1960 Maine gubernatorial special election

none January 2025 September 2023 1960 Maine gubernatorial special election Maine by-election no 1958 Maine gubernatorial election 1958 1962 Maine gubernatorial election 1962 November 8, 1960 150x150px JohnReed-Maine.jpg John H. Reed Republican Party (United States) 219,768 52.67% Frank M. Coffin (Maine Congressman).jpg Frank M. Coffin Democratic Party (United States) 197,447 47.33% File:1960 Maine gubernatorial special election results map by county.svg 280px County resultsReed: #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80%Coffin: #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% Governor John H. Reed Republican Party (United States) John H. Reed Republican Party (United States) The 1960 Maine gubernatorial special election was a special election held to officially elect a governor of Maine following the death of Democratic Governor Clinton Clauson. It took place on November 8, 1960, concurrently with the presidential election, a U.S. Senate election, U.S. House of Representatives elections, and other state and local elections. The election saw incumbent Republican governor John Reed (who, as President of the Maine Senate, automatically took office as acting governor upon Clauson's death) defeating Democrat Frank M. Coffin, United States Representative from the second district. To date, this is the only gubernatorial special election ever held in Maine, as each succeeding governor has served their entire term. Both Reed and Coffin were unopposed in their respective party primaries. The election was also the first time since Maine was admitted to the Union that the state did not hold its election in September. Traditionally, Maine had held its elections two months before the rest of the nation, which helped give birth to the phrase "As Maine goes, so goes the nation" and its status as a bellwether state. However, following a 1957 referendum, the state constitution was amended to hold all elections after 1958 in November and shift from two-year to four-year gubernatorial terms. Results 1960 Gubernatorial Special Election, Maine Guide to US Elections, Fifth Edition, Volume II CQ Press 2005 1497–1499 https://archive.org/details/guidetouselectio00cqpr/page/1497 978-1-56802-981-8 2009-05-11 registration Republican Party (United States) John H. Reed (Incumbent) 219,768 52.67% - Democratic Party (United States) Frank M. Coffin 197,447 47.33% - 22,321 5.35% Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican Cumberland (largest city: Portland) Oxford (largest town: Rumford) Sagadahoc (largest town: Bath) Somerset (largest town: Skowhegan) Notes 1960 Gubernatorial Maine Gubernatorial Category:November 1960 in the United States Maine 1960