1958 New York state election

1958 New York gubernatorial election
	County results ; Rockefeller: 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% ; Harriman: 50-60% 60-70%
Governor before election; W. Averell Harriman; Democratic	Elected Governor ; Nelson Rockefeller; Republican

The 1958 New York state election was held on November 4, 1958, to elect the governor, the lieutenant governor, the state comptroller, the attorney general, a judge of the New York Court of Appeals and a U.S. Senator, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate.

Background

In January 1957, Jacob K. Javits took his seat in the U.S. Senate and thus vacated the office of New York State Attorney General. On January 9, the New York State Legislature elected Louis J. Lefkowitz to the office for the unexpired term.

Marvin R. Dye had been elected to the Court of Appeals in 1944, thus his 14-year term would expire at the end of the year.

Nominations

The Socialist Labor state convention met on March 23 and nominated Eric Hass for governor; John Emanuel^[1] for lieutenant governor; Milton Herder for state comptroller; and Stephen Emery^[2] for U.S. Senator.^[3] The ticket was ruled off the ballot, but Hass and his fellow nominees continued to campaign as write-in candidates.^[4]

The "United Independent Socialist Campaign Committee" met on July 17 and selected John T. McManus for governor; and Dr. Annette T. Rubinstein for lieutenant governor.^[5]

The Independent-Socialist Party filed a petition to nominate candidates to five offices on September 9 with the Secretary of State.^[6]

The Democratic state convention met on August 25 at Buffalo, New York, and re-nominated Governor W. Averell Harriman and Lt. Gov. George B. DeLuca.^[7] The convention continued on August 26 and into the early hours of August 27. They nominated D.A. of New York Frank S. Hogan for the U.S. Senate after a roll call (vote: Hogan 772, Thomas E. Murray^[8] 304).^[9]

The Republican state convention met on August 26 at Rochester, New York, and nominated Nelson A. Rockefeller for governor.^[10]

The Liberal Party met on August 26, and endorsed the Democratic nominees Harriman, DeLuca and Levitt; and nominated Thomas K. Finletter for the U.S. Senate.^[11] On August 28, Finletter declined to run, and urged the Liberals to back Hogan.^[12] On September 4, the Liberals substituted Democrat Hogan for Finletter on the ticket, but rejected the endorsement of Crotty.^[13] They completed the ticket with Edward Goodell for attorney general.^[14]

Result

Despite a good year for the Democratic Party nationwide, almost the whole Republican ticket was elected; only the Democratic Comptroller Arthur Levitt managed to stay in office.

The incumbents Levitt, Lefkowitz, and Dye were re-elected. The incumbents Harriman and DeLuca were defeated.

As of 2023, this is the last time the Republicans won the state's Class 1 Senate seat. (James L. Buckley was elected Senator for this seat in 1970 on the Conservative Party line, defeating appointed incumbent Republican Charles Goodell. Buckley caucused with Republicans in the Senate and ran for re-election as a Republican in 1976, but was defeated.)

**1958 state election results**
Office	Republican ticket		Democratic ticket		Liberal ticket		Independent-Socialist ticket
Governor	Nelson A. Rockefeller	3,126,929	W. Averell Harriman	2,269,969	W. Averell Harriman	283,926	John T. McManus	31,658
Lieutenant Governor	Malcolm Wilson	3,126,929	George B. DeLuca	2,269,969	George B. DeLuca	283,926	Annette T. Rubinstein^[15]	31,658
Comptroller	James A. Lundy	2,763,795	Arthur Levitt	2,484,171	Arthur Levitt	294,575	Hugh Mulzac	34,038
Attorney General	Louis J. Lefkowitz	2,915,657	Peter J. Crotty^[16]	2,353,374	Edward Goodell^[17]	280,655	Scott K. Gray, Jr.	31,746
Judge of the Court of Appeals	Marvin R. Dye	2,739,522	Marvin R. Dye	2,400,650	Marvin R. Dye	290,566	(none)
U.S. Senator	Kenneth B. Keating	2,842,942	Frank S. Hogan	2,434,899	Frank S. Hogan	275,051	Corliss Lamont	49,087

Note: The vote for governor is used to define ballot access, for automatic access are necessary 50,000 votes.

References

^ John Emanuel (born c. 1908 in Greece), fur worker, ran also for comptroller in 1954
^ Stephen Emery, subway train dispatcher, of New York City, ran also for the U.S. Senate in 1950; and for lieutenant governor in 1954
^ ELECTION SLATE NAMED; Socialist Labor Party Picks Hass in Governor's Race in NYT on March 24, 1958 (subscription required)
^ 4 CANDIDATES JOIN IN TV FORUM HERE in The New York Times of October 25, 1958 (subscription required)
^ SOCIALIST GROUP PICKS CANDIDATES; McManus and Rubinstein to Head 'Independent' Slate for Top Posts in State in NYT on July 18, 1958 (subscription required)
^ Independent-Socialist Party Petitions Albany to Place 5 Candidates on Ballot in NYT on September 10, 1958 (subscription required)
^ SENATE CHOICES REMAIN IN DOUBT, BUT DRIVE TO NAME WAGNER GAINS; DE LUCA SELECTED in NYT on August 26, 1958 (subscription required)
^ Thomas E. Murray, former member of the United States Atomic Energy Commission
^ DEMOCRATS PICK HOGAN FOR SENATE OVER MURRAY AFTER A PARTY SPLIT; PROSECUTOR WINS; Receives 772 Votes; Crotty Chosen for Attorney General in NYT on August 27, 1958 (subscription required)
^ KEATING IS NAMED BY REPUBLICANS in NYT on August 27, 1958 (subscription required)
^ Liberals Choose Finletter For Senate, but Could Shift in NYT on August 27, 1958 (subscription required)
^ FINLETTER BARS RACE AS LIBERAL; Urges Party to Back Hogan for Senator in NYT on August 29, 1958 (subscription required)
^ HOGAN IS BACKED BY THE LIBERALS; CROTTY REJECTED in NYT on September 5, 1958 (subscription required)
^ Liberals Pick Edward Goodell For State's Attorney General in NYT on September 9, 1958 (subscription required)
^ Annette "Teta" Rubinstein (c. 1910–2007), principal of the Robert Louis Stevenson High School, ran also in 1949 in the 20th District special congressional election won by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr., see: ROOSEVELT WINS HOUSE SEAT BY MAJORITY OVER 3 RIVALS in NYT on May 18, 1949 (subscription required), Paid Notice: Deaths RUBINSTEIN, ANNETTE "TETA", in NYT on June 21, 2007
^ Peter J. Crotty (c. 1910–1992), lawyer, of Buffalo, President of the Buffalo City Council 1948–51, Peter J. Crotty, Democratic Force In Western New York, Dies at 82 in NYT on March 4, 1992
^ Edward Goodell (c. 1903–1994), lawyer, of New York City, Edward Goodell, 91, A Lawyer and Judge Obit in NYT on March 8, 1994

Sources

Vote totals in the New York Red Book (1959)