United States gubernatorial elections were held on Tuesday November 8, in 35 states. 12 Democrat governors and 23 Republican governors won election, bringing the partisan reflection of the U.S. states to 25 Democrats and 25 Republicans. This election coincided with the Senate and the House elections. As of 2024, this is the last time the amount of governorships each party held was tied.
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
35 governorships | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Democratic hold Democratic gain Republican hold Republican gain No election | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alabama
editUntil 1968, Alabama governors were not allowed two successive terms. To circumvent this, Wallace used his wife Lurleen as his stand-in. She died in 1968.[1][2]
Alaska
editEgan was defeated in 1966, but would be re-elected in 1970 (see 1970 United States gubernatorial elections).
Arizona
editArizona operated on governors serving two-year terms until 1970, when Jack Richard Williams was the first governor to be elected to a four-year term.[3][4] He had previously been elected governor for two two-year terms in 1966.[5] and in 1968.[6] Arizona made the switch official from two-year to four-year terms in 1968 with an amendment.[7]
Arizona not only adopted a four-year term for governors starting in the general election of 1970, but also adopted a two consecutive term limit in 1992.[8]
Arkansas
editArkansas had two-year terms for governors until 1984, when they switched to four-year terms with Amendment 63.[9]
Winthrop Rockefeller was elected the first Republican governor since Reconstruction.[10] He became the first Republican governor of any former Confederate State since Alfred A. Taylor of Tennessee was defeated in 1922.
California
editIncumbent governor Pat Brown (Democrat) was defeated in his bid for a third term by future U.S. president Ronald Reagan (Republican).
Florida
editWilliam Haydon Burns was elected in 1964 for a two-year term because Florida shifted their governors' races from presidential years to midterm years. Starting in 1966, Florida held their four-year gubernatorial races in midterm years.[11]
Kirk was the first Republican governor in the 20th century.[12]
In 1968, Florida adopted a new state constitution, and the governor now had the option to serve two four-year terms in a row.[13][14]
Georgia
editMaddox was elected by the State Legislature, and Callaway was the first Republican nominee for governor since 1876.[15]
Oklahoma
editDuring Henry Bellmon's first term (1963–1967), the Oklahoma Constitution was changed to allow its governor to serve consecutive terms. However, the rule change did not apply to Bellmon. Thus, he was not eligible to serve a second term. He later served another term, from 1987 to 1991.[16]
Results
edit| State | Incumbent | Party | Status | Opposing candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | George Wallace | Democratic | Term-limited, Democratic victory | Lurleen Wallace (Democratic) 63.38% James D. Martin (Republican) 31.00% Carl Robinson (Independent) 5.62% [17] |
| Alaska | William A. Egan | Democratic | Defeated, 48.37% | Wally Hickel (Republican) 50.00% John F. Grasse (No Party) 1.64% [18] |
| Arizona | Samuel Pearson Goddard Jr. | Democratic | Defeated, 46.23% | Jack Williams (Republican) 53.77% [19] |
| Arkansas | Orval Faubus | Democratic | Retired, Republican victory | Winthrop Rockefeller (Republican) 54.36% James D. Johnson (Democratic) 45.64% [20] |
| California | Pat Brown | Democratic | Defeated, 42.27% | Ronald Reagan (Republican) 57.55% Others 0.18% [21] |
| Colorado | John Arthur Love | Republican | Re-elected, 54.05% | Robert Lee Knous (Democratic) 43.50% Levi Martinez (New Hispano) 2.45% [22] |
| Connecticut | John N. Dempsey | Democratic | Re-elected, 55.68% | E. Clayton Gengras (Republican) 44.28% Others 0.04% [23] |
| Florida | W. Haydon Burns | Democratic | Defeated in Democratic runoff, Republican victory[24] | Claude R. Kirk, Jr. (Republican) 55.13% Robert King High (Democratic) 44.86% Others 0.02% [25] |
| Georgia | Carl Sanders | Democratic | Term-limited, Democratic victory | Lester Maddox (Democratic) 47.06% Bo Callaway (Republican) 47.38% Ellis Arnall (Independent) 5.43% Others 0.14% [15] |
| Hawaii | John A. Burns | Democratic | Re-elected, 51.06% | Randolph Crossley (Republican) 48.94% [26] |
| Idaho | Robert E. Smylie | Republican | Defeated in Republican primary, Republican victory[27] | Don Samuelson (Republican) 41.41% Cecil Andrus (Democratic) 37.11% Perry Swisher (Independent) 12.24% Philip Jungert (Independent) 9.16% Don Walker (Independent) 0.08% [28] |
| Iowa | Harold Hughes | Democratic | Re-elected, 55.34% | William G. Murray (Republican) 44.17% David B. Quiner (American Constitution) 0.41% Charles Sloca (Iowa) 0.08% [29] |
| Kansas | William H. Avery | Republican | Defeated, 43.92% | Robert Docking (Democratic) 54.84% Rolland Ernest Fisher (Prohibition) 0.68% Carson Crawford (Conservative) 0.56% [30] |
| Maine | John H. Reed | Republican | Defeated, 46.88% | Kenneth M. Curtis (Democratic) 53.12% [31] |
| Maryland | J. Millard Tawes | Democratic | Term-limited, Republican victory | Spiro Agnew (Republican) 49.50% George P. Mahoney (Democratic) 40.61% Hyman A. Pressman (Independent) n9.88% [32] |
| Massachusetts | John Volpe | Republican | Re-elected, 62.58% | Edward J. McCormack Jr. (Democratic) 36.88% Henning A. Blomen (Socialist Labor) 0.32% John C. Hedges (Prohibition) 0.22% [33] |
| Michigan | George W. Romney | Republican | Re-elected, 60.54% | Zolton Ferency (Democratic) 39.13% James Horvath (Socialist Labor) 0.33% [34] |
| Minnesota | Karl Rolvaag | Democratic | Defeated, 46.94% | Harold LeVander (Republican) 52.55% Kenneth Sachs (Industrial Government) 0.50% [35] |
| Nebraska | Frank B. Morrison | Democratic | Retired, Republican victory | Norbert Tiemann (Republican) 61.52% Philip C. Sorensen (Democratic) 38.44% Others 0.03% [36] |
| Nevada | Grant Sawyer | Democratic | Defeated, 47.84% | Paul Laxalt (Republican) 52.16%[37] |
| New Hampshire | John W. King | Democratic | Re-elected, 53.88% | Hugh Gregg (Republican) 45.91% Others 0.21% [38] |
| New Mexico | Jack M. Campbell | Democratic | Term-limited, Republican victory | David Cargo (Republican) 51.73% Thomas E. Lusk (Democratic) 48.26% Others 0.01% [39] |
| New York | Nelson Rockefeller | Republican | Re-elected, 44.61% | Frank D. O'Connor (Democratic) 38.11% Paul Adams (Conservative) 8.46% Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr. (Liberal) 8.41% Milton Herder (Socialist Labor) 0.21% Judith White (Socialist Workers) 0.21% [40] |
| Ohio | Jim Rhodes | Republican | Re-elected, 62.18% | Frazier Reams Jr. (Democratic) 37.82% [41] |
| Oklahoma | Henry Bellmon | Republican | Term-limited, Republican victory | Dewey F. Bartlett (Republican) 55.68% Preston J. Moore (Democratic) 43.75% Harry E. Ingram (Independent) 0.57% [42] |
| Oregon | Mark Hatfield | Republican | Term-limited, Republican victory | Tom McCall (Republican) 55.26% Robert W. Straub (Democratic) 44.67% Others 0.07% [43] |
| Pennsylvania | William Scranton | Republican | Term-limited, Republican victory | Raymond P. Shafer (Republican) 52.10% Milton Shapp (Democratic) 46.13% Edward S. Swartz (Constitutional) 1.41% George S. Taylor (Socialist Labor) 0.36% [44] |
| Rhode Island | John Chafee | Republican | Re-elected, 63.30% | Horace E. Hobbs (Democratic) 36.70%[45] |
| South Carolina | Robert Evander McNair | Democratic | Elected to a full term, 58.16% | Joseph O. Rogers Jr. (Republican) 41.84%[46] |
| South Dakota | Nils Boe | Republican | Re-elected, 57.71% | Robert Chamberlin (Democratic) 42.29%[47] |
| Tennessee | Frank G. Clement | Democratic | Term-limited, Democratic victory | Buford Ellington (Democratic) 81.22% H.L. Crowder (Independent) 9.84% Charlie Moffett (Independent) 7.65% Charles Gordon Vick (Independent) 1.28% Others 0.01% [48] |
| Texas | John Connally | Democratic | Re-elected, 72.76% | Thomas Everton Kennerly (Republican) 25.81% Tommye Gillespie (Constitution) 0.73% Brad Logan (Conservative) 0.69%% [49] |
| Vermont | Philip H. Hoff | Democratic | Re-elected, 57.73% | Richard A. Snelling (Republican) 42.26% Others 0.01% [50] |
| Wisconsin | Warren P. Knowles | Republican | Re-elected, 53.51% | Patrick Lucey (Democratic) 46.09% Adolf Wiggert (Independent) 0.41% [51] |
| Wyoming | Clifford Hansen | Republican | Retired, Republican victory | Stanley K. Hathaway (Republican) 54.29% Ernest Wilkerson (Democratic) 45.71% [52] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Office of the Governor". Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "Lurleen B. Wallace (1967-68)". Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "AZ Governor". Retrieved 4 November 2013.
- ^ "Arizona Governor John "Jack" R. Williams". Retrieved 4 November 2013.
- ^ "AZ Governor". Retrieved 4 November 2013.
- ^ "Az Governor". Retrieved 4 November 2013.
- ^ David R. Berman (1998). Arizona Politics and Government: The Quest for Autonomy, Democracy, and Development. University of Nebraska Press. p. 112. ISBN 9780803261464. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
- ^ "Term limits on executive department and state officers". Archived from the original on 14 November 2008. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "Office of the Governor". Retrieved 4 November 2013.
- ^ "History and Timeline". Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "William Haydon Burns". Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ Bauerlein, David (28 September 2011). "Colorful former Gov. Claude Kirk Jr. 'knew no limits'". Florida Times-Union. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
- ^ "Florida's Constitutional Government". Retrieved 7 February 2014.
- ^ "The Florida Constitution". Retrieved 7 February 2014.
- ^ a b "GA Governor". Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "Oklahoma Governor Henry Louis Bellmon". Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ^ "AL Governor". Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "AK Governor". Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "AZ Governor". Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "AR Governor". Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "CA Governor". Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "CO Governor". Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "CT Governor". Retrieved 6 November 2013.
- ^ "FL Governor D Runoff". Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "FL Governor". Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "HI Governor". Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "ID Governor R Primary". Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "ID Governor". Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "IA Governor". Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "KS Governor". Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "ME Governor". Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "MD Governor". Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "MA Governor". Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "MI Governor". Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "MN Governor". Retrieved 6 November 2013.
- ^ "NE Governor". Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ "NV Governor". Retrieved 6 November 2013.
- ^ "NH Governor". Retrieved 6 November 2013.
- ^ "NM Governor". Retrieved 6 November 2013.
- ^ "NY Governor". Retrieved 6 November 2013.
- ^ "OH Governor". Retrieved 6 November 2013.
- ^ "OK Governor". Retrieved 6 November 2013.
- ^ "OR Governor". Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ^ "PA Governor". Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ^ "RI Governor". Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ^ "SC Governor". Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ^ "SD Governor". Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ^ "TN Governor". Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ^ Texas Almanac, 1968-1969, book, 1967; Dallas, Texas. (texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth113809/: accessed February 4, 2018), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, texashistory.unt.edu
- ^ "VT Governor". Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ^ "WI Governor". Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ^ "WY Governor". Retrieved 9 November 2013.