1946 United States gubernatorial elections
← 1945 November 5, 1946;
September 9, 1946 (ME)		 1947 →
34 governorships
  Majority party Minority party
 
Party Republican Democratic
Seats before 22 26[a]
Seats after 25 23
Seat change Increase3 Decrease3
Seats up 17 17
Seats won 20 14
1946 North Dakota gubernatorial election1946 New Jersey gubernatorial election1946 Alabama gubernatorial election1946 Arizona gubernatorial election1946 Arkansas gubernatorial election1946 California gubernatorial election1946 Colorado gubernatorial election1946 Connecticut gubernatorial election1946 Georgia gubernatorial election1946 Idaho gubernatorial election1946 Iowa gubernatorial election1946 Kansas gubernatorial election1946 Maine gubernatorial election1946 Maryland gubernatorial election1946 Massachusetts gubernatorial election1946 Michigan gubernatorial election1946 Minnesota gubernatorial election1946 Nebraska gubernatorial election1946 Nevada gubernatorial election1946 New Hampshire gubernatorial election1946 New Mexico gubernatorial election1946 New York gubernatorial election1946 Ohio gubernatorial election1946 Oklahoma gubernatorial election1946 Oregon gubernatorial election1946 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election1946 Rhode Island gubernatorial election1946 South Carolina gubernatorial election1946 South Dakota gubernatorial election1946 Tennessee gubernatorial election1946 Texas gubernatorial election1946 Vermont gubernatorial election1946 Wisconsin gubernatorial election1946 Wyoming gubernatorial election
     Democratic hold      Democratic gain
     Republican hold      Republican gain
     No election

United States gubernatorial elections were held in 1946, in 34 states, concurrent with the House and Senate elections, on November 5, 1946. Elections took place on September 9 in Maine.

In Idaho, the governor was elected to a 4-year term for the first time, instead of a 2-year term. In New Jersey, this was the last election on a 3-year cycle, before switching to a 4-year term for governors from 1949.

Results

State Incumbent Party Status Opposing candidates
Alabama Chauncey Sparks Democratic Term-limited, Democratic victory Jim Folsom (Democratic) 88.67%
Lyman Ward (Republican) 11.33%
[1]
Arizona Sidney Preston Osborn Democratic Re-elected, 60.10% Bruce Brockett (Republican) 39.90%
[2]
Arkansas Benjamin Travis Laney Democratic Re-elected, 84.14% W. T. Mills (Republican) 15.86%
[3]
California Earl Warren Republican[4] Re-elected, 91.64% Henry R. Schmidt (Prohibition) 7.06%
Archie Brown (write-in) (Communist) 0.88%
James Roosevelt (write-in) (Democratic) 0.13%
Robert W. Kenny (Independent) 0.06%
Albert Clark (Independent) 0.03%
[5]
Colorado John Charles Vivian Republican Retired, Democratic victory William Lee Knous (Democratic) 52.11%
Leon E. Lavington (Republican) 47.89%
[6]
Connecticut Raymond E. Baldwin Republican Retired to run for U.S. Senate, Republican victory James L. McConaughy (Republican) 54.38%
Charles Wilbert Snow (Democratic) 40.41%
Jasper McLevy (Socialist) 4.72%
Herman N. Simon (Socialist Labor) 0.50%
[7]
Georgia Ellis Arnall Democratic Term-limited, Democratic victory Eugene Talmadge (Democratic) 98.54%
Herman Talmadge (write-in) (Democratic) 0.46%
James V. Carmichael (write-in) (Democratic) 0.46%
D. Talmadge Bowers (write-in) (Independent) 0.44%
Ellis Arnall (write-in) (Democratic) 0.08%
Scattering 0.01%
[8]
(Democratic primary results)
Eugene Talmadge 42.96% (244)
James V. Carmichael 45.30% (144)
Eurith D. Rivers 10.04% (22)
Hoke O’Kelley 1.70%
[9]
Idaho Arnold Williams Democratic Defeated, 43.63% C. A. Robins (Republican) 56.37%
[10]
Iowa Robert D. Blue Republican Re-elected, 57.40% Frank Miles (Democratic) 42.14%
E. P. Gabriel (Prohibition) 0.46%
[11]
Kansas Andrew Frank Schoeppel Republican Retired, Republican victory Frank Carlson (Republican) 53.50%
Harry Hines Woodring (Democratic) 44.02%
David C. White (Prohibition) 2.17%
Harry Graber (Socialist) 0.32%
[12]
Maine Horace Hildreth Republican Re-elected, 61.31% F. Davis Clark (Democratic) 38.69%
[13]
Maryland Herbert O'Conor Democratic Retired to run for U.S. Senate, Democratic victory William Preston Lane Jr. (Democratic) 54.73%
Theodore McKeldin (Republican) 45.27%
[14]
Massachusetts Maurice J. Tobin Democratic Defeated, 45.31% Robert F. Bradford (Republican) 54.12%
Horace I. Hillis (Socialist Labor) 0.42%
Guy S. Williams (Prohibition) 0.14%
[15]
Michigan Harry Kelly Republican Retired, Republican victory Kim Sigler (Republican) 60.28%
Murray Van Wagoner (Democratic) 38.70%
Gordon Phillips (Prohibition) 0.72%
James Sim (Socialist Labor) 0.30%
[16]
Minnesota Edward John Thye Republican Retired to run for U.S. Senate, Republican victory Luther Youngdahl (Republican) 58.96%
Harold H. Barker (DFL) 39.71%
Rudolph Gustafson (Industrial Government) 1.33%
[17]
Nebraska Dwight Griswold Republican Retired to run for U.S. Senate, Republican victory Val Peterson (Republican) 65.51%
Frank Sorrell (Democratic) 34.49%
[18]
Nevada Vail M. Pittman Democratic Re-elected, 57.42% Melvin E. Jepson (Republican) 42.58%
[19]
New Hampshire Charles M. Dale Republican Re-elected, 63.14% F. Clyde Keefe (Democratic) 36.86%
[20]
New Jersey Walter Evans Edge Republican Term-limited, Republican victory Alfred E. Driscoll (Republican) 57.08%
Lewis G. Hansen (Democratic) 41.42%
Alan Kohlman (Socialist Workers) 0.69%
Lawrence Mahan (Communist) 0.29%
Rubye Smith (Socialist) 0.16%
Robert L. Gittings (Independent) 0.15%
George E. Bopp (Socialist Labor) 0.10%
John Binns (Prohibition) 0.10%
[21]
New Mexico John J. Dempsey Democratic Retired to run for U.S. Senate, Republican victory Thomas J. Mabry (Democratic) 52.70%
Edward L. Safford (Republican) 47.30%
[22]
New York Thomas E. Dewey Republican Re-elected, 56.92% James M. Mead (Democratic) 43.08%
[23]
North Dakota Fred G. Aandahl Republican Re-elected, 68.88% Quentin Burdick (Democratic) 31.12%
[24]
Ohio Frank Lausche Democratic Defeated, 48.88% Thomas J. Herbert (Republican) 50.64%
Arla A. Albaugh (Socialist Labor) 0.49%
[25]
Oklahoma Robert S. Kerr Democratic Term-limited, Democratic victory Roy J. Turner (Democratic) 52.47%
Olney F. Flynn (Republican) 45.98%
Mildred “Mickey” Harrell (Independent) 1.45%
R. M. Funk (Independent) 0.05%
Bruno H. Miller (Independent) 0.05%
[26]
Oregon Earl Snell Republican Re-elected, 69.06% Carl C. Donaugh (Democratic) 30.94%
[27]
Pennsylvania Edward Martin Republican Term-limited, Republican victory James H. Duff (Republican) 58.53%
John S. Rice (Democratic) 40.68%
James Killip (Prohibition) 0.44%
George S. Taylor (Socialist Labor) 0.34%
[28]
Rhode Island John Pastore Democratic Re-elected, 54.27% John G. Murphy (Republican) 45.73%
[29]
South Carolina Ransome Judson Williams Democratic Defeated in Democratic primary, Democratic victory Strom Thurmond (Democratic) unopposed
[30]
(Democratic primary run-off results)
Strom Thurmond 56.95%
James C. McLeod 43.05%
[31]
South Dakota Merrell Q. Sharpe Republican Defeated in Republican primary, Republican victory George Theodore Mickelson (Republican) 67.16%
Richard Haeder (Democratic) 32.84%
[32]
Tennessee Jim Nance McCord Democratic Re-elected, 65.35% W. O. Lowe (Republican) 31.91%
John Randolph Neal Jr. (Independent) 2.74%
[33]
Texas Coke R. Stevenson Democratic Retired, Democratic victory Beauford H. Jester (Democratic) 91.23%
Eugene Nolte (Republican) 8.77%
[34]
Vermont Mortimer R. Proctor Republican Defeated in Republican primary, Republican victory Ernest W. Gibson Jr. (Republican) 80.30%
Berthold C. Coburn (Democratic) 19.57%
Scattering 0.14%
[35]
Wisconsin Walter Samuel Goodland Republican Re-elected, 59.78% Daniel Hoan (Democratic) 39.07%
Walter H. Uphoff (Socialist) 0.87%
Sigmund Eisenscher (Communist) 0.18%
Jerry Kenyon (Socialist Labor) 0.09%
Scattering 0.02%
[36]
Wyoming Lester C. Hunt Democratic Re-elected, 52.88% Earl Wright (Republican) 47.12%
[37]

Notes

  1. ^ Charles Wilbert Snow (D) succeeded Connecticut Governor Raymond E. Baldwin (R) who resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate in December 1946.

References

  1. ^ "AL Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  2. ^ "AZ Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  3. ^ "AR Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  4. ^ Warren also won the Democratic nomination by cross-filing
  5. ^ "CA Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  6. ^ "CO Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  7. ^ "CT Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  8. ^ "GA Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  9. ^ "GA Governor, 1946 – D Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  10. ^ "ID Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  11. ^ "IA Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  12. ^ "KS Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  13. ^ "ME Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  14. ^ "MD Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  15. ^ "MA Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  16. ^ "MI Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  17. ^ "MN Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  18. ^ "NE Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  19. ^ "NV Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  20. ^ "NH Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  21. ^ "NJ Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  22. ^ "NM Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  23. ^ "NY Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  24. ^ "ND Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  25. ^ "OH Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  26. ^ "OK Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  27. ^ "OR Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  28. ^ "PA Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  29. ^ "RI Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  30. ^ "SC Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  31. ^ "SC Governor, 1948 – D Runoff". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  32. ^ "SD Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  33. ^ "TN Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  34. ^ "TX Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  35. ^ "VT Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  36. ^ "WI Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  37. ^ "WY Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 3 March 2019.


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