1940 Montana gubernatorial election

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1940 Montana gubernatorial election
Flag of Montana (1905-1981).svg
  1936 November 5, 1940 1944  
Turnout81.50%Increase2.svg1.70 [1]
  Sam C. Ford.jpg Roy E. Ayers.jpg
Nominee Sam C. Ford Roy E. Ayers
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote124,435119,453
Percentage50.67%48.64%

1940 Montana gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
County results
Ford:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%
Ayers:     40–50%     50–60%

Governor before election

Roy E. Ayers
Democratic

Elected Governor

Sam C. Ford
Republican

The 1940 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 1940. Incumbent Governor of Montana Roy E. Ayers, who was first elected governor in 1936, ran for re-election. He narrowly won the Democratic primary by just over a thousand votes to win renomination, and advanced to the general election, where he was opposed by Sam C. Ford, a former Associate Justice of the Montana Supreme Court and the Republican nominee. Ultimately, in spite of the fact that then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt comfortably won the state in that year's presidential election, Ford narrowly defeated Ayers to win his first of two terms as governor.

Contents

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

Democratic Party primary results [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Roy E. Ayers (incumbent) 40,268 38.23
Democratic Arthur F. Lamey39,01037.04
Democratic A. E. Kathan26,04124.73
Total votes105,319 100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Republican Primary results [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Sam C. Ford 16,335 32.90
Republican Charles A. Hauswirth14,39729.00
Republican Julius J. Wuerthner8,68517.49
Republican T. S. Stockdahl5,43910.95
Republican Martin P. Moe3,9948.04
Republican John H. Leuthold8021.62
Total votes49,652 100.00

General election

Results

Montana gubernatorial election, 1940 [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Sam C. Ford 124,435 50.67% +2.55%
Democratic Roy E. Ayers (incumbent)119,45348.64%-2.31%
Communist Arvo Fredrickson1,7130.70%+0.53%
Majority4,9822.03%-0.80%
Turnout 245,601
Republican gain from Democratic Swing

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References

  1. "Montana Voter Turnout". Montana Secretary of State. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Report of the Official Canvass of the Vote Cast at the Primary Election Held in the State of Montana, July 16, 1940" (PDF). Montana Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 28, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  3. "Official Montana General Election Returns, November 5, 1940" (PDF). Montana Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 28, 2013. Retrieved July 6, 2014.