1966 Alabama gubernatorial election

none related races 1966 United States gubernatorial elections January 2025 September 2023 January 2021 1966 Alabama gubernatorial election Alabama presidential No 1962 Alabama gubernatorial election 1962 1970 Alabama gubernatorial election 1970 November 8, 1966 Lurleen Wallace color (3x4).jpg Lurleen Wallace Democratic Party (United States) 537,505 63.38% James D. Martin.jpg James D. Martin Republican Party (United States) 262,943 31.00% Dr Carl Robinson 1961.jpg Carl Robinson Independent politician 47,653 5.62% Governor George Wallace Democratic Party (United States) Lurleen Wallace Democratic Party (United States) 1966 Alabama gubernatorial election results map by county.svg 250px County resultsL. Wallace: #a5b0ff 40–50% #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% #584cde 70–80% #3933e5 80–90%Martin: #ffb2b2 40–50% #e27f7f 50–60% The 1966 Alabama gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 1966, and resulted in the election of Lurleen Wallace as the governor over U.S. Representative James D. Martin. Incumbent Democrat George Wallace was term limited and could not seek a second consecutive term; he later successfully ran again in 1970 and 1974 before being term-limited again, and then successfully ran again in 1982. Democratic primary The Democratic primary field included two former governors, John Malcolm Patterson and Jim Folsom, former congressman Carl Elliott of Jasper, Attorney General Richmond Flowers, Sr., and the incumbent's wife Lurleen Wallace who ran as "Mrs. George C. Wallace." The Democratic primary was handily won by Lurleen Wallace, who was running as a proxy for her husband, governor George Wallace. Wallace captured a majority of the vote cast in the first round of the primary and no runoff was necessary. Candidates thumb|Democratic primary results by county Wallace: #d7c7f0 30–40% #c3aae9 40–50% #AA87DE 50–60% #8D5FD3 60–70% #7234C9 70–80% #5A29A5 80–90% Flowers: #b8c7be 40–50% #93AC9D 50–60% Carl Elliott, former U.S. Representative Richmond Flowers, Sr., Attorney General Jim Folsom, former Governor Bob Gilchrist, State Senator Eunice Gore John Malcolm Patterson, former Governor Sherman Powell A.W. Todd, Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Lurleen Wallace, First Lady Charles Woods, businessman Democratic primary results Lurleen Wallace Democratic Party (United States) 480,841 54.10 Richmond Flowers, Sr. Democratic Party (United States) 172,386 19.40 Carl Elliott Democratic Party (United States) 71,792 8.10 Bob Gilchrist Democratic Party (United States) 49,502 5.57 Charles Woods Democratic Party (United States) 41,148 4.63 John Malcolm Patterson Democratic Party (United States) 31,011 3.49 Jim Folsom Democratic Party (United States) 24,145 2.72 A.W. Todd Democratic Party (United States) 9,013 1.01 Sherman Powell Democratic Party (United States) 7,231 0.81 Eunice Gore Democratic Party (United States) 1,589 0.18 888,658 100.00 General election Lurleen Wallace faced Republican U.S. representative James D. Martin of Gadsden, who had received national attention four years earlier when he mounted a serious challenge to U.S. senator J. Lister Hill.The New York Times, October 31, 1965, p. 63; Stephen Hess and David S. Broder, The Republican Establishment, p. 356 Republican campaign Though no Republican had served as governor of Alabama since David Peter Lewis vacated the office in 1874, Martin's Republican campaign appeared strong. The New York Times predicted that Martin "not only has a chance to win the governorship, but at least for the moment must be rated as the favorite."Billy Hathorn, "A Dozen Years in the Political Wilderness: The Alabama Republican Party, 1966–1978", Gulf Coast Historical Review, Vol. 9, No. 2 (Spring 1994), p. 19 Political writer Theodore H. White incorrectly predicted that Alabama, instead of Arkansas and Florida as it developed, would in 1966 become the first former Confederate state to elect a Republican governor. Martin was expected to cause Republican wins in down-ballot elections though there was no GOP nominee for lieutenant governor. The idea was reinforced by three legislators and a Democratic State Executive Committee member who defected to the GOP. The New York Times said Alabama Democrats had diverged from the national Democratic Party so much and for so long that the party was no longer popular."A Dozen Years in the Political Wilderness", p. 21 Jim Martin bemoaned having to campaign against a woman and proclaimed that Wallace was a "proxy" candidate, a manifestation of her husband's "insatiable appetite for power." He declared the South must "break away from the one-party system just as we broke away from a one-crop economy" and vowed to make Alabama "first in opportunity, jobs, and education." Martin focused on U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, unpopular with many in Alabama because of the Vietnam War, inflation, and urban unrest. "We want to see this war ended, and it's going to take a change of administration to do it", Martin said.The Montgomery Advertiser, October 12, 1966 At the state level, Martin questioned a $500,000 school book depository contract awarded to Wallace supporter Elton B. Stephens of Ebsco Investment Company, as well as "secret deals" regarding the construction of highways or schools" and "conspiracies between the state house and the White House."The Huntsville Times, September 12, 14, 19, 20, 1966; Montgomery Advertiser, September 30, 1966 U.S. senator Strom Thurmond and former U.S. senator Barry Goldwater, the 1964 Republican presidential nominee, campaigned on behalf of Martin and GOP Senate nominee John Grenier of Birmingham. Thurmond, who had carried Alabama in 1948 as the nominee of the Dixiecrats, addressed an all-white GOP state convention, where he denounced the national Democratic leadership as "the most dangerous people in the country" and urged a "return to constitutional government."Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report, August 5, 1966, p. 1709; The New York Times, July 30, 1966, p. 10 George Wallace was so irritated over Goldwater's appearance on Martin's behalf that he questioned why Goldwater could win only six states in the 1964 race against President Johnson. "Where were the Republicans when I was fighting LBJ?" Wallace asked. Goldwater shunned personal criticism of Wallace but repudiated Wallace's talk of a third party in the 1968 presidential election."A Dozen Years in the Political Wilderness", p. 24 Democratic campaign Lurleen Wallace was instructed to run by her husband George Wallace, who had failed to lift the Alabama Constitution's ban on consecutive gubernatorial terms and intended to serve as de facto leader while his wife occupied the governor seat. Amid the campaign, Lurleen underwent radiation therapy and multiple surgeries for her cancer, regularly traveling to the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston due to Alabama's lack of adequate cancer treatment facilities.International United Press 1968-05-07 Lurleen Wallace, Alabama Governor, Is Dead of Cancer; Mrs. Wallace Dies in Alabama; Only Woman Governor Was 41 https://www.nytimes.com/1968/05/07/archives/lurleen-wallace-alabama-governor-is-dead-of-cancer-mrs-wallace-dies.html 2022-06-26 The New York Times en-US 0362-4331 Though her husband knew of her diagnosis as early as 1961, she was not made aware until she went to the gynecologist for abdominal bleeding in 1965.The Politics of Rage: George Wallace, by Dan T. Carter (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1995, 2000) at 277-280, 308-9, 317-322. 0-8071-2597-0 Not available online. She underwent radiation in December 1965 and had a hysterectomy in January 1966, subsequently beginning the gubernatorial campaign. At her general election campaign kickoff in Birmingham, Lurleen Wallace pledged "progress without compromise" and "accomplishment without surrender ... George will continue to speak up and stand up for Alabama."The Huntsville Times, September 28, 30, October 10, 11, 1966; The Montgomery Advertiser, September 30, 1966 It was during this 1966 campaign that George Wallace coined his famous line: "There's not a dime's worth of difference" between the two national parties."George C. Wallace, Stand Up for America (New York, 1976), p. 110; The Huntsville Times, October 10, 1966 Wallace likened Republicans like House Minority Leader Gerald Ford and Chief Justice Earl Warren, who supported civil rights legislation, to "vultures" presiding over the destruction of the U.S. Constitution.The Huntsville Times, September 20, October 9, 1966 Lurleen Wallace used the slogan "Two Governors, One Cause" and proclaimed the words Alabama and freedom to be synonyms."A Dozen Years in the Political Wilderness", p. 22 Results George Wallace's organization proved insurmountable despite an early poll that placed Martin within range of victory.Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report, July 22, 1966, p. 1489 Lurleen Wallace carried all Alabama counties except for Greene in west Alabama, which she lost by six votes, and predominantly Republican Winston in the north. She drew 537,505 votes (63.4 percent). Martin trailed with 262,943 votes (31 percent). A third candidate running to the political left of the major candidates, Dr. Carl Robinson, received 47,655 (5.6 percent). Martin had the best by showing of a Republican candidate for governor in Alabama since Reconstruction. At Lurleen Wallace's January 1967 inauguration, she stated that her husband would be her "number one assistant".The American Experience | George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire | People & Events | Lurleen Wallace https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/wallace-george-wallace-and-his-circle/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20170205100823/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/wallace/peopleevents/pande06.html 2017-02-05 2017-09-04 PBS 1966 Alabama gubernatorial electionhttps://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=79512 AL Governor, 1966 Our Campaigns 17 January 2021 Democratic Party (United States) Lurleen Burns Wallace 537,505 63.38 -32.89% Republican Party (United States) James D. Martin 262,943 31.00 N/A Independent politician Carl Robinson 47,653 5.62 N/A 274,562 32.38 848,101 Democratic Party (United States) Results by county CountyLurleen Burns WallaceDemocraticJames Douglas MartinRepublicanDr. Carl RobinsonIndependent MarginTotal votes cast # % # % # % # % Autauga 4,664 70.87% 1,660 25.22% 257 3.91% 3,004 45.65% 6,581 Baldwin 10,601 72.53% 3,712 25.40% 304 2.08% 6,889 47.13% 14,617 Barbour 5,925 88.57% 649 9.70% 116 1.73% 5,276 78.86% 6,690 Bibb 3,534 78.99% 790 17.66% 150 3.35% 2,744 61.33% 4,474 Blount 4,974 58.09% 3,398 39.69% 190 2.22% 1,576 18.41% 8,562 Bullock 2,204 66.47% 1,012 30.52% 100 3.02% 1,192 35.95% 3,316 Butler 5,131 76.71% 1,259 18.82% 299 4.47% 3,872 57.89% 6,689 Calhoun 13,621 63.47% 5,908 27.53% 1,933 9.01% 7,713 35.94% 21,462 Chambers 6,237 72.06% 2,321 26.82% 97 1.12% 3,916 45.25% 8,655 Cherokee 3,442 80.53% 749 17.52% 83 1.94% 2,693 63.01% 4,274 Chilton 5,051 61.85% 2,949 36.11% 167 2.04% 2,102 25.74% 8,167 Choctaw 4,064 70.42% 1,638 28.38% 69 1.20% 2,426 42.04% 5,771 Clarke 5,484 81.85% 976 14.57% 240 3.58% 4,508 67.28% 6,700 Clay 3,226 67.72% 1,467 30.79% 71 1.49% 1,759 36.92% 4,764 Cleburne 2,907 75.33% 919 23.81% 33 0.86% 1,988 51.52% 3,859 Coffee 6,468 83.81% 1,066 13.81% 183 2.37% 5,402 70.00% 7,717 Colbert 9,457 66.28% 4,097 28.71% 715 5.01% 5,360 37.56% 14,269 Conecuh 3,719 83.14% 686 15.34% 68 1.52% 3,033 67.81% 4,473 Coosa 2,117 65.58% 805 24.94% 306 9.48% 1,312 40.64% 3,228 Covington 9,601 81.00% 1,980 16.70% 272 2.29% 7,621 64.30% 11,853 Crenshaw 3,953 82.15% 778 16.17% 81 1.68% 3,175 65.98% 4,812 Cullman 7,981 50.32% 7,438 46.89% 443 2.79% 543 3.42% 15,862 Dale 6,007 82.71% 1,125 15.49% 131 1.80% 4,882 67.22% 7,263 Dallas 11,388 74.70% 2,326 15.26% 1,531 10.04% 9,062 59.44% 15,245 DeKalb 8,091 53.75% 6,777 45.02% 185 1.23% 1,314 8.73% 15,053 Elmore 7,301 76.19% 1,963 20.48% 319 3.33% 5,338 55.70% 9,583 Escambia 7,307 80.19% 1,523 16.71% 282 3.09% 5,784 63.48% 9,112 Etowah 13,849 55.44% 9,549 38.23% 1,580 6.33% 4,300 17.22% 24,978 Fayette 3,221 65.20% 1,587 32.13% 132 2.67% 1,634 33.08% 4,940 Franklin 4,629 53.07% 3,741 42.89% 352 4.04% 888 10.18% 8,722 Geneva 6,620 87.29% 852 11.23% 112 1.48% 5,768 76.05% 7,584 Greene 1,359 48.09% 1,365 48.30% 102 3.61% -6 -0.21% 2,826 Hale 2,957 63.47% 1,400 30.05% 302 6.48% 1,557 33.42% 4,659 Henry 3,799 85.51% 472 10.62% 172 3.87% 3,327 74.88% 4,443 Houston 12,015 80.59% 2,202 14.77% 691 4.64% 9,813 65.82% 14,908 Jackson 6,259 77.89% 1,668 20.76% 109 1.36% 4,591 57.13% 8,036 Jefferson 80,658 50.69% 64,290 40.40% 14,177 8.91% 16,368 10.29% 159,125 Lamar 3,951 85.65% 564 12.23% 98 2.12% 3,387 73.42% 4,613 Lauderdale 9,662 63.41% 4,579 30.05% 997 6.54% 5,083 33.36% 15,238 Lawrence 5,152 76.01% 1,461 21.56% 165 2.43% 3,691 54.46% 6,778 Lee 6,214 64.78% 2,898 30.21% 480 5.00% 3,316 34.57% 9,592 Limestone 5,823 76.30% 1,544 20.23% 265 3.47% 4,279 56.07% 7,632 Lowndes 2,049 79.05% 481 18.56% 62 2.39% 1,568 60.49% 2,592 Macon 2,520 46.18% 1,629 29.85% 1,308 23.97% 891 16.33% 5,457 Madison 16,731 45.81% 14,759 40.41% 5,032 13.78% 1,972 5.40% 36,522 Marengo 4,865 65.47% 2,231 30.02% 335 4.51% 2,634 35.45% 7,431 Marion 5,034 66.24% 2,231 29.36% 335 4.41% 2,803 36.88% 7,600 Marshall 4,969 49.28% 4,682 46.43% 432 4.28% 287 2.85% 10,083 Mobile 44,742 66.38% 18,605 27.60% 4,058 6.02% 26,137 38.78% 67,405 Monroe 4,899 81.96% 934 15.63% 144 2.41% 3,965 66.34% 5,977 Montgomery 23,687 63.01% 12,578 33.46% 1,325 3.52% 11,109 29.55% 37,590 Morgan 10,063 64.05% 4,825 30.71% 824 5.24% 5,238 33.34% 15,712 Perry 2,708 55.54% 2,043 41.90% 125 2.56% 665 13.64% 4,876 Pickens 3,682 76.69% 846 17.62% 273 5.69% 2,836 59.07% 4,801 Pike 4,932 69.90% 1,976 28.00% 148 2.10% 2,956 41.89% 7,056 Randolph 4,284 72.48% 1,493 25.26% 134 2.27% 2,791 47.22% 5,911 Russell 6,160 78.02% 1,583 20.05% 152 1.93% 4,577 57.97% 7,895 Shelby 5,820 61.67% 3,242 34.35% 376 3.98% 2,578 27.32% 9,438 St. Clair 5,166 63.52% 2,737 33.65% 230 2.83% 2,429 29.87% 8,133 Sumter 2,185 58.67% 1,374 36.90% 165 4.43% 811 21.78% 3,724 Talladega 9,329 60.26% 4,981 32.18% 1,170 7.56% 4,348 28.09% 15,480 Tallapoosa 6,726 71.60% 2,452 26.10% 216 2.30% 4,274 45.50% 9,394 Tuscaloosa 13,540 59.02% 8,640 37.66% 760 3.31% 4,900 21.36% 22,940 Walker 10,484 63.63% 5,200 31.56% 793 4.81% 5,284 32.07% 16,477 Washington 4,063 82.95% 757 15.46% 78 1.59% 3,306 67.50% 4,898 Wilcox 2,742 64.49% 677 15.92% 833 19.59% 1,909In this county where Robinson ran second ahead of Martin, margin given is Wallace vote minus Robinson vote and percentage margin Wallace percent minus Robinson percent. 44.90% 4,252 Winston 2,502 40.66% 3,509 57.03% 142 2.31% -1,007 -16.37% 6,153Totals537,50563.38%262,94331.00%47,6535.62%274,56232.37%848,101 Analysis Neither James D. Martin nor Lurleen Wallace sought support from African American voters, many of whom had been registered in the previous year due to the Selma to Montgomery marches and subsequent Voting Rights Act. George Wallace kept the racial issue alive when he signed state legislation to nullify desegregation guidelines between Alabama cities and counties and the former United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Wallace claimed that the law would thwart the national government from intervening in schools. Critics denounced Wallace's "political trickery" and expressed alarm at the potential forfeiture of federal funds. Martin accused the Democrats of "playing politics with your children" and "neglecting academic excellence."The Huntsville Times, September 3–4, 1966; The Montgomery Advertiser, September 1–6, 1966 Notes References 1966 Gubernatorial Alabama Category:November 1966 in the United States