Incumbent Democratic Senator
Olin D. Johnston defeated
Governor Fritz Hollings in the Democratic primary and
Republican W. D. Workman Jr. in the general election. The
South Carolina Democratic Party held their
primary on June 12, 1962.
Olin D. Johnston, the incumbent
senator, faced stiff competition from
Governor Fritz Hollings, who argued that Johnston was too liberal and not representative of South Carolina interests. Johnston told the voters that he was doing what he thought was best for the agriculture and textile workers of the state. Hollings was decisively defeated by Johnston because Johnston used his position as
Post Office and Civil Service Committee to build 40 new post offices in the state and thus demonstrate the pull he had in
Washington. W. D. Workman Jr., a correspondent for the
News and Courier, faced no opposition from
South Carolina Republicans and avoided a
primary election. Both Johnston and Workman supported
segregation, so the campaign centered on the economic issues of the state. Workman tried to persuade the voters that Johnston's policies were socialist and that he was too closely aligned with the
Kennedy administration. Johnston was a consistent supporter of socialized health care proposals, and Workman was able to win considerable support from the medical establishment. However, the state's citizens were much poorer than those of the rest of the nation, and Johnston's class based appeals made him a very popular figure for the downtrodden of both the white and black races. The competitive nature of this race foretold the eventual rise of the Republican Party and the fact that South Carolinians were growing increasingly suspicious of policies generated at the federal level. == South Dakota ==