The 1940 Vermont gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 1940. Incumbent Republican George Aiken did not run for re-election to a third term as Governor of Vermont, instead running for the United States Senate. Republican candidate William H. Wills defeated Democratic candidate John McGrath to succeed him.
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 County results Wills: 60–70% 70–80% McGrath: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Republican primary
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | William H. Wills | 58,435 | 99.9 | ||
| Republican | Other | 17 | 0.0 | ||
| Total votes | '58,452' | '100' | |||
Democratic primary
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John McGrath | 5,639 | 99.9 | ||
| Democratic | Other | 5 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | '5,644' | '100' | |||
General election
Candidates
- William H. Wills (Republican), Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
- John McGrath (Democratic), state senator, milk farmer, businessman and nominee for U.S. Senate in 1938[2]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | William H. Wills | 87,346 | 64.0 | ||
| Democratic | John McGrath | 49,068 | 36.0 | ||
| N/A | Other | 2 | 0.0 | ||
| Total votes | '136,416' | '100' | |||