1938 Arkansas gubernatorial election

1938 Arkansas gubernatorial election
	County results; Bailey: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90%
Governor before election; Carl E. Bailey ; Democratic	Elected Governor; Carl E. Bailey ; Democratic

Last updated December 05, 2025

The 1938 Arkansas gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1938, in order to elect the Governor of Arkansas. Incumbent Democratic Governor of Arkansas Carl E. Bailey defeated Republican nominee Charles F. Cole.^[1]

Democratic primary

The Democratic primary election was held on August 9, 1938. As Carl E. Bailey received a majority of the votes (51.47%), a run-off was unnecessary.

Results

1938 Democratic gubernatorial primary^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Carl E. Bailey (incumbent)	146,472	51.47%
	Democratic	R. A. Cook	131,791	46.32%
	Democratic	Walter S. McNutt	6,289	2.21%
Total votes			284,552	100.00%

After his primary loss, Walter S. McNutt ran in the general election as an independent.

General election

On election day, November 8, 1938, Democratic nominee Carl E. Bailey won re-election by a margin of 106,619 votes against his foremost opponent Republican nominee Charles F. Cole, thereby retaining Democratic control over the office of Governor. Bailey was sworn in for his second term on January 14, 1939.^[3]

Results

1938 Arkansas gubernatorial election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Carl E. Bailey (incumbent)	118,696	86.32
	Republican	Charles F. Cole	12,077	8.78
	Independent Democratic	Walter S. McNutt	6,729	4.90
Total votes			137,502	100.00
	Democratic hold

References

↑ "Arkansas Governor Carl Edward Bailey". National Governors Association. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
↑ "AR Governor - D Primary". ourcampaigns.com. March 22, 2018. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
↑ "AR Governor". ourcampaigns.com. July 17, 2020. Retrieved 2023-05-12.

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[1] "Arkansas Governor Carl Edward Bailey". National Governors Association. Retrieved 2023-05-12.

[GLM-2] "AR Governor - D Primary". ourcampaigns.com. March 22, 2018. Retrieved 2023-05-12.

[GBN-3] "AR Governor". ourcampaigns.com. July 17, 2020. Retrieved 2023-05-12.

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[2]

[3]

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'S,' denotes special election; 'U,' denotes election under Federal (Union) military occupation See also: Political party strength in Arkansas

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1938 Arkansas gubernatorial election

Contents

Democratic primary

Results

General election

Results

References