1946 Texas gubernatorial election

American election

1946 Texas gubernatorial election

* * *

| <- 1944 | November 5, 1946 | 1948 ->

|
|

|  |  |

|
|

Nominee  | Beauford H. Jester | Eugene Nolte, Jr.  |
Party  | Democratic | Republican
Popular vote  | 345,513 | 33,231
Percentage  | 91.23% | 8.77%

* * *

| Governor before election

Coke R. Stevenson
Democratic

| Elected Governor

Beauford H. Jester
Democratic

|

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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]

* James V. Allred, former Governor[11]
* W. Lee O'Daniel, incumbent U.S. Senator
* Coke R. Stevenson, incumbent Governor

#### 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]

1. ^ a b "Odessa Mayor Would Be Governor". El Paso Times. El Paso, Texas. March 21, 1946. p. 16. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
2. ^ a b c "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.
13. ^ a b Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 145.
14. ^ a b c Texas Almanac & 1954-1955, p. 348.
15. ^ "TX Governor, 1946 - D Runoff". Our Campaigns. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
16. ^ a b "Texas GOP Gives Senatorial Bid to Gladewater Man". The Mineola Monitor. Mineola, Texas. August 15, 1946. p. 1. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
17. ^ a b "State GOP Names Candidates For Two High Posts". The Orange Leader. Orange, Texas. August 14, 1946. p. 1. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
18. ^ 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.
19. ^ a b "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.
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.

## 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.

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