1928 Arizona gubernatorial election

For related races, see 1928 United States gubernatorial elections.

1928 Arizona gubernatorial election

←  1926 November 6, 1928 1930  →

Nominee John Calhoun Phillips George W. P. Hunt Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 47,829 44,553 Percentage 51.71% 48.16%

County results Phillips:      50–60%     60–70% Hunt:      50–60%     60–70%

Governor before election George W. P. Hunt Democratic Elected Governor John C. Phillips Republican

The 1928 Arizona gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1928. Despite a fairly poor economy, ^[1] a 15-point loss by Al Smith for the Arizona electoral votes, and having served for nearly 6 full terms, Hunt only narrowly lost the general election. Other state Democrats like Senator Ashurst and Representative Douglas both won re-election. ^[2] John C. Phillips became the second Republican to serve as Arizona Governor, and the first to beat Hunt in a general election.

John Calhoun Phillips was sworn in for his first and only term as Governor on January 7, 1929. ^[3]

Democratic primary

Candidates

• George W. P. Hunt, incumbent Governor, former Ambassador to Siam
• James H. Kerby, then-incumbent Secretary of State

Results

Democratic primary results ^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	George W. P. Hunt (incumbent)	27,876	58.51%
	Democratic	James H. Kerby	19,769	41.49%
Total votes			47,645	100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

• John Calhoun Phillips, former state House and Senate member.
• John Hunt Udall, clerk of the Arizona Superior Court.
• Celora M. Stoddard, member of the Arizona State Senate from 1921 to 1923.

Results

Republican primary results ^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Calhoun Phillips	7,253	44.08%
	Republican	John Hunt Udall	6,136	37.29%
	Republican	Celora M. Stoddard	3,065	18.63%
Total votes			16,454	100.00%

General election

Arizona gubernatorial election, 1928 ^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	John Calhoun Phillips	47,829	51.71%	+1.96%
	Democratic	George W. P. Hunt (incumbent)	44,553	48.16%	−2.09%
	Workers	William O'Brien	122	0.13%	+0.13%
Majority			3,276	3.54%
Total votes			92,504	100.00%
	Republican gain from Democratic		Swing	+4.04%

Results by county

County	John C. Phillips Republican		George W. P. Hunt Democratic		William O'Brien Workers		Margin		Total votes cast [5]
	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%
Apache	662	39.13%	1,029	60.82%	1	0.06%	-367	-21.69%	1,692
Cochise	5,245	51.43%	4,937	48.41%	17	0.17%	308	3.02%	10,199
Coconino	1,461	49.04%	1,513	50.79%	5	0.17%	-52	-1.75%	2,979
Gila	2,819	40.93%	4,062	58.98%	6	0.09%	-1,243	-18.05%	6,887
Graham	1,481	49.66%	1,499	50.27%	2	0.07%	-18	-0.60%	2,982
Greenlee	545	33.42%	1,081	66.28%	5	0.31%	-536	-32.86%	1,631
Maricopa	18,754	57.39%	13,899	42.53%	26	0.08%	4,855	14.86%	32,679
Mohave	1,182	62.84%	694	36.90%	5	0.27%	488	25.94%	1,881
Navajo	1,223	39.97%	1,835	59.97%	2	0.07%	-612	-20.00%	3,060
Pima	6,255	53.26%	5,461	46.50%	29	0.25%	794	6.76%	11,745
Pinal	1,440	47.26%	1,605	52.67%	2	0.07%	-165	-5.42%	3,047
Santa Cruz	873	45.95%	1,025	53.95%	2	0.11%	-152	-8.00%	1,900
Yavapai	3,985	50.80%	3,846	49.02%	14	0.18%	139	1.77%	7,845
Yuma	1,904	47.88%	2,067	51.97%	6	0.15%	-163	-4.10%	3,977
Totals	47,829	51.70%	44,553	48.16%	122	0.13%	3,276	3.54%	92,504

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Yavapai

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Santa Cruz

References

1. Goff 1973, p. 177.
2. Goff 1973, p. 187.
3. Goff 1973, p. 189.
4. "Official Canvass Primary Election Returns, September 11th, 1928". Arizona Secretary of State. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
5. "Official Canvass General Election Returns, November 6th, 1928". Arizona Secretary of State. Retrieved July 12, 2024.

Bibliography

• Goff, John S. (1973). George The Fifth and Bibliographical and Biographical Notes (ed.). George W. P. Hunt and his Arizona. Phoenix: Socio-Technical Publications. pp. 159, 171–177, 273–277.