1940 United States gubernatorial elections

United States gubernatorial elections were held in 1940, in 34 states, concurrent with the House, Senate elections and presidential election, on November 5, 1940. Elections took place on September 9 in Maine.

1940 United States gubernatorial elections

← 1939November 5, 1940;
September 9, 1940 (ME)
1941 →

34 governorships
 Majority partyMinority party
 
PartyDemocraticRepublican
Seats before3018
Seats after2820
Seat changeDecrease2Increase2
Seats up1915
Seats won1717

1940 Rhode Island gubernatorial election1940 Illinois gubernatorial election1940 Wisconsin gubernatorial election1940 Iowa gubernatorial election1940 Arkansas gubernatorial election1940 Kansas gubernatorial election1940 Texas gubernatorial election1940 New Mexico gubernatorial election1940 Arizona gubernatorial election1940 Florida gubernatorial election1940 Massachusetts gubernatorial election1940 Michigan gubernatorial election1940 Nebraska gubernatorial election1940 South Dakota gubernatorial election1940 Minnesota gubernatorial election1940 Maine gubernatorial election1940 Colorado gubernatorial election1940 Ohio gubernatorial election1940 Tennessee gubernatorial election1940 Connecticut gubernatorial election1940 Idaho gubernatorial election1940 Georgia gubernatorial election1940 New Jersey gubernatorial election1940 Delaware gubernatorial election1940 Indiana gubernatorial election1940 Missouri gubernatorial election1940 Montana gubernatorial election1940 New Hampshire gubernatorial election1940 North Carolina gubernatorial election1940 North Dakota gubernatorial election1940 Utah gubernatorial election1940 Vermont gubernatorial election1940 Washington gubernatorial election1940 West Virginia gubernatorial election
     Democratic hold      Democratic gain
     Republican hold      Republican gain
     No election

This was the last time Georgia elected its governors to 2-year terms, as it switched to 4-years terms from the 1942 election.

Results

StateIncumbentPartyStatusOpposing candidates
ArizonaRobert Taylor JonesDemocraticDefeated in Democratic primary, Democratic victorySidney Preston Osborn (Democratic) 65.52%
Jerrie W. Lee (Republican) 33.81%
Charles R. Osburn (Prohibition) 0.67%
[1]
ArkansasCarl E. BaileyDemocraticDefeated in Democratic primary, Democratic victoryHomer Adkins (Democratic) 91.36%
H. C. Stump (Republican) 8.22%
Walter S. McNutt (Independent) 0.43%
[2]
ColoradoRalph Lawrence CarrRepublicanRe-elected, 54.37%George E. Saunders (Democratic) 44.96%
Carle Whitehead (Socialist) 0.41%
Laurence W. Cofman (Prohibition) 0.27%
[3]
ConnecticutRaymond E. BaldwinRepublicanDefeated, 47.78%Robert A. Hurley (Democratic) 49.54%
Jasper McLevy (Socialist) 2.31%
Joseph Mackay (Socialist Labor) 0.23%
Michael A. Russo (Communist) 0.15%
[4]
DelawareRichard McMullenDemocraticWon Democratic primary but retired as candidate, Republican victoryWalter W. Bacon (Republican) 52.38%
Josiah Marvel Jr. (Democratic) 45.41%
Ivan Culbertson (Liberal Democrat) 2.21%
[5]
FloridaFred P. ConeDemocraticTerm-limited, Democratic victorySpessard Holland (Democratic) 100.00%
[6]
(Democratic primary runoff results)
Spessard L. Holland 56.95%
Francis P. Whitehair 43.05%
[7]
GeorgiaEurith D. RiversDemocraticTerm-limited, Democratic victoryEugene Talmadge (Democratic) 99.60%
J. L. R. Boyd (Prohibition) 0.30%
Joe Wallace (Independent) 0.10%
[8]
(Democratic primary results)
Eugene Talmadge 51.58%
Columbus Roberts 35.95%
Hosea Abit Nix 12.47%
[9]
IdahoC. A. BottolfsenRepublicanDefeated, 49.52%Chase A. Clark (Democratic) 50.48%
[10]
IllinoisJohn Henry StelleDemocraticRetired, Republican victoryDwight H. Green (Republican) 52.93%
Harry Hershey (Democratic) 46.74%
Arthur McDowell (Socialist) 0.18%
Clay Freeman Gaumer (Prohibition) 0.16%
[11]
IndianaM. Clifford TownsendDemocraticTerm-limited, Democratic victoryHenry F. Schricker (Democratic) 49.92%
Glenn R. Hillis (Republican) 49.69%
Mary Donovan Hapgood (Socialist) 0.27%
Omer S. Whiteman (Prohibition) 0.08%
Herman Barcus Barefield (Socialist Labor) 0.04%
[12]
IowaGeorge A. WilsonRepublicanRe-elected, 52.72%John Valentine (Democratic) 47.07%
M. M. Heptonstall (Prohibition) 0.11%
Charles Speck (Communist) 0.11%
[13]
KansasPayne RatnerRepublicanRe-elected, 49.63%William H. Burke (Democratic) 49.58%
David C. White (Prohibition) 0.61%
Ida A. Beloof (Socialist) 0.19%
[14]
Maine
(held, 9 September 1940)
Lewis O. BarrowsRepublicanRetired, Republican victorySumner Sewall (Republican) 63.79%
Fulton J. Redman (Democratic) 36.08%
Helen Knudsen (Communist) 0.13%
[15]
MassachusettsLeverett SaltonstallRepublicanRe-elected, 49.74%Paul A. Dever (Democratic) 49.46%
Otis Archer Hood (Communist) 0.28%
Jeffrey W. Campbell (Socialist) 0.23%
Henning A. Blomen (Socialist Labor) 0.17%
E. Tallmadge Root (Prohibition) 0.12%
[16]
MichiganLuren DickinsonRepublicanDefeated, 46.59%Murray Van Wagoner (Democratic) 53.06%
Seth Whitmore (Socialist) 0.20%
Philip Raymond (Communist) 0.12%
Ralph Naylor (Socialist Labor) 0.04%
[17]
MinnesotaHarold StassenRepublicanRe-elected, 52.06%Hjalmar Petersen (Farmer-Labor) 36.55%
Edward Murphy (Democratic) 11.14%
John William Castle (Industrial) 0.25%
[18]
MissouriLloyd C. StarkDemocraticTerm-limited, Republican victoryForrest C. Donnell (Republican) 50.05%
Larry McDaniel (Democratic) 49.85%
Jed A. High (Socialist) 0.09%
William Wesley Cox (Socialist Labor) 0.01%
[19]
MontanaRoy E. AyersDemocraticDefeated, 48.64%Sam C. Ford (Republican) 50.67%
Arvo Fredrickson (Communist) 0.70%
[20]
NebraskaRobert Leroy CochranDemocraticRetired to run for U.S. Senate, Republican victoryDwight Griswold (Republican) 60.86%
Terry Carpenter (Democratic) 39.14%
[21]
New HampshireFrancis P. MurphyRepublicanRetired, Republican victoryRobert O. Blood (Republican) 50.74%
F. Clyde Keefe (Democratic) 49.26%
[22]
New JerseyA. Harry MooreDemocraticTerm-limited, Democratic victoryCharles Edison (Democratic) 51.38%
Robert C. Hendrickson (Republican) 48.04%
Marion Douglas (Socialist) 0.40%
Manuel Cantor (Communist) 0.08%
John C. Butterworth (Socialist Labor) 0.07%
Elmo L. Bateman (National Prohibition) 0.03%
[23]
New MexicoJohn E. MilesDemocraticRe-elected, 55.59%Maurice Miera (Republican) 44.41%
[24]
North CarolinaClyde R. HoeyDemocraticTerm-limited, Democratic victoryJ. Melville Broughton (Democratic) 75.70%
Robert H. McNeill (Republican) 24.30%
[25]
North DakotaJohn MosesDemocraticRe-elected, 63.11%Jack A. Patterson (Republican) 36.89%
[26]
OhioJohn W. BrickerRepublicanRe-elected, 55.55%Martin L. Davey (Democratic) 44.45%
[27]
Rhode IslandWilliam Henry Vanderbilt IIIRepublicanDefeated, 44.08%J. Howard McGrath (Democratic) 55.84%
Wilfred J. Boissy (Communist) 0.08%
[28]
South DakotaHarlan J. BushfieldRepublicanRe-elected, 55.14%Lewis W. Bicknell (Democratic) 44.86%
[29]
TennesseePrentice CooperDemocraticRe-elected, 72.09%C. Arthur Bruce (Republican) 27.91%
[30]
TexasW. Lee O'DanielDemocraticRe-elected, 94.43%George C. Hopkins (Republican) 5.55%
Ben H. Lauderdale (Communist) 0.03%
[31]
UtahHenry H. BloodDemocraticRetired, Democratic victoryHerbert B. Maw (Democratic) 52.07%
Don B. Colton (Republican) 47.69%
Ada Williams Quinn (Independent) 0.24%
[32]
VermontGeorge AikenRepublicanRetired to run for U.S. Senate, Republican victoryWilliam Henry Wills (Republican) 64.03%
John McGrath (Democratic) 35.97%
[33]
WashingtonClarence D. MartinDemocraticDefeated in Democratic primary, Republican victoryArthur B. Langlie (Republican) 50.24%
Clarence Dill (Democratic) 49.49%
John Brockway (Communist) 0.21%
P. J. Ater (Socialist Labor) 0.06%
[34]
West VirginiaHomer A. HoltDemocraticTerm-limited, Democratic victoryMatthew M. Neely (Democratic) 56.38%
Daniel Boone Dawson (Republican) 43.62%
[35]
WisconsinJulius P. HeilRepublicanRe-elected, 40.67%Orland Steen Loomis (Progressive) 39.78%
Francis E. McGovern (Democratic) 19.29%
Fred B. Blair (Communist) 0.17%
Louis Fisher (Socialist Labor) 0.08%
Scattering 0.01%
[36]

See also

References