incumbent Claiborne Pell was reelected to a second term over Republican challenger Ruth M. Briggs. South Carolina There were two elections, due to the death of Olin D. Johnston in 1965. South Carolina (regular) {{Infobox election | election_name = South Carolina general election | country = South Carolina | type = presidential | ongoing = no | previous_election = 1960 United States Senate election in South Carolina | previous_year = 1960 | next_election = 1972 United States Senate election in South Carolina | next_year = 1972 | image_size = 124x135px | image1 = Strom Thurmond 91st Congress.jpg | nominee1 = Strom Thurmond | party1 = Republican Party (US) | popular_vote1 = 271,297 | percentage1 = 62.2%' | image2 = No image.svg | nominee2 = Bradley Morrah | party2 = Democratic Party (US) | popular_vote2 = 164,955 | percentage2 = 37.8% | map_image = 1966 United States Senate election in South Carolina results map by county.svg | map_size = 220px | map_caption = County results | title = U.S. senator | before_election = Strom Thurmond | before_party = Republican Party (US) | after_election = Strom Thurmond | after_party = Republican Party (US) }} Incumbent Strom Thurmond, who had switched parties from Democratic to Republican in 1964, easily defeated state senator Bradley Morrah in the general election. The two Democrats who could have defeated Thurmond competed against each other in the special election to serve the remaining two years of Olin D. Johnston's six-year term. As a result, little known state senator Bradley Morrah of Greenville won the South Carolina Democratic Party primary election on June 14 against John Bolt Culbertson to become the nominee in the general election. Senator Strom Thurmond faced no opposition from South Carolina Republicans and avoided a primary election. Morrah faced an uphill struggle against Senator Thurmond because the Democratic resources were primarily poured into the special election to help Fritz Hollings and in the gubernatorial contest for Robert Evander McNair. Furthermore, Thurmond refused to debate Morrah and Thurmond boasted of the endorsements he received from Southern Democratic senators Richard Russell Jr., John C. Stennis, and Herman Talmadge. Morrah was easily dispatched by Thurmond in the general election and he also lost re-election to his state senate seat. He would never again hold public office, which was a routine occurrence for Thurmond's opponents. South Carolina (special) The election resulted from the death of Senator Olin D. Johnston