1952 Washington gubernatorial election

The 1952 Washington gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 1952, between incumbent governor Arthur B. Langlie of the Republican Party and U.S. Representative Hugh Mitchell of the Democratic Party. Langlie won the general election, becoming the first Washington state governor to be elected to a third term. This is most recent gubernatorial election in which a Republican carried Jefferson County.

1952 Washington gubernatorial election

← 1948 November 4, 1952 1956 →
 
Nominee Arthur B. Langlie Hugh Mitchell
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 567,822 510,675
Percentage 52.65% 47.35%

County results
Langlie:      50–60%      60–70%
Mitchell:      50–60%

Governor before election

Arthur B. Langlie
Republican

Elected Governor

Arthur B. Langlie
Republican

Primary election

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Democratic U.S. Congressman Hugh Mitchell announced his candidacy for governor on March 22, seeking to fix an administration that was "falling apart at the seams".[1] By May, Mitchell was joined by state senator Albert D. Rosellini of Seattle, State Treasurer Tom Martin, Speaker of the House Charles W. Hodde, and Charles C. Ralls in what The Seattle Times described as a "hard-to-predict contest" for the Democratic nomination.[2][3] During various debates, Rosellini denounced Mitchell as a "left-winger", leaving doubts amidst the anti-communist wave of the era.[4] Mitchell ultimately won the Democratic nomination by a margin of about 30,000 votes

Incumbent Governor Arthur B. Langlie, who had been elected to two non-consecutive terms in 1940 and 1948, filed his intention to run for a third term on July 17 after returning from the 1952 Republican National Convention.[5][6] Dr. John E. Lydon, a Seattle sanipractor, was the only Republican to run against Langlie and was not considered a serious contender for the party nomination.[7]

At the time, Washington used a blanket primary for nominations, with all candidates appearing on the same ballot with the highest candidate for each party being nominated.

Candidates

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Democratic Party

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Republican Party

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Results

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Blanket primary results[8][9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Arthur B. Langlie (incumbent) 245,560 34.91%
Democratic Hugh Mitchell 168,844 24.01%
Democratic Albert D. Rosellini 137,889 19.60%
Democratic Charles W. Hodde 59,688 8.49%
Democratic Tom Martin 48,327 6.87%
Democratic Charles C. Ralls 22,221 3.16%
Republican John E. Lydon 20,830 2.96%
Total votes 703,359 100.00%

General election

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Results

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1952 Washington gubernatorial election[8][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Arthur B. Langlie (incumbent) 567,822 52.65% +2.15%
Democratic Hugh Mitchell 510,675 47.35% +0.13%
Majority 57,147 5.30%
Total votes 1,078,497 100.00%
Republican hold Swing +2.02%

Results by county

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County[10] Arthur B. Langlie
Republican
Hugh Mitchell
Democratic
Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # %
Adams 2,157 67.47% 1,040 32.53% 1,117 34.94% 3,197
Asotin 2,248 48.34% 2,402 51.66% -154 -3.31% 4,650
Benton 12,629 54.98% 10,343 45.02% 2,286 9.95% 22,972
Chelan 9,856 55.53% 7,893 44.47% 1,963 11.06% 17,749
Clallam 6,086 51.98% 5,622 48.02% 464 3.96% 11,708
Clark 19,069 52.45% 17,286 47.55% 1,783 4.90% 36,355
Columbia 1,311 58.97% 912 41.03% 399 17.95% 2,223
Cowlitz 11,547 49.35% 11,849 50.65% -302 -1.29% 23,396
Douglas 2,616 49.87% 2,630 50.13% -14 -0.27% 5,246
Ferry 624 44.60% 775 55.40% -151 -10.79% 1,399
Franklin 2,964 49.30% 3,048 50.70% -84 -1.40% 6,012
Garfield 1,070 63.16% 624 36.84% 446 26.33% 1,694
Grant 4,152 47.94% 4,509 52.06% -357 -4.12% 8,661
Grays Harbor 11,207 46.71% 12,784 53.29% -1,577 -6.57% 23,991
Island 2,879 61.71% 1,786 38.29% 1,093 23.43% 4,665
Jefferson 2,386 56.53% 1,835 43.47% 551 13.05% 4,221
King 197,830 54.60% 164,511 45.40% 33,319 9.20% 362,341
Kitsap 17,559 47.25% 19,606 52.75% -2,047 -5.51% 37,165
Kittitas 4,792 53.49% 4,166 46.51% 626 6.99% 8,958
Klickitat 3,049 62.11% 1,860 37.89% 1,189 24.22% 4,909
Lewis 10,916 56.90% 8,267 43.10% 2,649 13.81% 19,183
Lincoln 3,372 64.27% 1,875 35.73% 1,497 28.53% 5,247
Mason 3,578 47.33% 3,982 52.67% -404 -5.34% 7,560
Okanogan 5,570 52.12% 5,116 47.88% 454 4.25% 10,686
Pacific 3,709 49.93% 3,720 50.07% -11 -0.15% 7,429
Pend Oreille 1,405 49.06% 1,459 50.94% -54 -1.89% 2,864
Pierce 52,119 46.92% 58,958 53.08% -6,839 -6.16% 111,077
San Juan 1,128 64.09% 632 35.91% 496 28.18% 1,760
Skagit 10,847 55.26% 8,782 44.74% 2,065 10.52% 19,629
Skamania 980 49.77% 989 50.23% -9 -0.46% 1,969
Snohomish 25,509 46.54% 29,301 53.46% -3,792 -6.92% 54,810
Spokane 49,985 49.28% 51,442 50.72% -1,457 -1.44% 101,427
Stevens 4,015 52.64% 3,612 47.36% 403 5.28% 7,627
Thurston 12,202 51.88% 11,319 48.12% 883 3.75% 23,521
Wahkiakum 900 52.20% 824 47.80% 76 4.41% 1,724
Walla Walla 9,948 57.06% 7,485 42.94% 2,463 14.13% 17,433
Whatcom 16,400 54.45% 13,720 45.55% 2,680 8.90% 30,120
Whitman 8,948 67.24% 4,360 32.76% 4,588 34.48% 13,308
Yakima 30,260 60.99% 19,351 39.01% 10,909 21.99% 49,611
Totals 567,822 52.65% 510,675 47.35% 57,147 5.30% 1,078,497

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

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Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

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References

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  1. ^ Cunningham, Ross (March 23, 1952). "Congressman Mitchell Announces Candidacy For State Governorship". The Seattle Times. p. 22.
  2. ^ Cunningham, Ross (August 7, 1952). "Mitchell and Hodde Seen in Lead of Demo Gubernatorial Contest". The Seattle Times. p. 3.
  3. ^ Cunningham, Ross (May 14, 1952). "Demos Face Major Decisions in Spokane". The Seattle Times. p. 9.
  4. ^ Oldham, Kit (January 11, 2004). "Langlie, Arthur B. (1900-1966)". HistoryLink. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  5. ^ "Gov. Langlie Files For Another Term". The Seattle Times. July 17, 1952. p. 1.
  6. ^ "Langlie Sees Party Rebirth". The Seattle Times. July 15, 1952. p. 10.
  7. ^ Cunningham, Ross (July 18, 1952). "Pelly, Mrs. Tourtellotte In Congress Race". The Seattle Times. p. 5.
  8. ^ a b "Elections Search Results: November 1952 General and September 1952 Primary". Secretary of State of Washington. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  9. ^ Washington Secretary of State. "Governor". Official Abstract of Votes State Primary September 9, 1952. Olympia, Washington. p. 8.
  10. ^ a b Washington Secretary of State. "Governor". Official Abstract of Votes State General Election November 4, 1952. Olympia, Washington. p. 10.