from Alabama (formerly a Democrat, Republican since 1994) J. Strom Thurmond, U.S. Senator from South Carolina and Governor of South Carolina (Democrat until 1964, then Republican until death), States' Right candidate (Dixiecrat) for president in 1948 Douglas Wilder, Virginia governor, first African-American ever elected governor in the U.S., tried to go for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1991, but eventually withdrew in 1992 Ralph Yarborough, U.S. Senator from Texas Sonny Perdue, Governor of Georgia (was once a Democrat, now Republican) Robert Byrd, Representative, U.S. Senator from West Virginia, presidential candidate, 1976 Bill Nelson, Representative, U.S. Senator from Florida Howell Heflin, senator from Alabama Mike Beebe, Governor of Arkansas George C. Wallace, governor of Alabama, American Independent Party candidate for president in 1968, ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1972 and 1976 Lester Maddox, governor of Georgia Joseph Manchin III, governor of West Virginia, incumbent U.S. Senator from West Virginia, and Southern Governors' Association chairman Wendell Ford, governor and senator from Kentucky Martin O'Malley, Governor of Maryland A.B. "Happy" Chandler, governor and senator from Kentucky Steve Beshear, Governor of Kentucky Benjamin Tillman, governor and senator of South Carolina Martha Layne Collins, Governor of Kentucky and chair of the 1984 Democratic National Convention Jim Webb, U.S. Senator from Virginia and Secretary of the Navy, 2016 Democratic presidential candidate (once a Republican) Ben Chandler, Attorney General of Kentucky and Congressman from Kentucky Lawrence Patton McDonald, Former Representative from Georgia Bev Perdue, 73rd Governor of North Carolina Tim Kaine, Governor of Virginia, Chairman of the DNC, incumbent U.S. Senator from Virginia, also the 2016 Democratic Vice Presidential nominee John Bel Edwards, incumbent governor of Louisiana Roy Cooper, incumbent governor of North Carolina Ralph Northam, Governor of Virginia Doug Jones, former U.S. Senator from Alabama Raphael Warnock, current U.S. Senator from Georgia Jon Ossoff, current U.S. Senator from Georgia Southern Democratic presidential tickets At various times, registered Democrats from the South broke with the national party to nominate their own presidential and vice presidential candidates, generally in opposition to civil rights measures supported by the national nominees. There was at least one Southern Democratic effort in every presidential election from 1944 until 1968, besides 1952. On some occasions, such as in 1948 with Strom Thurmond, these candidates have been listed on the ballot in some states as the nominee of the Democratic Party. George Wallace of Alabama was in presidential politics as a conservative