The 1978 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1978, to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. Richard Riley, the Democratic nominee, defeated Republican Edward Lunn Young and became the 111th governor of South Carolina.
Democratic primary The South Carolina Democratic Party held their primary for governor on June 13, featuring three high tier candidates. Richard Riley, a former member of the General Assembly, emerged as the winner of the runoff election over Lieutenant Governor W. Brantley Harvey Jr. on June 27.
Democratic PrimaryCandidateVotes% W. Brantley Harvey, Jr. 142,785 37.5 Richard Riley 125,184 32.9 William Jennings Bryan Dorn 112,793 29.6
Democratic Primary RunoffCandidateVotes%±% Richard Riley 180,882 53.3 +20.4 W. Brantley Harvey, Jr. 158,655 46.7 +9.2
Republican primary The South Carolina Republican Party held their primary for governor on June 13. The race between Edward Lunn Young and Raymon Finch drew little interest compared to the Democratic primary and turnout for the Republican primary was less than that of 1974. Young defeated Finch in a close contest and earned the right to face Riley in the general election.
Republican PrimaryCandidateVotes% Edward Lunn Young 12,143 51.4 Raymon Finch 11,501 48.6
General election The general election was held on November 7, 1978, and Richard Riley was elected as the next governor of South Carolina. Turnout was higher than the previous gubernatorial election because of the increasingly competitive nature of the race between the two parties.
| colspan=5 |Democratic gain from Republican
See also Governor of South Carolina List of governors of South Carolina South Carolina gubernatorial elections
External links SCIway Biography of Governor Richard Wilson Riley