The 1944 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 1944. Incumbent Governor of Montana Sam C. Ford, who was first elected Governor in 1940, ran for re-election. He won the Republican primary and moved on to the general election, where he was opposed by Leif Erickson, a former Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court and the Democratic nominee. Although then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt comfortably won the state in that year's presidential election, Ford defeated Erickson by a wide margin to win his second and final term as governor. This election is the first time that an incumbent Republican Governor of Montana was re-elected or won re-election.
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| Turnout | 79.40% 2.10[1] | ||||||||||||||||
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 County results Ford: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Erickson: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Democratic primary
editCandidates
edit- Leif Erickson, former Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court
- Austin B. Middleton, chairman of the Montana Railroad and Public Service Commission
- Roy E. Ayers, former Governor of Montana
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Leif Erickson | 28,292 | 47.05 | |
| Democratic | Austin B. Middleton | 17,756 | 29.53 | |
| Democratic | Roy E. Ayers | 14,082 | 23.42 | |
| Total votes | 60,130 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
editCandidates
edit- Sam C. Ford, incumbent Governor of Montana
- Jacob Thorkelson, former United States Congressman from Montana's 1st congressional district
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Sam C. Ford (incumbent) | 39,826 | 88.24 | |
| Republican | Jacob Thorkelson | 5,306 | 11.76 | |
| Total votes | 45,132 | 100.00 | ||
General election
editResults
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Sam C. Ford (incumbent) | 116,461 | 56.36% | +5.69% | |
| Democratic | Leif Erickson | 89,224 | 43.18% | −5.46% | |
| Prohibition | Charles R. Miller | 960 | 0.46% | ||
| Majority | 27,237 | 13.18% | +11.15% | ||
| Turnout | 222,964 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
References
edit- ^ "Montana Voter Turnout". Montana Secretary of State. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
- ^ a b "Report of the Official Canvass of the Vote Cast at the Primary Election Held in the State of Montana, July 18, 1944" (PDF). Montana Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 28, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
- ^ "Official Montana General Election Returns, November 7, 1944" (PDF). Montana Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 28, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
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