Edwards led way to making S.C. a ‘red state’

In 1974, James Edwards became the first Republican elected to governor of South Carolina since Reconstruction.

Edwards first secured the GOP nomination in a primary win against retired Army Gen. William Westmoreland, the commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam from1964-68.

Edwards was not expected to win the general election until the Democratic frontrunner – Charles “Pug” Ravenel, a Harvard-educated Charlestonian and Wall Street banker – was forced from the race because of a residency challenge.

In the general election, Edwards defeated the second-place finisher in the Democratic Primary, U.S. Rep. William Jennings Bryan Dorn.

State law then limited Edwards to only one term, and he left office in 1978, but his election laid the groundwork for the modern Republican takeover in the state.

Four of six S.C. governor’s since Edwards have been Republican. Now, both the S.C. House and Senate are controlled by Republicans and the Congressional delegation is made up of eight Republicans and one Democrat.

This story was originally published December 25, 2015 at 5:37 PM with the headline "Edwards led way to making S.C. a ‘red state’."