcountry voters away from the Republican primary and towards the Democratic primary.

{{col-float|width=22em}}

class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"

! colspan="3" | Republican Primary

colspan="1" style="width: 170px"|Candidate

! style="width: 50px"|Votes

! style="width: 40px"|%

{{Party shading/Republican}}

| David Beasley

| align="right" | 119,724

| align="right" | 47.2

{{Party shading/Republican}}

| Arthur Ravenel, Jr.

| align="right" | 81,129

| align="right" | 32.0

{{Party shading/Republican}}

| Thomas Hartnett

| align="right" | 52,866

| align="right" | 20.8

{{col-float-break|width=22em}}

class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"

! colspan="4" | Republican Primary Runoff

colspan="1" style="width: 170px"|Candidate

! style="width: 50px"|Votes

! style="width: 40px"|%

! style="width: 40px"|±%

{{Party shading/Republican}}

| David Beasley

| align="right" | 134,297

| align="right" | 57.6

| align="right" | +10.4

{{Party shading/Republican}}

| Arthur Ravenel, Jr.

| align="right" | 98,915

| align="right" | 42.4

| align="right" | +10.4

{{col-float-end}}

General election

=Polling=

class="wikitable"

! width="150px" | Source

! width="100px" | Date

! width="100px" | Beasley (R)

! width="100px" | Theodore (D)

The Greenville News

| Nov. 3, 1994

| 38%

| 34%

=Results=

The general election was held on November 8, 1994, and David Beasley was elected as the next governor of South Carolina in the closest election percentage wise since the disputed election of 1876. Turnout was higher than the previous gubernatorial election because of the competitive nature of the race between the two parties.

{{Election box begin | title=South Carolina Gubernatorial Election, 1994}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link|

|party = Republican Party (United States)

|candidate = David Beasley

|votes = 470,756

|percentage = 50.41

|change = -19.1

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Nick Theodore

|votes = 447,002

|percentage = 47.87

|change = +20.1

}}

{{Election box candidate|

|party = U.S. Taxpayers Party

|candidate = John R. Peeples, Jr.

|votes = 8,003

|percentage = 0.9

|change = +0.9

}}

{{Election box candidate|

|party = New Alliance Party

|candidate = Wayne B. Griffin

|votes = 5,875

|percentage = 0.6

|change = +0.6

}}

{{Election box candidate|

|party = No party

|candidate = Write-Ins

|votes = 2,214

|percentage = 0.2

|change = -0.2

}}

{{Election box majority|

|votes = 23,754

|percentage = 2.5

|change = -39.2

}}

{{Election box turnout|

|votes = 933,850

|percentage = 62.3

|change = +6.3

}}

|-

| {{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}}

| colspan=5 |Republican hold

|-

{{Election box end}}

[[Image:1994SCGovResults.png|thumb|300px|none|1994 South Carolina gubernatorial election map, by percentile by county.

{{legend|#f66|60%-64% won by Beasley}}

{{legend|#faa|55%-59% won by Beasley}}

{{legend|#fcc|50%-54% won by Beasley}}

{{legend|#fee|<50% won by Beasley}}

{{legend|#eef|<50% won by Theodore}}

{{legend|#ccf|50%-54% won by Theodore}}

{{legend|#aaf|55%-59% won by Theodore}}

{{legend|#66f|60%-64% won by Theodore}}

{{legend|#00f|65+% won by Theodore}}

]]

See also

References

  • {{cite book | last = State Election Commission | title = South Carolina Election Report 1994–1995 | year = 1995 | publisher = The Commission | location = Columbia, South Carolina | page = 26}}

External links

  • [http://www.sciway.net/hist/governors/beasley.html SCIway Biography of Governor David Muldrow Beasley]

{{sequence|

prev=1990|

list=South Carolina gubernatorial elections|

next=1998

}}

{{SCGovElections}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:South Carolina Gubernatorial Election, 1994}}

1994

Category:1994 United States gubernatorial elections

Gubernatorial