1968 New Hampshire gubernatorial election

For related races, see 1968 United States gubernatorial elections.

1968 New Hampshire gubernatorial election

* * *

| <- 1966 | November 5, 1968 | 1970 ->

|
|

|  |  |

|
|

Nominee  | Walter R. Peterson Jr. | Emile R. Bussiere  |
Party  | Republican | Democratic
Popular vote  | 149,902 | 135,378
Percentage  | 52.53% | 47.44%

* * *

County results

Municipality results

Peterson: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90%
Bussiere: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
Tie: 50%

* * *

| Governor before election

John W. King
Democratic

| Elected Governor

Walter R. Peterson Jr.
Republican

|

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* v
* t
* e

The 1968 New Hampshire gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1968.

Incumbent Democratic Governor John W. King retired to run for the U.S. Senate.

Republican nominee Walter R. Peterson Jr. defeated Democratic nominee Emile R. Bussiere with 52.53% of the vote.

## Primary elections

[edit]

Primary elections were held on September 10, 1968.

### Democratic primary

[edit]

#### Candidates

[edit]

* Emile R. Bussiere, State's attorney for Hillsborough County[1]
* Vincent P. Dunn, New Hampshire Bank Commissioner[2]
* Austin F. Quinney, former member of the Executive Council[3]
* John D. Shea, former State Representative
* Henry P. Sullivan, State Senator

#### Results

[edit]

Democratic primary results[4][5][6][7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Democratic | Emile R. Bussiere  | 12,021  | 32.69
| Democratic | Henry P. Sullivan | 10,895  | 29.63
| Democratic | Vincent P. Dunn  | 10,412  | 28.31
| Democratic | John D. Shea | 1,338  | 3.64
| Democratic | Write-ins  | 1,176  | 3.20
| Democratic | Austin F. Quinney  | 934  | 2.54
Total votes | 36,776  | 100.00

### Republican primary

[edit]

#### Candidates

[edit]

* Elmer E. Bussey, perennial candidate
* Edward H. Cullen, member of the Executive Council[3]
* Fred Fletcher, member of the Executive Council[3]
* Stuart Hancock, former State Representative[8]
* Walter R. Peterson Jr., Speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives[9]
* Wesley Powell, former Governor
* Meldrim Thomson Jr., publisher[10]

#### Results

[edit]

Republican primary results[11][5][6][12] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Republican | Walter R. Peterson Jr. | 29,262  | 34.12
| Republican | Wesley Powell | 26,498  | 30.89
| Republican | Meldrim Thomson Jr. | 25,275  | 29.47
| Republican | Fred Fletcher  | 2,826  | 3.30
| Republican | Edward H. Cullen  | 1,068  | 1.25
| Republican | Stuart Hancock  | 424  | 0.49
| Republican | Elmer E. Bussey  | 257  | 0.30
| Republican | Write-ins  | 162  | 0.19
Total votes | 85,772  | 100.00

## General election

[edit]

### Candidates

[edit]

* Emile R. Bussiere, Democratic
* Walter R. Peterson Jr., Republican

### Results

[edit]

1968 New Hampshire gubernatorial election[13][14][15][16] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Republican | Walter R. Peterson Jr. | 149,902  | 52.53%  |
| Democratic | Emile R. Bussiere  | 135,378  | 47.44%  |
| Write-in  | Scattering  | 62  | 0.02%  |
Majority | 14,524  | 5.09%  |
Turnout | 285,342  | 100.00%  |
| Republican gain from Democratic | Swing |  |

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Emile R. Bussiere, 1932 - 2008". Legacy.com. New Hampshire Union Leader. October 28, 2008. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
2. ^ "Vincent P. Dunn". Legacy.com. New Hampshire Union Leader. August 15, 2010. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
3. ^ a b c "Former Councilors". nh.gov. State of New Hampshire. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
4. ^ Manual for the General Court 1969, p. 544.
5. ^ a b Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 128.
6. ^ a b America Votes 8, p. 245.
7. ^ "NH Governor, 1968 - D Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
8. ^ Cobleigh, Marshall (2005). We Ain't Making Sausage Here. Portsmouth, NH: Peter E. Randall Publisher. p. 52\. ISBN 1-931807-35-3.
9. ^ "Gov. Walter Peterson". National Governors Association. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
10. ^ "New Hampshire Governor Has Lead Over His G.O.P. Opponent". New York Times. New York, NY. September 9, 1970. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
11. ^ Manual for the General Court 1969, p. 543.
12. ^ "NH Governor, 1968 - R Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
13. ^ Manual for the General Court 1969, p. 702.
14. ^ Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 68.
15. ^ America Votes 8, p. 240.
16. ^ "NH Governor, 1968". Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 14, 2020.

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Gubernatorial Elections, 1787-1997. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. ISBN 1-56802-396-0.
* Stark, Robert L., ed. (1969). Manual for the General Court of New Hampshire. Vol. 41\. Concord, NH: Department of State, New Hampshire.
* Scammon, Richard M., ed. (1970). America Votes 8: a handbook of contemporary American election statistics, 1968. Washington, D.C.: Governmental Affairs Institute.

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