The 1966 Tennessee gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1966, to elect the next governor of Tennessee. Incumbent Democratic governor Frank G. Clement was term-limited and was prohibited by the Constitution of Tennessee from seeking another term. Former Democratic governor Buford Ellington defeated both independent candidates H.L. Crowder and Charlie Moffett with 81.2% of the vote.
 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
 County results Ellington: 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
.jpg)
In the primary, Ellington he defeated John Jay Hooker, who was a friend of former governor Gordon Browning, and had been endorsed by the Nashville Tennessean.[1] Ellington was endorsed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, and the Nashville Banner.
Tensions grew between Governor Frank G. Clement and Ellington leading up to the general election, as Ellington refused to endorse Clement in his U.S. Senate primary campaign against Ross Bass.[1] Clement attempted to spend the state's budget surplus to ensure the Ellington administration did not inherit it.[2]
Primary elections
editPrimary elections were held on August 4, 1966.[3] 32.5% of the voting age population participated in the Democratic primary.[4]
Democratic primary
editCandidates
edit- Buford Ellington, former governor
- John Jay Hooker, attorney
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Buford Ellington | 413,950 | 53.48% | |
| Democratic | John Jay Hooker | 360,105 | 46.52% | |
| Total votes | 774,055 | 100.00% | ||
General election
editCandidates
editMajor party candidate
- Buford Ellington, Democratic
Other candidates
- H.L. Crowder, Independent
- Charlie Moffett, Independent
- Charles Gordon Vick, Independent
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Buford Ellington | 532,998 | 81.18% | ||
| Independent | H.L. Crowder | 64,602 | 9.84% | ||
| Independent | Charlie Moffett | 50,221 | 7.65% | ||
| Independent | Charles Gordon Vick | 8,407 | 1.28% | ||
| Write-in | 338 | 0.05% | |||
| Majority | 532,998 | ||||
| Turnout | 656,566 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Phillip Langsdon, Tennessee: A Political History (Franklin, Tenn.: Hillsboro Press, 2000), pp. 366-372.
- ^ Vaughn May, "Buford Ellington," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, 2009. Retrieved: 29 December 2012.
- ^ a b Guide to U.S. elections - CQ Press, Congressional Quarterly, inc. CQ Press. 2005. ISBN 9781568029818. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
- ^ Steed, Moreland & Baker 1980, p. 22.
- ^ Cook, Rhodes (October 26, 2017). America Votes 32: 2015-2016, Election Returns by State - Rhodes Cook. ISBN 9781506368993. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
Works cited
edit- Steed, Robert; Moreland, Laurence; Baker, Tod, eds. (1980). Party Politics in the South. Praeger Publishers. ISBN 0030565863.