Answer
Coleman Blease, the incumbent senator from South Carolina, faced a tough challenge from James F. Byrnes in the 1930 Democratic primary. Byrnes, a former state legislator and judge, campaigned on a platform of progressive reform, promising to bring new jobs and economic opportunities to the state. Despite Blease's popularity and strong political machine, Byrnes managed to narrowly defeat him by a margin of just over 1,000 votes.