The 1978 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1978 to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. Richard Riley, the Democratic nominee, defeated Republican Edward Lunn Young and became the 111th governor of South Carolina.

Democratic primary

The South Carolina Democratic Party held their primary for governor on June 13, featuring three high tier candidates. Richard Riley, a former member of the General Assembly, emerged as the winner of the runoff election over Lieutenant Governor W. Brantley Harvey Jr. on June 27.

Republican primary

The South Carolina Republican Party held their primary for governor on June 13. The race between Edward Lunn Young and Raymon Finch drew little interest compared to the Democratic primary and turnout for the Republican was less than that of 1974. Young defeated Finch in a close contest and earned the right to face Riley in the general election.

General election

The general election was held on November 7, 1978 and Richard Riley was elected as the next governor of South Carolina. Turnout was higher than the previous gubernatorial election because of the increasingly competitive nature of the race between the two parties.

[1978 South Carolina gubernatorial election map, by percentile by county.

{{legend|#00f|65+% won by Riley}} {{legend|#66f|60%-64% won by Riley}} {{legend|#aaf|55%-59% won by Riley}} {{legend|#ccf|50%-54% won by Riley}} {{legend|#fcc|50%-54% won by Young}} | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/1978SCGovResults.png]