1956 Maine gubernatorial election

1956 Maine gubernatorial election

←  1954 September 10, 1956 1958  →

Nominee Edmund Muskie Willis A. Trafton Jr. Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 180,254 124,395 Percentage 59.17% 40.83%

County results Muskie:      50–60%     60–70% Trafton:      50-60%

Governor before election Edmund Muskie Democratic Elected Governor Edmund Muskie Democratic

The 1956 Maine gubernatorial election took place on September 10, 1956. Incumbent Democratic Governor Edmund Muskie was seeking re-election, and faced off against Republican Willis A. Trafton Jr. in the general election. Extremely popular, Muskie was able to easily win re-election, carrying every county in the state bar the Republican strongholds of Hancock and Lincoln.

Democratic primary

Muskie was unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Republican primary

Candidates

• Philip F. Chapman Jr., state senator
• Alexander LaFleur, former Maine Attorney General (1951–1954)
• Willis A. Trafton Jr., Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives (1955–1956)

Results

Republican primary results ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Willis A. Trafton, Jr.	42,901	50.85
	Republican	Philip F. Chapman, Jr.	24,787	29.38
	Republican	Alexander LaFleur	16,479	19.53
	Republican	Edmund Muskie (write-in)	196	0.23
	Republican	Others	6	0.00
Total votes			84,369	100.00

Results

1956 Gubernatorial Election, Maine ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Edmund Muskie (Incumbent)	180,254	59.17%	−
	Republican	Willis A. Trafton, Jr.	124,395	40.83%	−
Majority			55,859	18.34%

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Cumberland (largest city: Portland)
• Franklin (largest town: Farmington)
• Knox (largest municipality: Rockland)

Notes

1. "Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions, Elections Division" (PDF). Retrieved August 19, 2025.
2. Guide to US Elections, Fifth Edition, Volume II . CQ Press. 2005. pp.  1497–1499. ISBN   978-1-56802-981-8 . Retrieved May 12, 2009.