1934 Texas gubernatorial election

1934 Texas gubernatorial Democratic primary election

←  1932 July 28, 1934 (first round) August 25, 1934 (runoff) 1936  →
Turnout	78.4% (first round) 75.1% (runoff) [a] [1]
Nominee James Burr V Allred Tom F. Hunter Party Democratic Democratic First round 298,903 29.88% 243,254 24.32% Runoff 499,343 52.10% 459,106 47.90%
First round county results Second round county results Allred:     20–30%     30–40%     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70-80%     80-90% Hunter:     20–30%     30–40%     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70-80%     >90% Mcdonald:     10–20%     20-30%     30-40%     40-50%     50-60%     60-70%     70-80%     80-90% Small:     20–30%     30-40%     40-50%     50-60%     60-70%     70-80%     80-90% Witt:     30–40% Hughes:     20–30%
Governor before election Miriam A. Ferguson Democratic Elected Governor James Burr V Allred Democratic

The 1934 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1934, in order to elect the Governor of Texas. Democratic nominee and incumbent Attorney General of Texas James Burr V Allred defeated Republican nominee D. E. Waggoner in a landslide. ^[2]

Democratic primary

The Democratic primary election was held on July 28, 1934. As no candidate won a majority of votes, there was a run-off on August 25, 1934, between the two highest ranking candidates incumbent Attorney General of Texas James Burr V Allred and Tom F. Hunter. Allred would eventually win the primary with 52.10% against Hunter.

Candidates

• James Burr V Allred, incumbent Texas Attorney General
• Tom F. Hunter, attorney. ^[3]
• C. C. McDonald, former Texas Secretary of State (1911–1912). ^[4]
• Clint C. Small, former member of the Texas Senate. ^[5]
• Edgar E. Witt, incumbent Lieutenant Governor of Texas
• Maury Hughes, former Chairman of the Texas Democratic State Executive Committee. ^[6]
• Edward K. Russell, farmer and prohibition advocate ^[7]

Results

1934 Democratic primary ^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James Burr V. Allred	298,903	29.88%
	Democratic	Tom F. Hunter	243,254	24.32%
	Democratic	C. C. McDonald	207,200	20.71%
	Democratic	Clint C. Small	125,324	12.53%
	Democratic	Edgar E. Witt	62,476	6.24%
	Democratic	Maury Hughes	58,815	5.88%
	Democratic	Edward K. Russell	4,454	0.45%
Total votes			1,000,426	100.0%

Runoff

1934 Democratic primary runoff ^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James Burr V. Allred	499,343	52.10%
	Democratic	Tom F. Hunter	459,106	47.90%
Total votes			958,449	100.0%

Republican primary

The Republican primary election was also held on July 28, 1934. After Orville Bullington's strong performance against Miriam A. Ferguson in 1932 the party held its third primary in state history. D.E. Waggoner, a banker from Dallas, won the primary unopposed after the endorsement of the republican state executive committee. ^[10]

Results

1934 Republican primary ^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	D.E. Waggoner	13,043	100.0%
Total votes			13,043	100.0%

General election

The Socialist Party nominated George Clifton Edwards for a second consecutive time following his election loss in the 1932 Texas gubernatorial election. On election day, November 6, 1934, Democratic nominee James Burr V Allred won the election in a landslide by a margin of 415,031 votes against his foremost opponent Republican nominee D. E. Waggoner, thereby retaining Democratic control over the office of Governor. Allred was sworn in as the 33rd Governor of Texas on January 15, 1935. ^[12]

Results

Texas gubernatorial election, 1934

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James Burr V Allred	428,734	96.44
	Republican	D. E. Waggoner	13,703	3.08
	Socialist	George Clifton Edwards	1,862	0.42
	Communist	Enoch Hardaway	260	0.06
Total votes			444,559	100.00
	Democratic hold

References

1. Turnout is based on the results of the previous Democratic Primary not the previous General Election.

1. "Texas Almanac, 1939-1940". Portal to Texas History. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
2. "Allred, James V." fjc.gov. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
3. Hunter, Ann Cox (April 2, 1981). "1612 Buchanan". Witchita Falls Cultural Resources Survey. Witchita Falls, Texas. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
4. "Close Friend of Fergusons is Candidate". Brownsville Herald. Brownsville, Texas. November 29, 1933. pp. 1 and 5. Retrieved November 6, 2023– via Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers at the Library of Congress.
5. "Small Points to His Record". Brownsville Herald. Brownsville, Texas. July 26, 1934. p. 3. Retrieved November 6, 2023– via Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers at the Library of Congress.
6. "Maury Hughes Opens Race for Governor". Brownsville Herald. Brownsville, Texas. April 29, 1934. p. 3. Retrieved November 6, 2023– via Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers at the Library of Congress.
7. Brown, Norman D. (October 22, 2019). Biscuits, the Dole, and Nodding Donkeys: Texas Politics, 1929-1932. University of Texas Press. ISBN   978-1-4773-1945-1 . Retrieved November 6, 2023.
8. "TX Governor – D Primary". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
9. "TX Governor – D Primary Runoff". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
10. "State Republicans Choose Waggoner". Brownsville Herald. Brownsville, Texas. May 27, 1934. p. 1. Retrieved November 18, 2024– via Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers at the Library of Congress.
11. "TX Governor – R Primary". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
12. "TX Governor". ourcampaigns.com. May 19, 2010. Retrieved May 11, 2023.