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1956 United States gubernatorial elections

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1956 United States gubernatorial elections
← 1955
November 6, 1956;
September 10, 1956 (ME)
1957 →
30 governorships[a]
  Majority party Minority party
 
Party Democratic Republican
Seats before 27 21
Seats after 29 19
Seat change Increase2 Decrease2
Seats up 14 16
Seats won 16 14
1956 Rhode Island gubernatorial election1956 Illinois gubernatorial election1956 Wisconsin gubernatorial election1956 Iowa gubernatorial election1956 Arkansas gubernatorial election1956 Kansas gubernatorial election1956 Texas gubernatorial election1956 New Mexico gubernatorial election1956 Arizona gubernatorial election1956 Florida gubernatorial election1956 Massachusetts gubernatorial election1956 Michigan gubernatorial election1956 Nebraska gubernatorial election1956 South Dakota gubernatorial election1956 Minnesota gubernatorial election1956 Maine gubernatorial election1956 Colorado gubernatorial election1956 Ohio gubernatorial election1956 Oregon gubernatorial election1956 Delaware gubernatorial election1956 Indiana gubernatorial election1956 Missouri gubernatorial election1956 Montana gubernatorial election1956 New Hampshire gubernatorial election1956 North Carolina gubernatorial election1956 North Dakota gubernatorial election1956 Utah gubernatorial election1956 Vermont gubernatorial election1956 Washington gubernatorial election1956 West Virginia gubernatorial election
     Democratic gain      Democratic hold
     Republican gain      Republican hold

United States gubernatorial elections were held in 1956, in 30 states, concurrent with the House, Senate elections and the presidential election, on November 6, 1956 (September 10 in Maine). The special election in Oregon was due to the death of incumbent governor Paul L. Patterson on January 31.[1]

This was the last time Colorado, Maine, and Ohio elected their governors to 2-year terms, all switching to 4-years from the 1958 election.

Race summary

[edit]
State Governor Party First
elected		 Status Candidates
Arizona Ernest McFarland Democratic 1954 Incumbent re-elected.
Arkansas Orval Faubus Democratic 1954 Incumbent re-elected.
  • ▌Green tickY Orval Faubus (Democratic) 80.7%
  • ▌ Roy Mitchell (Republican) 19.4%[3]
Colorado Edwin C. Johnson Democratic 1954 Incumbent retired.
Democratic hold.
Delaware J. Caleb Boggs Republican 1952 Incumbent re-elected.
Florida LeRoy Collins Democratic 1954
(special)		 Incumbent re-elected.
Illinois William Stratton Republican 1952 Incumbent re-elected.
Indiana George N. Craig Republican 1952 Incumbent term-limited.
Republican hold.
  • ▌Green tickY Harold W. Handley (Republican) 55.6%
  • ▌ Ralph Tucker (Democratic) 44.0%
  • ▌ J. Ralston Miller (Prohibition) 0.35%
  • ▌ Merle N. Miller (Socialist Labor) 0.06%[8]
Iowa Leo Hoegh Republican 1954 Incumbent lost re-election.
Democratic gain.
Kansas Fred Hall Republican 1954 Incumbent lost renomination.
Democratic gain.
Maine Edmund Muskie Democratic 1954 Incumbent re-elected.
Massachusetts Christian Herter Republican 1952 Incumbent retired.
Democratic gain.
Michigan G. Mennen Williams Democratic 1948 Incumbent re-elected.
Minnesota Orville Freeman Democratic 1954 Incumbent re-elected.
Missouri Phil M. Donnelly Democratic 1944
1948 (term-limited)
1952		 Incumbent term-limited.
Democratic hold.
Montana J. Hugo Aronson Republican 1952 Incumbent re-elected.
Nebraska Victor Anderson Republican 1954 Incumbent re-elected.
New Hampshire Lane Dwinell Republican 1954 Incumbent re-elected.
New Mexico John F. Simms Democratic 1954 Incumbent lost re-election.
Republican gain.
North Carolina Luther H. Hodges Democratic 1954[b] Incumbent re-elected.
North Dakota Norman Brunsdale Republican 1950 Incumbent retired.
Republican hold.
  • ▌Green tickY John E. Davis (Republican) 58.5%
  • ▌ Wallace E. Warner (Democratic-NPL) 41.5%[21]
Ohio Frank Lausche Democratic 1944
1946 (lost)
1948		 Incumbent retired.
Republican gain.
Oregon
(special)		 Elmo Smith Republican 1956[c] Incumbent lost re-election.
Democratic gain.
Rhode Island Dennis J. Roberts Democratic 1950 Incumbent re-elected.
South Dakota Joe Foss Republican 1954 Incumbent re-elected.
Texas Allan Shivers Democratic 1949[d] Incumbent retired.
Democratic hold.
Utah J. Bracken Lee Republican 1948 Incumbent lost renomination, but ran as an independent.
Republican hold.
Vermont Joseph B. Johnson Republican 1954 Incumbent re-elected.
Washington Arthur B. Langlie Republican 1948 Incumbent retired.
Democratic gain.
West Virginia William C. Marland Democratic 1952 Incumbent term-limited.
Republican gain.
Wisconsin Walter J. Kohler Jr. Republican 1950 Incumbent retired.
Republican hold.

Closest races

[edit]

States where the margin of victory was under 1%:

  1. Rhode Island, 0.18%
  2. Illinois, 0.86%

States where the margin of victory was under 5%:

  1. Oregon, 1.04%
  2. Iowa, 2.44%
  3. Colorado, 2.68%
  4. Montana, 2.74%
  5. Minnesota, 3.23%
  6. Wisconsin, 3.78%
  7. Delaware, 3.90%
  8. Missouri, 4.14%
  9. New Mexico, 4.46%
  10. Utah, 4.77%

States where the margin of victory was under 10%:

  1. Massachusetts, 5.89%
  2. West Virginia, 7.76%
  3. South Dakota, 8.68%
  4. New Hampshire, 9.46%
  5. Michigan, 9.52%
  6. Washington, 9.63%

Red denotes states won by Republicans. Blue denotes states won by Democrats.

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ Including a special election in Oregon.
  2. ↑ Hodges became governor in 1954 when predecessor (William B. Umstead) died.
  3. ↑ Smith became governor on January 31, 1956 when predecessor (Paul L. Patterson) died.
  4. ↑ Shivers became governor in 1949 when predecessor (Beauford H. Jester) died.

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Paul L. Patterson (1900-1956)". oregonencyclopedia.org. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  2. ↑ "AZ Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  3. ↑ "AR Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  4. ↑ "CO Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  5. ↑ "DE Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  6. ↑ "FL Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  7. ↑ "IL Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  8. ↑ "IN Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  9. ↑ "IA Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  10. ↑ "KS Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  11. ↑ "ME Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  12. ↑ "MA Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  13. ↑ "MI Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  14. ↑ "MN Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  15. ↑ "MO Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  16. ↑ "MT Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  17. ↑ "NE Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  18. ↑ "NH Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  19. ↑ "NM Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  20. ↑ "NC Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  21. ↑ "ND Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  22. ↑ "OH Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  23. ↑ "OR Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  24. ↑ "RI Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  25. ↑ "SD Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  26. ↑ "TX Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  27. ↑ "UT Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  28. ↑ "VT Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  29. ↑ "WA Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  30. ↑ "WV Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  31. ↑ "WI Governor, 1956". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
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