As South Carolina was utterly dominated by the Democratic Party, he faced no significant opposition in the general election.

Governor Coleman Livingston Blease ran for a second term, but he faced a credible challenge in the state Democratic primary against Ira B. Jones.

Senator Ben Tillman felt that Blease had greatly damaged the reputation of the state and was morally unfit to be governor, but because his re-election was on the same ballot he feared to openly oppose Blease so as to cause his own political downfall.

It was rather ironic because Tillman was essentially aiding the very people he had opposed in his 1890 gubernatorial contest.

The general election was held on November 5, 1912, when Coleman Livingston Blease was officially re-elected governor of South Carolina.