1978Final results
1978 election for U.S. Senate in South Carolina
U.S. Senate · South Carolina
Strom Thurmond (R) won with 55.7% of the vote, defeating Charles D. Ravenel (D) by 11.4 points.
Strom ThurmondRepublican · winner
55.7%351,917
Charles D. RavenelDemocrat
44.3%280,146
632,063 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1978
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET