1914 Arizona gubernatorial election

For related races, see 1914 United States gubernatorial elections.

1914 Arizona gubernatorial election

←  1911 November 3, 1914 1916  →

Nominee George W. P. Hunt Ralph H. Cameron Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 25,226 17,602 Percentage 49.46% 34.51%   Nominee George U. Young J. R. Barnette Party Progressive Socialist Popular vote 5,206 2,973 Percentage 10.20% 5.83%

Election results by county Hunt:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70% Cameron:     40–50%

Governor before election George W. P. Hunt Democratic Elected Governor George W. P. Hunt Democratic

The 1914 Arizona gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1914, for the post of the Governor of Arizona. The Supreme Court of Arizona ruled that there would be no statewide elections in 1912, thus extending the terms to sync up with elections on even years. ^[1] The Democratic nominee was incumbent governor George W. P. Hunt, his Republican opponent was the final Delegate to Congress from Arizona Territory, Ralph H. Cameron. Cameron was disadvantaged ^[2] by the same reason the previous Republican nominee Wells was: he had opposed statehood with the present Constitution.

Two third parties also made strong challenges, the Progressives polled over 10% with nominee George Young, the final Territorial Secretary and then-mayor of Phoenix. The Socialists held around the same percentage of votes as in 1911, increasing slightly, but would peak here and never reach the same height.

George W. P. Hunt was sworn in again as governor on January 4, 1915.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• George W. P. Hunt, incumbent governor
• Henry A. Hughes, physician and former Democratic primary candidate for governor.

Race

As of May 1914, Hunt had still not officially declared his intention to run for re-election. By that point in time, there were already two other Democrats who had announced their intention to run for the Democratic nomination: Fred Sutter and Henry A. Hughes. ^[3] Sutter had been the Superior Court Judge from Cochise County from 1912 until his resignation in July 1913. When he resigned, he had stated his intention to never run for elected office again. However, in February 1914, when Democratic leaders began to float his name as a possible candidate in the Democratic primary for the governor's seat, he did not disavow those rumors. ^[4] By March it was reported that he would be the conservative Democratic candidate in the primary, to oppose the more liberal Hunt, ^{[5] [6]} and he officially announced his candidacy by mid-March. ^[7] Within a month, Sutter was considered the front runner for the nomination, over the incumbent Hunt. ^{[8] [9]} There were rumors that Hunt would seek the U.S. Senate seat, rather than another term as governor. ^[10] Sutter's official announcement that he was a candidate for governor came on May 22 in Tucson. ^[11] In order not to splinter the party, Sutter withdrew from the race in early July, announcing his support for Hunt. ^[12] When Hunt officially began his candidacy for re-election in mid-July, with the submission of a petition to put his name on the ballot, the first signature on the petition was that of Sutter. ^[13]

Results

Democratic primary results ^{[14] [15]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	George W. P. Hunt (incumbent)	18,658	65.37
	Democratic	Henry A. Hughes	9,885	34.63
Total votes			28,543	100.00

General election

Results

Arizona gubernatorial election, 1914 ^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	George W. P. Hunt (incumbent)	25,226	49.46%	-2.00%
	Republican	Ralph Cameron	17,602	34.51%	-7.90%
	Progressive	George U. Young	5,206	10.20%	N/A
	Socialist	J. R. Barnette	2,973	5.83%	+0.06%
Majority			7,624	14.95%	5.90%
Turnout			51,007
	Democratic hold		Swing

References

1. State v. Osborne, 14 Ariz. 185 (1912)
2. Goff 1973, p. 63.
3. "Political Resume of the Week". Tombstone Weekly Epitaph. May 3, 1914. p. 1. Retrieved February 4, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Sutter May Be a Contestant". The Arizona Republican. February 3, 1914. p. 3. Retrieved February 4, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Judge Sutter Will Make Race For Governor". Arizona Daily Star. March 13, 1914. p. 3. Retrieved February 4, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Gubernatorial Field is Full". The Arizona Republican. March 13, 1914. p. 9. Retrieved February 4, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Judge Sutter's Candidacy". Bisbee Daily Review. March 15, 1914. p. 12. Retrieved February 4, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Cassidy May Be Candidate Beat Sutter". Bisbee Daily Review. April 12, 1914. p. 12. Retrieved February 4, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
9. "A Boy May Alter Political Plans of Democrats". Bisbee Daily Review. April 14, 1914. p. 5. Retrieved February 4, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Political Outlook For the Past Week". Tombstone Weekly Epitaph. May 17, 1914. p. 1. Retrieved February 4, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Sutter Declares His Candidacy in Tucson". Bisbee Daily Review. May 22, 1914. p. 11. Retrieved February 4, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Fred Sutter Will Not Run For Governor". Arizona Daily Star. July 7, 1914. p. 2. Retrieved February 4, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Campaign for Hunt is Open in Bisbee". The Copper Era and Morenci Leader. July 17, 1914. p. 1. Retrieved February 4, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
14. Goff 1973, p. 62.
15. "Our Campaigns - AZ Governor Race - Nov 03, 1914".
16. Goff 1973, p. 64.

Bibliography

• Goff, John S. (1973). "The First Years of Statehood". George W. P. Hunt and his Arizona. Phoenix: Socio-Technical Publications. pp. 62–64.