1939 Mississippi gubernatorial election

The 1939 Mississippi gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 1939, in order to elect the Governor of Mississippi. Incumbent Democrat Hugh L. White was term-limited, and could not run for reelection to a second term. As was common at the time, the Democratic candidate ran unopposed in the general election so therefore the Democratic primary was the real contest, and winning the primary was considered tantamount to election.

1939 Mississippi Democratic gubernatorial primary runoff

November 7, 1939

Nominee Paul B. Johnson Sr. Martin S. Conner Party Democratic Democratic Popular vote 163,620 135,724 Percentage 54.66% 45.34%

County results Johnson:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80% Conner:      50-60%      60-70%

Governor before election Hugh L. White Democratic Elected Governor Paul B. Johnson Sr. Democratic

Democratic primary

No candidate received a majority in the Democratic primary, which featured seven contenders, so a runoff was held between the top two candidates. The runoff election was won by former U.S. Representative Paul B. Johnson Sr., who defeated former Governor Martin S. Conner.

Results

Mississippi Democratic gubernatorial primary, 1939

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Paul B. Johnson Sr.	103,099	33.53
	Democratic	Martin S. Conner	79,305	25.79
	Democratic	Thomas L. Bailey	58,987	19.18
	Democratic	Lester C. Franklin	31,845	10.36
	Democratic	J. B. "Billy" Snider	24,244	7.88
	Democratic	Mark W. Gantt	5,214	1.70
	Democratic	George P. Ritchey	4,796	1.56
Total votes			307,490	100.00

Runoff

Mississippi Democratic gubernatorial primary runoff, 1939

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Paul B. Johnson Sr.	163,620	54.66
	Democratic	Martin S. Conner	135,724	45.34
Total votes			299,344	100.00

General election

In the general election, Johnson ran unopposed.

Results

Mississippi gubernatorial election, 1939

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Paul B. Johnson Sr.	61,614	100.00
Total votes			61,614	100.00
	Democratic hold