1942 Texas gubernatorial election

1942 Texas gubernatorial primary election

←  1940 November 3, 1942 1944  →

Nominee Coke R. Stevenson Party Democratic Popular vote 280,735 Percentage 96.83%

County results Stevenson:     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90%

Governor before election Coke R. Stevenson Democratic Elected Governor Coke R. Stevenson Democratic

The 1942 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1942.

Incumbent Democratic Governor Coke R. Stevenson defeated Republican nominee Caswell K. McDowell with 96.83% of the vote.

Nominations

Democratic primary

The Democratic primary election was held on July 25, 1942. By winning over 50% of the vote, Stevenson avoided a run-off which would have been held on August 22, 1942.

Candidates

• Hal H. Collins, businessman ^[1]
• Alex M. Ferguson, seed breeder ^[2]
• Gene S. Porter, insurance broker ^{[3] [4]}
• Charles L. Somerville, law school operator ^[5]
• Hope Wheeler, newspaper editor ^{[2] [5]}
• Coke R. Stevenson, incumbent Governor

Results

Democratic primary results ^{[6] [7] [8]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Coke R. Stevenson (incumbent)	651,218	68.46
	Democratic	Hal H. Collins	272,469	28.64
	Democratic	Hope Wheeler	9,373	0.99
	Democratic	Alex M. Ferguson	8,370	0.88
	Democratic	Gene S. Porter	4,933	0.52
	Democratic	Charles L. Somerville	4,853	0.51
Total votes			951,216	100.00

Republican nomination

The Republican state convention was held at San Angelo on August 10 and 11, 1942. ^{[9] [10]} Caswell Kelliston "C.K." McDowell, a former county judge of Val Verde County ^[11] and longtime Republican activist in the state ^[12] was nominated for Governor. ^[13]

General election

Candidates

• Coke R. Stevenson, (Democratic), incumbent Governor of Texas
• Caswell Kelliston McDowell (Republican), former county judge of Val Verde County, Texas. ^[11]

Results

1942 Texas gubernatorial election ^{[14] [15] [8] [16] [17]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Coke R. Stevenson (incumbent)	280,735	96.83%
	Republican	Caswell K. McDowell	9,204	3.17%
Majority			271,531	93.66%
Turnout			289,939	100.00%
	Democratic hold		Swing

References

1. "O'Daniel Is Leading Allred by 9,000 in Texas Senate Race". Evening star. Washington, D.C. July 26, 1942. p. 1. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
2. "2 Men to Seek Senator Smith's Post If He Is Elected Lieutenant-Governor". The Nolan County News. Sweetwater, Tex. June 4, 1942. p. 3. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
3. "Porter Opens 2d Week of Westex Drive for Votes". The Nolan County News. Sweetwater, Tex. July 2, 1942. p. 3. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
4. "Ex-Sweetwater Boy Candidate For Governor". The Nolan County News. Sweetwater, Tex. July 23, 1942. p. 12. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
5. "Primary". The Sunday Record. Mineola, Tex. June 14, 1942. p. 3. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
6. "TX Governor, 1942 - D Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
7. Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 145.
8. Texas Almanac & 1954-1955, p. 348.
9. "State GOP Names Fletcher for Attorney General". The Grand Saline Sun. Grand Saline, Tex. August 13, 1942. p. 1. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
10. "Republicans Name Nominees". The Daily News-Telegram. Sulphur Springs, Tex. August 12, 1942. p. 3. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
11. McDowell, Robert M. (May 19, 2011). "Remarks of Commissioner McDowell at the Telecommunications Industry Association". Dallas, Texas: Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved November 18, 2023. One of them, C.K. McDowell, my great grandfather, went from working as a ranch hand and cowboy living in a frontier dugout, to reading the law and becoming an attorney. After the turn of the century, somehow he was elected chief judge of Val Verde County.
12. Olien, Roger M. (1981). From Token to Triumph: The Texas Republicans Since 1920 . Dallas, Texas: Southern Methodist University Press . Retrieved November 4, 2023.
13. "Panhandle Republicans To Welcome Gubernatorial Candidate" . Amarillo Daily News. Amarillo, Texas. October 2, 1942. p. 12. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
14. "TX Governor, 1942". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
15. Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 82.
16. Journal of the Senate of the State of Texas, Regular Session of the Forty-Eighth Legislature (PDF). Austin, Texas: The Capital Printing Company. 1943. p. 38.
17. Dubin, Michael J. (2014). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1932-1952: The Official Results by State and County. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 9. ISBN   978-0-7864-7034-1.

Bibliography

• Gubernatorial Elections, 1787-1997. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. ISBN   1-56802-396-0.
• Texas Almanac, 1954-1955. Dallas, Texas: A. H. Belo Corporation. 1953.