1966 United States gubernatorial elections

none January 2025 1966 United States gubernatorial elections United States legislative no 1965 United States gubernatorial elections 1965 1967 United States gubernatorial elections 1967 35 governorships November 8, 1966 Seats up Seats won Democratic Party (United States) 33 25 8 20 12 Republican Party (United States) 17 25 8 15 23 324px #94C6DF Democratic hold #0272B1 Democratic gain#F48984 Republican hold #CB001A Republican gain#D3D3D3 No election United States gubernatorial elections were held on Tuesday November 8, in 35 states. 12 Democratic 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 , this is the last time the amount of governorships each party held was tied. Race summary StateGovernorPartyFirstelectedStatusCandidates AlabamaGeorge Wallace 1962 Incumbent term-limited.Democratic hold. Democratic Party (US) Lurleen Wallace (Democratic) 63.4% Republican Party (US)James D. Martin (Republican) 31.0% IndependentCarl Robinson (Independent) 5.6%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=79512 AL Governor 5 November 2013 AlaskaWilliam A. Egan 1958 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. Republican Party (US) Wally Hickel (Republican) 50.0% Democratic Party (US)William A. Egan (Democratic) 48.4% IndependentJohn F. Grasse (No Party) 1.6%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=108448 AK Governor 5 November 2013 ArizonaSam Goddard Jr. 1964 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. Republican Party (US) Jack Williams (Republican) 53.8% Democratic Party (US)Sam Goddard Jr. (Democratic) 46.2%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=110189 AZ Governor 5 November 2013 ArkansasOrval Faubus 1954 Incumbent retired.Republican gain. Republican Party (US) Winthrop Rockefeller (Republican) 54.4% Democratic Party (US)James D. Johnson (Democratic) 45.6%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=261822 AR Governor 5 November 2013 CaliforniaPat Brown 1958 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. Republican Party (US) Ronald Reagan (Republican) 57.6% Democratic Party (US)Pat Brown (Democratic) 42.3%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=36416 CA Governor 5 November 2013 ColoradoJohn A. Love 1962 Incumbent re-elected. Republican Party (US) John A. Love (Republican) 54.1% Democratic Party (US)Robert Lee Knous (Democratic) 43.5% IndependentLevi Martinez (New Hispano) 2.5%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=28481 CO Governor 5 November 2013 ConnecticutJohn N. Dempsey 1961Dempsey took office in 1961 after his predecessor (Abraham Ribicoff) resigned. He was subsequently elected in the 1962 Connecticut gubernatorial election.Incumbent re-elected. Democratic Party (US) John N. Dempsey (Democratic) 55.7% Republican Party (US)E. Clayton Gengras (Republican) 44.3%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=123347 CT Governor 6 November 2013 FloridaW. Haydon Burns 1964 Incumbent lost renomination.New governor elected.Republican gain. Republican Party (US) Claude R. Kirk Jr. (Republican) 55.1% Democratic Party (US)Robert King High (Democratic) 44.9%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=96893 FL Governor 5 November 2013 GeorgiaCarl Sanders 1962 Incumbent term-limited.Democratic hold. Election: Republican Party (US) Bo Callaway (Republican) 46.53% Democratic Party (US) Lester Maddox (Democratic) 46.22% IndependentEllis Arnall (write-in) (Independent) 7.08% Delegate count: Democratic Party (US) Lester Maddox (Democratic) 182 Republican Party (US)Bo Callaway (Republican) 66 HawaiiJohn A. Burns 1962Incumbent re-elected. Democratic Party (US) John A. Burns (Democratic) 51.1% Republican Party (US)Randolph Crossley (Republican) 48.9%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=28825 HI Governor 5 November 2013 IdahoRobert E. Smylie 1954 Incumbent lost renomination.New governor elected.Republican hold. Republican Party (US) Don Samuelson (Republican) 41.4% Democratic Party (US)Cecil Andrus (Republican) 37.1% IndependentPerry Swisher (Independent) 12.2% IndependentPhilip Jungert (Independent) 9.2% IndependentDon Walker (Independent) 0.1%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=174140 ID Governor 5 November 2013 IowaHarold Hughes 1962Incumbent re-elected. Democratic Party (US) Harold Hughes (Democratic) 55.3% Republican Party (US)William G. Murray (Republican) 44.2% IndependentDavid B. Quiner (American Constitution) 0.4% IndependentCharles Sloca (Iowa) 0.1%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=174243 IA Governor 5 November 2013 KansasWilliam H. Avery politician 1964 Incumbent lost re-election.Democratic gain. Democratic Party (US) Robert Docking (Democratic) 54.8% Republican Party (US)William H. Avery (Republican) 43.9% Prohibition PartyRolland Ernest Fisher (Prohibition) 0.7% Conservative Party (US)Carson Crawford (Conservative) 0.6%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=174284 KS Governor 5 November 2013 MaineJohn H. Reed 1959Reed became governor in 1959 after his predecessor (Clinton Clauson) died. He was subsequently elected in 1960 and 1962. Incumbent lost re-election.Democratic gain. Democratic Party (US) Kenneth M. Curtis (Democratic) 53.1% Republican Party (US)John H. Reed (Republican) 46.9%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=174312 ME Governor 5 November 2013 MarylandJ. Millard Tawes 1958 Incumbent term-limited.Republican gain. Republican Party (US) Spiro Agnew (Republican) 49.5% Democratic Party (US)George P. Mahoney (Democratic) 40.6% IndependentHyman A. Pressman (Independent) 9.9%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=7018 MD Governor 5 November 2013 Massachusetts John A. Volpe 19601962 (lost)1964 Incumbent re-elected. Republican Party (US) John A. Volpe (Republican) 62.5% Democratic Party (US) Edward J. McCormack Jr. (Democratic) 36.9% Socialist Labor PartyHenning A. Blomen (Socialist Labor) 0.3% Prohibition PartyJohn C. Hedges (Prohibition) 0.2%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=174327 MA Governor 5 November 2013 MichiganGeorge W. Romney 1962 Incumbent re-elected. Republican Party (US) George W. Romney (Republican) 60.5% Democratic Party (US)Zolton Ferency (Democratic) 39.1% Socialist Labor PartyJames Horvath (Socialist Labor) 0.3%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=69013 MI Governor 5 November 2013 MinnesotaKarl Rolvaag 1962 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. Republican Party (US) Harold LeVander (Republican) 52.6% Democratic Party (US)Karl Rolvaag (Democratic) 46.9% IndependentKenneth Sachs (Industrial Government) 0.5%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=56394 MN Governor 6 November 2013 NebraskaFrank B. Morrison 1960 Incumbent retired.Republican gain. Republican Party (US) Norbert Tiemann (Republican) 61.5% Democratic Party (US)Philip Sorensen (Democratic) 38.4%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=174338 NE Governor 5 November 2013 NevadaGrant Sawyer 1958 Incumbent lost re-election.Republican gain. Republican Party (US) Paul Laxalt (Republican) 52.1% Democratic Party (US)Grant Sawyer (Democratic) 47.8%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=71078 NV Governor 6 November 2013 New HampshireJohn W. King 1962Incumbent re-elected. Democratic Party (US) John W. King (Democratic) 53.9% Republican Party (US)Hugh Gregg (Republican) 45.9%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=174352 NH Governor 6 November 2013 New MexicoJack M. Campbell 1962 Incumbent term-limited.Republican gain. Republican Party (US) David Cargo (Republican) 51.7% Democratic Party (US)Thomas E. Lusk (Democratic) 48.2%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=174481 NM Governor 6 November 2013 New YorkNelson Rockefeller 1958Incumbent re-elected. Republican Party (US) Nelson Rockefeller (Republican) 44.6% Democratic Party (US)Frank D. O'Connor (Democratic) 38.1% Conservative Party (US)Paul Adams (Conservative) 8.5% Liberal PartyFranklin D. Roosevelt Jr. (Liberal) 8.4% Socialist Labor PartyMilton Herder (Socialist Labor) 0.2% IndependentJudith White (Socialist Workers) 0.2%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=37675 NY Governor 6 November 2013 OhioJim Rhodes 1962Incumbent re-elected. Republican Party (US) Jim Rhodes (Republican) 62.2% Democratic Party (US)Frazier Reams Jr. (Democratic) 37.8%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=27711 OH Governor 6 November 2013 OklahomaHenry Bellmon 1962 Incumbent term-limited.Republican hold. Republican Party (US) Dewey F. Bartlett (Republican) 55.7% Democratic Party (US)Preston J. Moore (Democratic) 43.8% IndependentHarry E. Ingram (Independent) 0.6%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=261805 OK Governor 6 November 2013 OregonMark Hatfield 1958 Incumbent term-limited.Republican hold. Republican Party (US) Tom McCall (Republican) 55.3% Democratic Party (US)Robert W. Straub (Democratic) 44.7%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=41121 OR Governor 9 November 2013 PennsylvaniaWilliam Scranton 1962 Incumbent term-limited.Republican hold. Republican Party (US) Raymond P. Shafer (Republican) 52.1% Democratic Party (US)Milton Shapp (Democratic) 46.2% IndependentEdward S. Swartz (Constitutional) 1.4% IndependentGeorge S. Taylor (Socialist Labor) 0.4%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=41301 PA Governor 9 November 2013 Rhode IslandJohn Chafee 1962Incumbent re-elected. Republican Party (US) John Chafee (Republican) 63.3% Democratic Party (US)Horace E. Hobbs (Democratic) 36.7%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=261831 RI Governor 9 November 2013 South CarolinaRobert Evander McNair 1965McNair became governor in 1965 when his predecessor (Donald S. Russell) resigned.Incumbent elected to full term. Democratic Party (US) Robert Evander McNair (Democratic) 58.2% Republican Party (US)Joseph O. Rogers Jr. (Republican) 41.9%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=40418 SC Governor 9 November 2013 South DakotaNils Boe 1964Incumbent re-elected. Republican Party (US) Nils Boe (Republican) 57.7% Democratic Party (US)Robert Chamberlin (Democratic) 42.3%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=261836 SD Governor 9 November 2013 TennesseeFrank G. Clement 19521962 Incumbent term-limited.Democratic hold. Democratic Party (US) Buford Ellington (Democratic) 81.2% IndependentH.L. Crowder (Independent) 9.8% IndependentCharlie Moffett (Independent) 7.7% IndependentCharles Gordon Vick (Independent) 1.3%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=261839 TN Governor 9 November 2013 TexasJohn Connally 1962Incumbent re-elected. Democratic Party (US) John Connally (Republican) 72.8% Republican Party (US)Thomas Everton Kennedy (Republican) 25.8% IndependentTommye Gillespie (Constitution) 0.7% Conservative Party (US)Brad Logan (Conservative) 0.7%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 VermontPhilip H. Hoff 1962Incumbent re-elected. Democratic Party (US) Philip H. Hoff (Democratic) 57.7% Republican Party (US)Richard A. Snelling (Republican) 42.3%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=144191 VT Governor 9 November 2013 WisconsinWarren P. Knowles 1964Incumbent re-elected. Republican Party (US) Warren P. Knowles (Republican) 53.5% Democratic Party (US)Patrick Lucey (Democratic) 46.1% IndependentAdolf Wiggert (Independent) 0.4%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=261814 WI Governor 9 November 2013 WyomingClifford Hansen 1962 Incumbent retired.Republican hold. Republican Party (US) Stanley K. Hathaway (Republican) 54.3% Democratic Party (US)Ernest Wilkerson (Democratic) 45.7%http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=174153 WY Governor 9 November 2013 Closest races States where the margin of victory was under 5%: Georgia, -0.31%Bo Callaway (R) won the popular vote 48.4–48.1%, but the Georgia State Assembly voted Lester Maddox (D) as the winner of the election after appeals were made. Alaska, 1.62% Hawaii, 2.12% New Mexico, 3.47% Idaho, 4.30% Nevada, 4.32% States where the margin of victory was under 10%: Minnesota, 5.61% Pennsylvania, 5.97% Maine, 6.24% New York, 6.50% Wisconsin, 7.42% Arizona, 7.54% New Hampshire, 7.97% Wyoming, 8.58% Arkansas, 8.72% Maryland, 8.89% Red denotes states won by Republicans. Blue denotes states won by Democrats. Alabama Until 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.http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-2046 Office of the Governor 5 November 2013http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1662 Lurleen B. Wallace (1967-68) 5 November 2013 Alaska Egan was defeated in 1966, but would be re-elected in 1970 (see 1970 United States gubernatorial elections). Arizona Arizona 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.http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=110187 AZ Governor 4 November 2013http://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/page_arizona/col2-content/main-content-list/title_williams_john-jack.html Arizona Governor John "Jack" R. Williams 4 November 2013 He had previously been elected governor for two two-year terms in 1966.http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=110189 AZ Governor 4 November 2013 and in 1968.http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=110188 Az Governor 4 November 2013 Arizona made the switch official from two-year to four-year terms in 1968 with an amendment.Arizona Politics and Government: The Quest for Autonomy, Democracy, and Development David R. Berman 1998 University of Nebraska Press 9780803261464 112 4 November 2013 https://books.google.com/books?id=LHYBFuW9B34C&q=1968+amednment 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.http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/const/5/1.1.htm Term limits on executive department and state officers 5 November 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20081114210303/http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=%2Fconst%2F5%2F1.1.htm 14 November 2008 dead Arkansas Arkansas had two-year terms for governors until 1984, when they switched to four-year terms with Amendment 63.http://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=5676 Office of the Governor 4 November 2013 Winthrop Rockefeller was elected the first Republican governor since Reconstruction.http://www.livethelegacy.org/about-us/the-arkansas-rockefeller/history-and-timeline History and Timeline 5 November 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131105084343/http://www.livethelegacy.org/about-us/the-arkansas-rockefeller/history-and-timeline 5 November 2013 dead He became the first Republican governor of any former Confederate State since Alfred A. Taylor of Tennessee was defeated in 1922. California Incumbent governor Pat Brown (Democrat) was defeated in his bid for a third term by future U.S. president Ronald Reagan (Republican). Florida William 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.http://www.floridagovernorsmansion.com/the_people_s_house/former_residents/william_haydon_burns William Haydon Burns 5 November 2013 Kirk was the first Republican governor in the 20th century.Bauerlein David 28 September 2011 Colorful former Gov. Claude Kirk Jr. 'knew no limits' http://members.jacksonville.com/news/florida/2011-09-28/story/colorful-former-gov-claude-kirk-jr-knew-no-limits https://archive.today/20131105122012/http://members.jacksonville.com/news/florida/2011-09-28/story/colorful-former-gov-claude-kirk-jr-knew-no-limits dead 5 November 2013 Florida Times-Union 4 November 2013 In 1968, Florida adopted a new state constitution, and the governor now had the option to serve two four-year terms in a row.http://www.glencoe.com/sites/florida/student/socialstudies/fl_online/government.html Florida's Constitutional Government 7 February 2014http://archive.flsenate.gov/Statutes/Index.cfm?Mode=Constitution&Submenu=3&Tab=statutes The Florida Constitution 7 February 2014 October 30, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111030115538/http://archive.flsenate.gov/Statutes/index.cfm?Mode=Constitution&Submenu=3&Tab=statutes dead Georgia Maddox was elected by the State Legislature, and Callaway was the first Republican nominee for governor since 1876.http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=40398 GA Governor 5 November 2013 Oklahoma During 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.http://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/page_oklahoma/col2-content/main-content-list/title_bellmon_henry.html Oklahoma Governor Henry Louis Bellmon 9 November 2013 See also 1966 United States elections 1966 United States Senate elections 1966 United States House of Representatives elections Notes References 30emcollapsed Category:November 1966 in the United States