Biggest governor landslides in South Carolina
The biggest landslide in a South Carolina governor’s race was in 1896, a margin of 82.5 points. William Haselden Ellerbe beat Sampson Pope, 59,424 to 4,432. Next widest are 1890 (59.8 points) and 1882 (58.2 points).
Every state is ranked together on Biggest governor landslides. For every gubernatorial race South Carolina has held, special elections included, see the South Carolina governor hub.
What is the biggest landslide in a South Carolina governor’s race?
The widest margin in a South Carolina gubernatorial general election came in 1896, 82.5 points. William Haselden Ellerbe beat Sampson Pope, 59,424 to 4,432. Next are 1890 (59.8 points) and 1882 (58.2 points).
Why do some huge wins not appear?
A blowout only counts here when somebody real finished second, which means at least 5% of the vote. Without that rule the list fills with uncontested races and with contests where the record is simply missing the major opponent, both of which show the winner near 100%.
Does this include recalls and special elections?
No, only regular general elections for governor. The South Carolina governor hub lists every race including specials and recalls.
| # | Election | Result | Votes | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1896 | William Haselden Ellerbe D def. Sampson Pope R | 59,424 – 4,432 | +82.5 points |
| 2 | 1890 | Ben Tillman D def. A.C. Haskell D | 59,159 – 14,828 | +59.8 points |
| 3 | 1882 | Hugh Smith Thompson D def. J. Hendrix McLane G | 67,158 – 17,719 | +58.2 points |
| 4 | 1868 | Robert Kingston Scott R def. William Dennison Porter D | 70,054 – 23,096 | +50.4 points |
| 5 | 1990 | Carroll Campbell R def. Theo Mitchell D | 528,831 – 212,048 | +41.7 points |
| 6 | 1982 | Richard Riley D def. W. D. Workman Jr. R | 468,787 – 202,806 | +39.6 points |
| 7 | 1894 | John Gary Evans D def. Sampson Pope I | 39,507 – 17,278 | +39.2 points |
| 8 | 1872 | Franklin J. Moses Jr. R def. Reuben Tomlinson R | 69,838 – 36,533 | +31.2 points |
| 9 | 1870 | Robert Kingston Scott R def. Richard B. Carpenter Rf | 85,071 – 51,537 | +24.6 points |
| 10 | 1978 | Richard Riley D def. Edward Lunn Young R | 384,898 – 236,946 | +23.6 points |
| 11 | 2022 | Henry D. McMaster R def. Joe Cunningham D | 988,501 – 692,691 | +17.4 points |
| 12 | 1966 | Robert Evander McNair D def. Joseph O. Rogers Jr. R | 255,854 – 184,088 | +16.4 points |
| 13 | 2014 | Nikki Haley R def. Vincent Sheheen D | 696,645 – 516,166 | +14.5 points |
| 14 | 2006 | Mark Sanford R def. Tommy Moore D | 601,868 – 489,076 | +10.3 points |
| 15 | 2018 | Henry D. McMaster R def. James Smith D | 921,342 – 784,182 | +8.0 points |
| 16 | 1998 | Jim Hodges D def. David Beasley R | 570,070 – 484,088 | +8.0 points |
| 17 | 1874 | Daniel Henry Chamberlain R def. John T. Green R | 80,403 – 68,818 | +7.8 points |
| 18 | 1970 | John C. West D def. Albert Watson R | 251,151 – 221,236 | +6.2 points |
| 19 | 2002 | Mark Sanford R def. Jim Hodges D | 585,422 – 521,140 | +5.8 points |
| 20 | 2010 | Nikki Haley R def. Vincent Sheheen D | 690,525 – 630,535 | +4.5 points |
| 21 | 1865 | James Lawrence Orr I def. Wade Hampton III I | 9,928 – 9,186 | +3.8 points |
| 22 | 1974 | James B. Edwards R def. W.J. Bryan Dorn D | 266,338 – 248,861 | +3.3 points |
| 23 | 1986 | Carroll Campbell R def. Michael R. Daniel D | 384,565 – 361,328 | +3.1 points |
| 24 | 1994 | David Beasley R def. Nick Theodore D | 470,756 – 447,002 | +2.5 points |
| 25 | 1876 | Wade Hampton III D def. Daniel Henry Chamberlain R | 92,261 – 91,127 | +0.60 points |