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In the gubernatorial contest, Rogers polled 184,088 votes, compared to 255,854 for McNair.<ref name=mcnairpapers/> In addition to the gubernatorial race, voters filled both of the U.S. Senate seats, the two remaining years of Johnston's term and a full six-year term for former Democrat Senator Strom Thurmond, who was elected for the first time in 1966 as a Republican. Former Governor [[Ernest Hollings]] unseated Donald Russell in the 1966 Democratic primary and then narrowly won the former Johnston seat over the Republican state Senator Marshall Parker, a former Democrat from Seneca, who had been an intraparty opponent of McNair in 1962 in the race for lieutenant governor.<ref name=mcnairpapers/>

In the gubernatorial contest, Rogers polled 184,088 votes, compared to 255,854 for McNair.<ref name=mcnairpapers/> In addition to the gubernatorial race, voters filled both of the U.S. Senate seats, the two remaining years of Johnston's term and a full six-year term for former Democrat Senator Strom Thurmond, who was elected for the first time in 1966 as a Republican. Former Governor [[Ernest Hollings]] unseated Donald Russell in the 1966 Democratic primary and then narrowly won the former Johnston seat over the Republican state Senator Marshall Parker, a former Democrat from Seneca, who had been an intraparty opponent of McNair in 1962 in the race for lieutenant governor.<ref name=mcnairpapers/>

Rogers was a delegate to the 1968 Republican National Convention in Miami Beach,  [[Florida]], which nominated the [[Richard Nixon|Nixon]]-[[Spiro Agnew|Agnew]] ticket. Thereafter, he was the successful Nixon campaign manager in South Carolina in the race against [[George Wallace]] of [[Alabama]] and [[Hubert Humphrey]] of [[Minnesota]], who was backed by Governor McNair.<ref name=rogerspapers/><ref>In the 1972 campaign, the Nixon-Agnew ticket was managed in South Carolina by James M. Henderson (1921-1995), an advertising executive from Greenville, who had been the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor on the 1970 ticket headed by then U.S. Representative]] Albert William Watson (1922-1994).</ref>

Rogers was a delegate to the 1968 Republican National Convention in Miami Beach,  [[Florida]], which nominated the [[Richard Nixon|Nixon]]-[[Spiro Agnew|Agnew]] ticket. Thereafter, he was the successful Nixon campaign manager in South Carolina in the race against [[George Wallace]] of [[Alabama]] and [[Hubert Humphrey]] of [[Minnesota]], who was backed by Governor McNair.<ref name=rogerspapers/><ref>In the 1972 campaign, the Nixon-Agnew ticket was managed in South Carolina by James M. Henderson (1921-1995), an advertising executive from Greenville, who had been the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor on the 1970 ticket headed by then [[U.S. Representative]] Albert William Watson (1922-1994). Henderson was the father-in-law of later [[U.S. Senator]] [[Jim DeMint]].</ref>

From August 11, 1969, to December 18, 1970, Rogers served under appointment of [[U.S. President]] Richard Nixon as the [[United States Attorney]] for the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. His nomination was supported by most of the newspapers in South Carolina but actively opposed by the [[NAACP]], Soon Senator Thurmond recommended to President Nixon that Rogers be appointed to a federal judgeship, but the nomination stalled, and an angry Rogers resigned as U.S. attorney and withdrew from further consideration for the judgeship. He blamed the inaction on the Nixon administration that he and Thurmond had helped to bring to power. Thereafter, Rogers resumed his legal practice in Manning<ref name=rogerspapers>{{cite web|url=http://library.sc.edu/scpc/Rogers.pdf|title=Joseph O. Rogers, Jr., Papers|publisher=library.sc.edu|accessdate=May 3, 2014; specific material may no longer be accessible on-line}}</ref> until his retirement in 1990. On numerous occasions into the 1990s, he was a Special Circuit Court Judge. A member of the Clarendon County Development Board, Rogers was named "Economic Ambassador" for Clarendon County in 1993.<ref name=rogerspapers/>

From August 11, 1969, to December 18, 1970, Rogers served under appointment of [[U.S. President]] Richard Nixon as the [[United States Attorney]] for the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. His nomination was supported by most of the newspapers in South Carolina but actively opposed by the [[NAACP]], Soon Senator Thurmond recommended to President Nixon that Rogers be appointed to a federal judgeship, but the nomination stalled, and an angry Rogers resigned as U.S. attorney and withdrew from further consideration for the judgeship. He blamed the inaction on the Nixon administration that he and Thurmond had helped to bring to power. Thereafter, Rogers resumed his legal practice in Manning<ref name=rogerspapers>{{cite web|url=http://library.sc.edu/scpc/Rogers.pdf|title=Joseph O. Rogers, Jr., Papers|publisher=library.sc.edu|accessdate=May 3, 2014; specific material may no longer be accessible on-line}}</ref> until his retirement in 1990. On numerous occasions into the 1990s, he was a Special Circuit Court Judge. A member of the Clarendon County Development Board, Rogers was named "Economic Ambassador" for Clarendon County in 1993.<ref name=rogerspapers/>