404,060 248,780 Start date November 5, 1968 | 61.9% 38.1% | |
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Winner Ernest Hollings | ||
The 1968 South Carolina United States Senate election was held on November 5, 1968 to select the U.S. Senator from the state of South Carolina. Incumbent Democratic Senator Fritz Hollings easily defeated Republican state senator Marshall Parker in a rematch of the election two years earlier to win his first full term.
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Democratic Primary
Fritz Hollings, the incumbent Senator, faced no opposition from South Carolina Democrats and avoided a primary election.
Republican Primary
Marshall Parker, the state senator from Oconee County in the Upstate, was persuaded by South Carolina Republicans to enter the race and he did not face a primary challenge.
General election campaign
After a close election loss to Fritz Hollings in 1966, the Republicans felt that Parker might have a chance at defeating Hollings by riding Nixon's coattails in the general election. However, the Republicans did not provide Parker with the financial resources to compete and he subsequently lost by a bigger margin to Hollings than two years prior.