Editing Strom Thurmond (section)

===1950 U.S. Senate campaign in South Carolina===
According to term limits in the state constitution, Thurmond was barred from seeking a second consecutive term as governor in 1950, so he mounted a Democratic primary challenge against first-term U.S. senator [[Olin Johnston]].<ref>{{cite news|date=February 13, 1950|title=Thurmond Not Candidate?|publisher=Herald-Journal|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=STAsAAAAIBAJ&pg=4537%2C4178213}}</ref> On May 1, Thurmond's Senate campaign headquarters opened in Columbia, South Carolina with Ernest Craig serving as campaign leader and George McNabb in charge of public relations; both men were on leave from their state positions in the governor's office.<ref>{{cite news|date=May 2, 1950|title=Thurmond Opens Campaign Center|publisher=Herald-Journal|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=SFOYbPikdlgC&dat=19500502&printsec=frontpage}}</ref>

In the one-party state of the time, the Democratic primary was the only competitive contest. Both candidates denounced President Truman during the campaign. Johnston defeated Thurmond 186,180 votes to 158,904 votes (54% to 46%) in what would be Thurmond's first and only state electoral defeat.

In 1952, Thurmond endorsed Republican [[Dwight D. Eisenhower|Dwight Eisenhower]] for the presidency, rather than the Democratic [[nominee]] [[Adlai Stevenson II|Adlai Stevenson]]. Stevenson still narrowly carried South Carolina, traditionally Democratic, in the general election.