The 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 overwhelmingly won the effectively one-party state's general election to become the 92nd governor of South Carolina.
The South Carolina Democratic Party held their primary for governor on August 25 and progressive reformer Richard Irvine Manning III emerged as the winner in a crowded field. He garnered the support from the candidates eliminated in the runoff election and was able to score a decisive victory over John Gardiner Richards, Jr., the candidate favored by former governor Coleman Livingston Blease, on September 8.
Democratic Primary
Candidate
Votes
%
John Gardiner Richards, Jr.
26,801
20.5
Richard Irvine Manning III
25,397
19.5
Robert Archer Cooper
25,053
19.2
John G. Clinkscales
17,126
13.1
William C. Irby, Jr.
14,652
11.2
Mendel L. Smith
9,905
7.6
Charles Aurelius Smith
5,842
4.5
Charles Carroll Sims
2,773
2.1
Lowndes J. Browning
1,513
1.2
John T. Duncan
793
0.6
John B. Adger Mullally
665
0.5
Democratic Primary Runoff
Candidate
Votes
%
±%
Richard Irvine Manning III
73,969
62.1
+42.6
John Gardiner Richards, Jr.
45,099
37.9
+17.4
General election[]
The general election was held on November 3, 1914, and Richard Irvine Manning III was elected the next governor of South Carolina. Being a non-presidential election and few contested races, turnout was much less than the previous gubernatorial election.
Jordan, Frank E. The Primary State: A History of the Democratic Party in South Carolina, 1876-1962. pp. 30–31.
"Report of the Secretary of State to the General Assembly of South Carolina. Part II." Reports and Resolutions of the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina. Volume IV. Columbia, SC: 1915, p. 339.
"State Committee Declares Results". The News and Courier. 2 September 1914. p. 2.
"Manning's Majority 28,870". The News and Courier. 15 September 1914. p. 1.