1938 Oregon gubernatorial election

none January 2025 September 2023 1938 Oregon gubernatorial election Oregon presidential no 1934 Oregon gubernatorial election 1934 1942 Oregon gubernatorial election 1942 November 8, 1938 File:Charles A. Sprague.jpg 150x150px Charles A. Sprague Republican Party (United States) 214,062 57.41% File:Henry L Hess.jpg Henry L. Hess Democratic Party (United States) 158,744 42.57% 1938 Oregon gubernatorial election results map by county.svg 250px County results: Sprague: #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80%Hess: #7996e2 50–60% Governor Charles H. Martin Democratic Party (United States) Charles A. Sprague Republican Party (United States) The 1938 Oregon gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 1938. In the election for governor of Oregon, Republican nominee Charles A. Sprague defeated Democratic nominee Henry L. Hess. Incumbent governor Charles Martin lost in the Democratic primary to Hess, an attorney and former state senator from La Grande. Hess was a strong supporter of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal while Martin was a frequent critic of the program. Primary election Oregon held primary elections on May 20, 1938. Democratic party Candidates Henry L. Hess, former member of Oregon State Senate Charles H. Martin, incumbent governor O. Henry Oleen, member of Oregon House of Representatives Campaign Incumbent Democratic governor Charles Martin had been elected in the middle of the Great Depression in the 1934 governor's race. A conservative Democrat, Martin appealed to many business-minded Republicans, and his administration focused on strengthening state finances, even opposing restoring state workers to full pay as the Depression eased.http://records.sos.state.or.us/ORSOSWebDrawer/Record?q=recTitle:Charles+H.+Martin+And+recNumber:APD%2a&sortBy=recCreatedOn- Governor Charles H. Martin's Administration Oregon State Archives October 12, 2011 Martin vigorously opposed many aspects of President Roosevelt's New Deal, in particular parts dealing with unions and labor, such as the formation of the National Labor Relations Board. When Martin announced his intention to run for the Democratic nomination for another term, labor unions and the Roosevelt administration sought an alternative, eventually throwing their weight behind Henry L. Hess, a little-known attorney and former state senator from Union County.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=brIhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=65sFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2483,4660808 Governor Martin defeated by Hess in Oregon contest Reading Eagle May 22, 1938 October 12, 2011 Harold L. Ickes, Roosevelt's Secretary of the Interior and a key implementer of New Deal policies, indicated his support for Hess, though Roosevelt himself stayed officially neutral.https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1938/05/21/98138817.pdf Martin-Hess race is close in New Deal test in Oregon May 21, 1938 New York Times October 12, 2011 In a hard-fought Democratic primary, Hess won 49% of the vote to Martin's 44%, with labor strongholds in Portland and the timber counties supporting Hess and agricultural regions behind Martin. A third candidate, O. Henry Oleen, a state representative from St. Helens, earned about 7% of the vote. Results Democratic primary resultsAbstract of Votes - Democratic Party - Primary Election May 20, 1938 https://records.sos.state.or.us/ORSOSWebDrawer/RecordView/8410997 Oregon Secretary of State 10 April 2026 Democratic Party (United States) Henry L. Hess 59,620 49.43% Democratic Party (United States) Charles H. Martin (inc.) 52,642 43.65% Democratic Party (United States) O. Henry Oleen 8,220 6.82% Democratic Party (United States) Scattering 121 0.10% 120,603 100.00% Republican party With most of the attention on the Democratic primary, on the Republican side, newspaper publisher Charles A. Sprague emerged from a crowded eight-way Republican field with a comfortable plurality of 48% of the vote, 30 percentage points better than his nearest competitor, former state senator Sam H. Brown. Candidates Sam H. Brown, forner member of Oregon State Senate Henry M. Hanzen, former State Budget Director under Julius Meier R. J. Hendricks, newspaper publisher J. W. Morton Charles L. Paine, real estate businessman M. S. Schrock Charles A. Sprague, publisher of the Oregon Statesman Clarence R. Wagoner Results Republican primary resultsAbstract of Votes - Republican Party - Primary Election May 20, 1938 https://records.sos.state.or.us/ORSOSWebDrawer/RecordView/8410997 Oregon Secretary of State 10 April 2026 Republican Party (United States) Charles A. Sprague 62,275 47.53% Republican Party (United States) Sam H. Brown 24,028 18.34% Republican Party (United States) Clarence R. Wagoner 12,086 9.22% Republican Party (United States) Charles L. Paine 9,862 7.53% Republican Party (United States) Henry M. Hanzen 6,153 4.70% Republican Party (United States) J. W. Morton 5,702 4.35% Republican Party (United States) M. S. Schrock 3,881 2.96% Republican Party (United States) Charles H. Martin (write-in) 3,780 2.89% Republican Party (United States) R. J. Hendricks 2,871 2.19% Republican Party (United States) Henry L. Hess (write-in) 355 0.27% Republican Party (United States) O. Henry Oleen (write-in) 27 0.02% Republican Party (United States) Scattering 2 0.00% 131,022 100.00% General election Campaign In the general election, the Republican establishment, which had supported Martin, now threw their support to Sprague, who cruised to an easy victory.charles_sprague Charles Sprague (1887–1969) McKay, Floyd J Results 1938 Oregon gubernatorial electionAbstract of Votes, Regular General Election, November 8, 1938 https://records.sos.state.or.us/ORSOSWebDrawer/RecordView/8410996 Oregon Secretary of State 10 April 2026 Republican Party (United States) Charles A. Sprague 214,062 57.41% +28.68% Democratic Party (United States) Henry L. Hess 158,744 42.57% +4.01% Write-in Scattering 57 0.02% 372,863 100.00% 55,318 14.84% Republican Party (United States) Democratic Party (United States) +21.83% Results by county Linn County voted Republican for the first time since 1894. Deschutes County would not vote Democratic again until 1974. County Charles A. SpragueRepublican Henry L. HessDemocratic ScatteringWrite-in Margin Total votes cast # % # % # % # %Baker3,40254.23%2,87145.77%00.00%5318.46%6,273Benton4,68974.58%1,59325.34%50.08%3,09649.24%6,287Clackamas11,11653.84%9,52946.16%00.00%1,5877.69%20,645Clatsop4,09151.52%3,84548.43%40.05%2463.10%7,940Columbia3,09544.18%3,91155.82%00.00%-816-11.65%7,006Coos4,81249.30%4,94850.69%10.01%-136-1.39%9,761Crook84161.03%53738.97%00.00%30422.06%1,378Curry89163.69%50836.31%00.00%38327.38%1,399Deschutes2,49848.19%2,68551.79%10.02%-187-3.61%5,184Douglas5,41563.11%3,16536.89%00.00%2,25026.22%8,580Gilliam72269.22%32030.68%10.10%40238.54%1,043Grant1,05363.05%61736.95%00.00%43626.11%1,670Harney75655.83%59844.17%00.00%15811.67%1,354Hood River2,26463.42%1,30236.47%40.11%96226.95%3,570Jackson6,52358.89%4,54841.06%60.05%1,97517.83%11,077Jefferson40663.94%22936.06%00.00%17727.87%635Josephine3,40661.95%2,08037.83%120.22%1,32624.12%5,498Klamath5,87955.77%4,66244.23%00.00%1,21711.55%10,541Lake1,19865.72%62534.28%00.00%57331.43%1,823Lane13,84063.00%8,12737.00%00.00%5,71326.01%21,967Lincoln3,45958.95%2,40741.02%20.03%1,05217.93%5,868Linn6,11959.12%4,23240.88%00.00%1,88718.23%10,351Malheur2,08652.28%1,90447.72%00.00%1824.56%3,990Marion16,47365.44%8,68734.51%120.05%7,78630.93%25,172Morrow90060.65%58439.35%00.00%31621.29%1,484Multnomah74,32054.37%62,36345.63%00.00%11,9578.75%136,683Polk3,79063.44%2,18436.56%00.00%1,60626.88%5,974Sherman69470.03%29729.97%00.00%39740.06%991Tillamook2,74060.22%1,81039.78%00.00%93020.44%4,550Umatilla5,25166.68%2,62433.32%00.00%2,62733.36%7,785Union2,92347.23%3,26652.77%00.00%-343-5.54%6,189Wallowa1,61360.64%1,04739.36%00.00%56621.28%2,660Wasco2,72362.13%1,65837.83%20.05%1,06524.30%4,383Washington7,66759.02%5,31740.93%70.05%2,35018.09%12,991Wheeler59370.51%24829.49%00.00%34541.02%841Yamhill5,81462.99%3,41637.01%00.00%2,39825.98%9,230Total214,06257.41%158,74442.57%570.02%55,31814.84%372,863 Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican Baker Clatsop Curry Gilliam Harney Hood River Jackson Jefferson Josephine Lake Lane Linn Malheur Morrow Multnomah Polk Sherman Umatilla Wasco Counties that flipped from Independent to Republican Clackamas Lincoln Marion Tillamook Wallowa Washington Yamhill Counties that flipped from Independent to Democratic Columbia References 30em Gubernatorial 1938 Oregon Category:November 1938 in the United States