The incumbent U.S. Senator from South Carolina Burnet R. Maybank, was unopposed for re-election in 1954, but he died two months before the Election day. Various leaders requested a primary election for choosing the new nominee; however, the Democratic Party selected Edgar A. Brown, a state senator as the party nominee to replace Maybank without conducting a primary election. Thurmond organised a write-in campaign for the vacant senate seat. He pledge that if he won, he would resign in 1956 to force a primary election. He won the 1954 election easily, receiving almost 63% of the vote. His victory made him the first person to be elected to the U.S. Senate as a write-in candidate. In January 1955, he stated that federal encroachment on states' rights were among the biggest threats to American life, and they violated the Constitution. He spoke of the importance of education, saying "it should be a primary duty of the states just as national defense is a primary obligation of the federal government." In July 1955, Thurmond supported the Eisenhower Administration bill for an expanded military reserve law, including peacetime officers receiving compulsory training. He argued the bill would strengthen Eisenhower during the Geneva Summit. He opposed the alternate plan proposed by Senator Richard Russell, which argued to abolish compulsory training in addition to adding a bonus of $400 () to males forgoing active duty. Thurmond asserted that patriotism could not be purchased.