1990 United States Senate election in South Carolina
The 1990 South Carolina United States Senate election was held on November 6, 1990 to select the U.S. Senator from the state of South Carolina. Popular incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond cruised to re-election against Democratic challenger Bob Cunningham.
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 County Results
Thurmond: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Cunningham: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Primaries
U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond faced no opposition from South Carolina Republicans and avoided a primary election. The state Democrats saw this as an unwinnable race so when Bob Cunningham sought the Democratic nomination, he was unopposed in his bid.
General election campaign
Cunningham launched his second bid to unseat Republican Sen. Strom Thurmond after switching from the GOP to the Democratic Party in early 1990. Though he faced a formidable opponent, Cunningham planned no fund-raising activities. "I don't plan to ask for anything and I won't accept any money from PACs," he said. Cunninghman said his campaign strategy was to "go to places where I was invited and spread out my ideas." If elected, Cummingham said he would push to limit consecutive congressional service to 12 years and reform the tax system. He supported greater environmental activism. "I think we're going at it in much too lukewarm a fashion. I think we should work hard to find a substitute for the internal combustion engine."
Cunningham, a retired intelligence officer, had little chance of defeating Strom Thurmond and the election was never a serious contest. Thurmond overwhelmingly outspent Cunningham in his re-election campaign.
Election results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Strom Thurmond (incumbent) | 482,032 | 64.2% | -2.6% | |
| Democratic | Bob Cunningham | 244,112 | 32.5% | +0.7% | |
| Libertarian | William H. Griffin | 13,804 | 1.8% | +0.4% | |
| American | Marion C. Metts | 10,317 | 1.4% | +1.4% | |
| No party | Write-Ins | 464 | 0.1% | +0.1% | |
| Majority | 237,920 | 31.7% | -3.3% | ||
| Turnout | 750,729 | 55.2% | -13.5% | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
See also
- List of United States Senators from South Carolina
- 1990 United States Senate elections
- 1990 South Carolina gubernatorial election
References
- State Election Commission (1991). South Carolina Election Commission Annual Report 1990-1991. Columbia, SC: The Commission. p. 91.