Rebirth of the "Two-Party System" in South Carolina | History of SC Slide Collection

Slowly, South Carolina witnessed the rebirth of a two-party system in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1964, the state voted against a southern Democratic candidate, Texan Lyndon B. Johnson, and instead cast its electoral college votes for Republican Barry Goldwater. In that election year, as illustrated in this cartoon, Strom Thurmond, a U.S. Senator since 1954, announced his decision to leave the Democratic Party for the Republican.

Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.