1966 New York gubernatorial election

none January 2025 September 2023 1966 New York gubernatorial election New York Flag of New York (1909–2020).svg presidential no 1962 New York gubernatorial election 1962 1970 New York gubernatorial election 1970 November 8, 1966 Governor Nelson Rockefeller (cropped2).png 150x150px Nelson Rockefeller Republican Party (United States) Malcolm Wilson 2,690,626 44.61% Frank D. O'Connor 1966.png Frank D. O'Connor Democratic Party (United States) Howard J. Samuels 2,298,363 38.11% Paul L. Adams 1966.png Paul L. Adams Kieran O'Doherty Conservative Party of New York 510,023 8.46% Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr. 1961.jpg Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr. Donald S. Harrington Liberal Party of New York 507,234 8.41% 300px County results 300px Municipality results 1 Rockefeller: #ffc8cd 30–40% #ffb2b2 40–50% #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #D72F30 70–80% #C21B18 80–90%O'Connor: #BDD3FF 30–40% #a5b0ff 40–50% #7996E2 50–60% #6674DE 60–70%Tie: #D2B1D9 40–50% Governor Nelson Rockefeller Republican Party (United States) Nelson Rockefeller Republican Party (United States) The 1966 New York gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1966, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of New York. Republican incumbent Nelson Rockefeller was re-elected to a third term in office over Frank D. O'Connor, Paul L. Adams, and Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr. As of 2026, this is the last time Manhattan (New York County) voted for a Republican candidate in a statewide election. Background Governor Nelson Rockefeller angered conservatives by refusing to support Republican nominee Barry Goldwater during the 1964 presidential election, and the nascent Conservative Party of New York placed a strong third in the 1965 New York City mayoral election. Polling showed Rockefeller behind potential Democratic nominees Eugene Nickerson, Frank D. O'Connor, Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr., Howard J. Samuels, or Robert F. Wagner Jr.Soyer 2021 198-199 The Liberal Party of New York also opposed Rockefeller, who fought for control of the Republican Party with New York City mayor John Lindsay and U.S. senator Jacob Javits, more liberal politicians whom the party had supported in prior elections. Party chairman Donald S. Harrington viewed the governor as "too conservative."Soyer 2021 200 Democratic nomination Candidates Frank D. O'Connor, president of the New York City Council and former Queens district attorney (also running as Liberal) Howard J. Samuels, industrialist and 1962 candidate for governor Declined Robert F. Wagner Jr., former mayor of New York City Eugene Nickerson, Nassau County executive Convention results Democratic Party Convention resultshttps://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=748979 Our Campaigns - NY Governor - D Convention Race - Sep 07, 1966 www.ourcampaigns.com Frank D. O'Connor Democratic Party (United States) 569 80.60 Howard J. Samuels Democratic Party (United States) 137 19.41 706 100.00 Liberal nomination Candidates James Farmer, national director of the Congress of Racial Equality (nominated at convention) Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr., chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity commission, former U.S. representative from Manhattan, and son of Franklin D. Roosevelt Rejected Frank D. O'Connor, president of the New York City Council and former Queens district attorney (also running as Democratic) Campaign Members of the partyOctober 2026 wanted to run an independent campaign rather than cross-endorsing another party's nominee, and a canvass of party unitsOctober 2026 showed they wanted an independent candidate.Soyer 2021 201 Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr. lobbied the party's leadership for their nomination for months with support from David Dubinsky, who produced polling showing Roosevelt receiving at least one-fourth of the vote.Soyer 2021 201-202 Despite O'Connor's earlier vote against cross-endorsements as a state legislator, he courted the Liberals by appointing Eldon R. Clingan to his staff and promising Alex Rose that if he were cross-endorsed, the Liberals would be equals in his campaign. O'Connor was also close to party bosses Charles A. Buckley and Irwin Steingut, whom the Liberals opposed, and Roosevelt claimed O'Connor was secretly promised the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in exchange for withdrawing from the 1965 New York City mayoral election. President Lyndon B. Johnson and vice president Hubert Humphrey pressured the Liberals to support O'Connor. Although O'Connor was supported by former Liberal party chairman Adolf A. Berle, Rose criticized Berle as "not even a member of our organization." On August 9, the Liberal Policy Committee voted unanimously to not support him.Soyer 2021 199-201 After O'Connor was rejected, Roosevelt supporters felt he had secured the nomination, but Louis Stulberg and other leaders of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union opposed Roosevelt over his decision to leave the party after the 1949 election.Soyer 2021 201-202 Convention results At the convention, Leo Koch nominated James Farmer to oppose Roosevelt, but Roosevelt won the party's nomination easily. Murray Kempton claimed that the convention was under the thumb of its chair, "comrade secretary" Ben Davidson. Harrington was selected as the lieutenant gubernatorial nominee.Soyer 2021 202-204 1966 New York gubernatorial Liberal Party ballotSoyer 2021 203 Liberal Party of New York Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr. 209 82.28% Liberal Party of New York James Farmer 33 12.99% Liberal Party of New York Abstain 12 4.72% 254 100.00% Did not vote 67 Conservative nomination Candidates Paul L. Adams, academic dean of Roberts Wesleyan CollegeSoyer 2021 204 John J. O'Leary Donald H. Serrell Convention results Conservative Party convention resultshttps://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=232651 Our Campaigns - NY Governor - C Convention Race - Sep 07, 1966 www.ourcampaigns.com Paul L. Adams Conservative Party of New York State 239 74.92 Donald H. Serrell Conservative Party of New York State 68 21.32 John J. O'Leary Conservative Party of New York State 12 3.76 319 100.00 General election Candidates Paul L. Adams, academic dean of Roberts Wesleyan CollegeSoyer 2021 204 (Conservative) Running mate: Kieran O'Doherty, founding chair of the Conservative Party and 1962 U.S. Senate nominee Milton Herder (Socialist Labor) Frank D. O'Connor, president of the New York City Council and former Queens district attorney (Democratic) Running mate: Howard J. Samuels, industrialist and 1962 candidate for governor Nelson Rockefeller, incumbent governor since 1959 (Republican) Running mate: Malcolm Wilson, incumbent lieutenant governor since 1959 Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr., chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity commission, former U.S. representative from Manhattan, and son of Franklin D. Roosevelt (Liberal) Running mate: Donald S. Harrington, Unitarian Universalist minister and chair of the Liberal Party Judith White (Socialist Workers) This was the last gubernatorial election to have no parties utilize electoral fusion.Benjamin Catalano 2020 165 Results Roosevelt received the highest number of votes for any Liberal gubernatorial nominee in history. However, the Liberals received fewer votes than the Conservatives and fell from Row C to Row D.Soyer 2021 206New York gubernatorial election, 1966 Republican Party (United States) Nelson Rockefeller (incumbent) 2,690,626 44.61% 8.47 Democratic Party (United States) Frank D. O'Connor 2,298,363 38.11% 5.86 Conservative Party of New York Paul L. Adams 510,023 8.46% 6.02 Liberal Party of New York Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr. 507,234 8.41% 4.23 Socialist Labor Party of America Milton Herder 12,730 0.21% 0.04 Socialist Workers Party (United States) Judith White 12,506 0.21% 0.13 392,263 6.50% -2.62% 6,031,482 Republican Party (United States) Democratic Party (United States) References Works cited Benjamin Gerald Catalano Michael Beyond Donkeys and Elephants: Minor Political Parties in Contemporary American Politics University Press of Kansas 2020 10.2307/j.ctv15tt76n https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv15tt76n 978-0-7006-2929-9 Soyer Daniel Left in the Center: The Liberal Party of New York and the Rise and Fall of American Social Democracy https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctv1hw3x50.2 Cornell University Press 2021 10.7591/j.ctv1hw3x50.2 9781501759888 1966 Gubernatorial New York Category:November 1966 in the United States Category:Nelson Rockefeller