1916 Texas gubernatorial election

The 1916 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1916, in order to elect the Governor of Texas. Incumbent Democratic governor James E. "Pa" Ferguson easily won re-election to a second term, defeating his Republican challenger, Rentfro Creager.[1]

1916 Texas gubernatorial election

← 1914 November 7, 1916 1918 →
 
Nominee James E. Ferguson R. B. Creager
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 296,667 49,118
Percentage 81.6% 13.5%

County results
Ferguson:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      90-100%
Creager:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      80–90%
No Data/Vote:      

Governor before election

James E. Ferguson
Democratic

Elected Governor

James E. Ferguson
Democratic

Ferguson would be impeached and removed from office on nine charges just over 9 months after his re-election in 1916. He was succeeded by Lieutenant Governor William P. Hobby.[2]

Democratic primary

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In the primary, Governor Ferguson was challenged by fellow Democrat Charles H. Morris. Ferguson fended off the primary challenge, winning 57% of the vote and securing the nomination, which at the time, was seen as tantamount to victory, as Texas was a prohibitively Democratic-controlled state in the early 20th century.[3]

Primary results

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Democratic primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic James E. Ferguson (incumbent) 240,561 57.02
Democratic Charles H. Morris 174,611 41.39
Democratic H. C. Marshall 6,731 1.60
Total votes 421,903 100.00

General election

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Ferguson faced token Republican opposition in the general election from republican nominee Rentfro Creager, and defeated him by a 68.1% margin of victory.[4]

Results

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1916 Texas Gubernatorial Election
Party Candidate Votes Percentage
Democratic James E. Ferguson (incumbent) 296,667 81.60%
Republican Rentfro Banton Creager 49,118 13.51%
Socialist E. R. Meitzen 14,580 4.01%
Prohibition H. W. Lewis 3,200 0.88%
Democratic hold

References

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  1. ^ "Election of Texas Governors, 1900-1948 | TX Almanac". www.texasalmanac.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  2. ^ "Texas Politics - Governors: James E. Ferguson". texaspolitics.utexas.edu. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  3. ^ "Our Campaigns - TX Governor - D Primary Race - Jul 22, 1916". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  4. ^ "Our Campaigns - TX Governor Race - Nov 07, 1916". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023.