1946 Texas gubernatorial election

The 1946 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1946.

Incumbent Democratic Governor Coke R. Stevenson did not seek re-election.

Democratic Governor nominee Beauford H. Jester defeated Republican nominee Eugene Nolte, Jr. with 91.23% of the vote.

To date, this was the last election in which a candidate for Governor of Texas won more than 90% of the vote.

Nominations[edit]

Democratic primary[edit]

The Democratic primary election was held on July 27, 1946, with the runoff held on August 24, 1946.

Candidates[edit]

Floyd Brinkley
William V. Brown, mayor of Texarkana^[1]
A. J. Burks, mayor of Odessa^[1]^[2]
Charles B. Hutchison
Beauford H. Jester, Railroad Commissioner
Caso March, former Baylor University law professor,^[3] World War II veteran^[2]
Walter Scott McNutt, president of Jefferson College^[4]^[5]^[2] and independent candidate for Governor of Arkansas in 1938 and 1940^[6]^[7]
Homer P. Rainey, former President of the University of Texas^[8]
Jerry Sadler, former Railroad Commissioner
Grover Sellers, incumbent Texas Attorney General
C. R. Shaw
John Lee Smith, incumbent Lieutenant Governor
Reese Turner, former State Representative^[9]

Withdrew[edit]

W. J. Minton, newspaper editor^[10] and unsuccessful candidate for Democratic nomination for Governor in 1944

Declined[edit]

Results[edit]

Democratic primary results^[12]^[13]^[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Beauford H. Jester	448,304	38.15
	Democratic	Homer P. Rainey	291,282	25.04
	Democratic	Grover Sellers	162,431	13.96
	Democratic	Jerry Sadler	103,120	8.87
	Democratic	John Lee Smith	102,941	8.85
	Democratic	Caso March	20,529	1.76
	Democratic	C. R. Shaw	9,764	0.84
	Democratic	Reese Turner	4,912	0.42
	Democratic	A. J. Burks	4,881	0.42
	Democratic	Charles B. Hutchison	4,616	0.40
	Democratic	Walter S. McNutt	4,353	0.37
	Democratic	Floyd Brinkley	4,249	0.37
	Democratic	William V. Brown	3,902	0.34
	Democratic	W. J. Minton (withdrawn)	2,398	0.21
Total votes			1,163,184	100.00

Democratic runoff results^[15]^[13]^[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Beauford H. Jester	701,018	66.34
	Democratic	Homer P. Rainey	355,654	33.68
Total votes			1,056,672	100.00

Republican nomination[edit]

The Republican state convention was held on August 13, 1946 at Mineral Wells.^[16]^[17]^[18]

Candidates[edit]

Alvin H. Lane, attorney^[18]^[19]
Eugene "Mike" Nolte, Jr., alcohol distributor^[19]^[20]

Results[edit]

Republican convention results^[16]^[17]^[18]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Eugene Nolte, Jr.	178	54.27
	Republican	Alvin H. Lane	150	45.73
Total votes			328	100.00

General election[edit]

Candidates[edit]

Beauford H. Jester, Democratic
Eugene Nolte, Jr., Republican

Results[edit]

1946 Texas gubernatorial election^[21]^[22]^[14]^[23]^[24]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Beauford H. Jester	345,513	91.23%
	Republican	Eugene Nolte, Jr.	33,231	8.77%
Majority			312,282	82.46%
Turnout			378,744	100.00%
	Democratic hold		Swing

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b "Odessa Mayor Would Be Governor". El Paso Times. El Paso, Texas. March 21, 1946. p. 16. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Texans Have Wide Choice For Governor". Denton Record-Chronicle. Denton, Texas. July 14, 1946. p. 20. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
^ Huckary, John (July 23, 1948). "Poll Shows Caso March Favorite On Campus for Next Governor". The Baylor Lariat. Baylor University, Waco, Texas. p. 1. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
^ "Texans Have Wide Choice For Governor". Denton Record-Chronicle. Denton, Texas. July 14, 1946. p. 20. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
^ "Under the Capitol Dome". Breckenridge American. Breckenridge, Texas. June 30, 1946. p. 4. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
^ "Woods opposed by two men in race for State Schools Head". Corsicana Daily Sun. Corsicana, Texas. July 19, 1944. p. 2. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
^ "Parachuting Professor To Run For Governor". Lubbock Morning Avalanche. Lubbock, Texas. September 12, 1945. p. 10. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
^ "12 Candidates Seek Texas Governorship In Primary Tomorrow". Evening star. Washington, D.C. July 26, 1946. p. A-5. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
^ "Reese Turner Enters Race For Governor". The Cameron Herald and Centinel. Cameron, Texas. May 30, 1946. p. 1. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
^ "Roy Q. Minton Drowned in Gulf At Galveston". Denton Record-Chronicle. Denton, Texas. August 27, 1946. p. 1. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
^ "Thirteen Candidates For Governor". The Boerne Star. Boerne, Texas. June 20, 1946. p. 2. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
^ "TX Governor, 1946 - D Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
^ ^a ^b Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 145.
^ ^a ^b ^c Texas Almanac & 1954-1955, p. 348.
^ "TX Governor, 1946 - D Runoff". Our Campaigns. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
^ ^a ^b "Texas GOP Gives Senatorial Bid to Gladewater Man". The Mineola Monitor. Mineola, Texas. August 15, 1946. p. 1. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
^ ^a ^b "State GOP Names Candidates For Two High Posts". The Orange Leader. Orange, Texas. August 14, 1946. p. 1. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Nolte Nominated GOP Candidate in Governor's Race". Borger Daily Herald. Borger, Texas. August 14, 1946. p. 6. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
^ ^a ^b "Hope Springs Eternal". Texas Week. Vol. 1, no. 3. Austin: Texas Week, Inc. August 24, 1946. p. 5. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
^ Bowen, Michael (2011). The Roots of Modern Conservatism: Dewey, Taft and the Battle for the Soul of the Republican Party. The University of North Carolina Press. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-8078-3485-5.
^ "TX Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
^ Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 82.
^ Journal of the Senate of the State of Texas, Regular Session of the Fiftieth Legislature (PDF). Austin, Texas. 1949. p. 51.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ Dubin, Michael J. (2014). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1932-1952: The Official Results by State and County. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-7864-7034-1.

Bibliography[edit]

Gubernatorial Elections, 1787-1997. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. ISBN 1-56802-396-0.
Texas Almanac, 1954-1955. Dallas, Texas: A. H. Belo Corporation. 1953.

[El_Paso_Times-1] "Odessa Mayor Would Be Governor". El Paso Times. El Paso, Texas. March 21, 1946. p. 16. Retrieved November 29, 2020.

[Denton_Record-Chronicle-2] "Texans Have Wide Choice For Governor". Denton Record-Chronicle. Denton, Texas. July 14, 1946. p. 20. Retrieved November 29, 2020.

[3] Huckary, John (July 23, 1948). "Poll Shows Caso March Favorite On Campus for Next Governor". The Baylor Lariat. Baylor University, Waco, Texas. p. 1. Retrieved November 29, 2020.

[4] "Texans Have Wide Choice For Governor". Denton Record-Chronicle. Denton, Texas. July 14, 1946. p. 20. Retrieved November 29, 2020.

[5] "Under the Capitol Dome". Breckenridge American. Breckenridge, Texas. June 30, 1946. p. 4. Retrieved November 29, 2020.

[6] "Woods opposed by two men in race for State Schools Head". Corsicana Daily Sun. Corsicana, Texas. July 19, 1944. p. 2. Retrieved November 29, 2020.

[7] "Parachuting Professor To Run For Governor". Lubbock Morning Avalanche. Lubbock, Texas. September 12, 1945. p. 10. Retrieved November 29, 2020.

[8] "12 Candidates Seek Texas Governorship In Primary Tomorrow". Evening star. Washington, D.C. July 26, 1946. p. A-5. Retrieved November 29, 2020.

[9] "Reese Turner Enters Race For Governor". The Cameron Herald and Centinel. Cameron, Texas. May 30, 1946. p. 1. Retrieved November 29, 2020.

[10] "Roy Q. Minton Drowned in Gulf At Galveston". Denton Record-Chronicle. Denton, Texas. August 27, 1946. p. 1. Retrieved November 29, 2020.

[11] "Thirteen Candidates For Governor". The Boerne Star. Boerne, Texas. June 20, 1946. p. 2. Retrieved November 29, 2020.

[12] "TX Governor, 1946 - D Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved November 29, 2020.

[FOOTNOTECongressional_Quarterly1998145-13] Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 145.

[FOOTNOTETexas_Almanac1954-1955348-14] Texas Almanac & 1954-1955, p. 348.

[15] "TX Governor, 1946 - D Runoff". Our Campaigns. Retrieved November 29, 2020.

[Mineola_Monitor-16] "Texas GOP Gives Senatorial Bid to Gladewater Man". The Mineola Monitor. Mineola, Texas. August 15, 1946. p. 1. Retrieved November 29, 2020.

[Orange_Leader-17] "State GOP Names Candidates For Two High Posts". The Orange Leader. Orange, Texas. August 14, 1946. p. 1. Retrieved November 29, 2020.

[Borger_Daily_Herald-18] "Nolte Nominated GOP Candidate in Governor's Race". Borger Daily Herald. Borger, Texas. August 14, 1946. p. 6. Retrieved November 29, 2020.

[Texas_Week-19] "Hope Springs Eternal". Texas Week. Vol. 1, no. 3. Austin: Texas Week, Inc. August 24, 1946. p. 5. Retrieved November 29, 2020.

[20] Bowen, Michael (2011). The Roots of Modern Conservatism: Dewey, Taft and the Battle for the Soul of the Republican Party. The University of North Carolina Press. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-8078-3485-5.

[21] "TX Governor, 1946". Our Campaigns. Retrieved November 29, 2020.

[FOOTNOTECongressional_Quarterly199882-22] Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 82.

[23] Journal of the Senate of the State of Texas, Regular Session of the Fiftieth Legislature (PDF). Austin, Texas. 1949. p. 51.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[24] Dubin, Michael J. (2014). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1932-1952: The Official Results by State and County. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-7864-7034-1.

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1946 Texas gubernatorial election

Nominations[edit]

Democratic primary[edit]

Candidates[edit]

Withdrew[edit]

Declined[edit]

Results[edit]

Republican nomination[edit]

Candidates[edit]

Results[edit]

General election[edit]

Candidates[edit]

Results[edit]

References[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

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