The 1870 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on October 10, 1870 to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. Governor Robert Kingston Scott easily won reelection based entirely on the strength of the black vote in the state. The election was significant because it proved to the white conservatives of the state that political harmony between the white and black races was impossible and only through a straightout Democratic attempt would they be able to regain control of state government.