1916 Texas gubernatorial election

1916 Texas gubernatorial election

←  1914 November 7, 1916 1918  →

Nominee James E. Ferguson R. B. Creager Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 296,667 49,118 Percentage 81.6% 13.5%

County results Ferguson:      50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     90–100% Creager:      40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     80–90% No data/vote:

Governor before election James E. Ferguson Democratic Elected Governor James E. Ferguson Democratic

The 1916 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1916, in order to elect the governor of Texas. Incumbent Democratic governor James E. "Pa" Ferguson easily won re-election to a second term, defeating his Republican challenger, Rentfro Creager. ^[1]

Ferguson would be impeached and removed from office on nine charges just over nine months after his re-election in 1916. He was succeeded by Lieutenant Governor William P. Hobby. ^[2]

Democratic primary

In the primary, Governor Ferguson was challenged by fellow Democrat Charles H. Morris. Ferguson fended off the primary challenge, winning 57% of the vote and securing the nomination, which at the time, was seen as tantamount to victory, as Texas was a prohibitively Democratic-controlled state in the early 20th century. ^[3]

Primary results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James E. Ferguson (incumbent)	240,561	57.02
	Democratic	Charles H. Morris	174,611	41.39
	Democratic	H. C. Marshall	6,731	1.60
Total votes			421,903	100.00

General election

Ferguson faced token Republican opposition in the general election from republican nominee Rentfro Creager, and defeated him by a 68.1% margin of victory. ^[4]

Results

1916 Texas gubernatorial election
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage
	Democratic	James E. Ferguson (incumbent)	296,667	81.60%
	Republican	Rentfro Banton Creager	49,118	13.51%
	Socialist	E. R. Meitzen	14,580	4.01%
	Prohibition	H. W. Lewis	3,200	0.88%
Total votes			363,565	100.00%
	Democratic hold

References

1. "Election of Texas Governors, 1900-1948 | TX Almanac". www.texasalmanac.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
2. "Texas Politics - Governors: James E. Ferguson". texaspolitics.utexas.edu. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
3. "Our Campaigns - TX Governor - D Primary Race - Jul 22, 1916". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
4. "Our Campaigns - TX Governor Race - Nov 07, 1916". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023.