1962 Texas gubernatorial election
The 1962 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1962, to elect the governor of Texas. Incumbent Democratic Governor Price Daniel was running for reelection to a fourth term, but was defeated in the primary by John Connally. Although Connally was easily elected, Republican Jack Cox's 46% of the vote was the highest received by any Republican candidate for governor since George C. Butte in 1924.
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 County results Connally: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Cox: 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Texas |
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 Government |
Democratic primary
Candidates
- John Connally, United States Secretary of the Navy and former aide to Lyndon Johnson
- Price Daniel, incumbent Governor
- Marshall Formby, highway commissioner from Plainview
- Edwin Walker, former U.S. Army Major General and anti-communist activist
- Will Wilson, former Texas Attorney General
- Don Yarborough, Houston attorney and candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 1960
John Connally announced two weeks before Christmas of 1961 that he was leaving the position of Secretary of the Navy to seek the Democratic nomination. Former state Attorney General Will Wilson also entered the campaign, accusing Lyndon B. Johnson of engineering Connally's candidacy. Other primary candidates were highway commissioner Marshall Formby of Plainview, another party conservative, and General Edwin A. Walker, who made anti-communism the centerpiece of his campaign.[1]
Campaign
Democratic incumbent Marion Price Daniel, Sr. was running for a fourth consecutive two-year term, but was in political trouble following the enactment of a two-cent state sales tax in 1961, which had soured many voters on his administration. Daniel had let the tax become law without his signature, but chose not to veto the measure.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Connally | 431,498 | 29.82% | |
| Democratic | Don Yarborough | 317,986 | 21.97% | |
| Democratic | Price Daniel (incumbent) | 248,524 | 17.17% | |
| Democratic | Will Wilson | 171,617 | 11.86% | |
| Democratic | Marshall Formby | 139,094 | 9.61% | |
| Democratic | Edwin Walker | 138,387 | 9.56% | |
| Total votes | 1,447,115 | 100.00% | ||
Runoff
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Connally | 565,174 | 51.18% | |
| Democratic | Don Yarborough | 538,924 | 48.88% | |
| Total votes | 1,104,306 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Jack Cox, former State Representative from Stephens County and Democratic candidate for Governor in 1960
- Roy Whittenburg
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jack Cox | 99,170 | 86.01% | |
| Republican | Roy Whittenburg | 16,136 | 13.99% | |
| Total votes | 115,306 | 100.00% | ||
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Connally | 847,038 | 53.98% | |
| Republican | Jack Cox | 715,025 | 45.57% | |
| Constitution | Jack Carswell | 7,125 | 0.45% | |
| Total votes | 1,569,198 | 100.00% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
References
- "Nation: Talking in Texas". time.com. April 27, 1962. Archived from the original on October 20, 2007. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
- "Texas Alamanac". Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2015.