1958 Arkansas gubernatorial election

For related races, see 1958 United States gubernatorial elections.

1958 Arkansas gubernatorial election

←  1956 November 4, 1958 1960  →
Turnout	15.02%
Nominee Orval Faubus George W. Johnson Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 236,598 50,288 Percentage 82.47% 17.53%
County results Faubus:     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90%
Governor before election Orval Faubus Democratic Elected Governor Orval Faubus Democratic

The 1958 Arkansas gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1958.

Incumbent Democratic Governor Orval Faubus won election to a third term, defeating Republican nominee George W. Johnson with 82.47% of the vote. Faubus surged in popularity after denying the Little Rock Nine entrance to Central High School with the use of the Arkansas National Guard on September 4, 1957.

Primary elections

Primary elections were held on July 29, 1958. By winning over 50% of the vote, Faubus and Johnson avoided run-offs which would have been held on August 12, 1958. ^[1] Prior to 1958, Republicans had nominated their candidates via convention. It was the first time a contested statewide Republican primary had ever been held in Arkansas, yet due to state law that required the parties to pay the full cost of primary elections, the GOP was only able to hold its primary in nine counties. It was not until 1995 that the legislature, facing a lawsuit from the Republicans, passed a bill for the state to pay the cost of the primaries, which was signed by Democratic Governor Jim Guy Tucker.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Orval Faubus, incumbent Governor
• Chris Finkbeiner, businessman ^[2]
• Lee Ward, judge ^[3]

Results

Democratic primary results ^{[4] [5]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Orval Faubus (incumbent)	264,346	68.86
	Democratic	Chris Finkbeiner	60,173	15.67
	Democratic	Lee Ward	59,385	15.47
Total votes			383,904	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

• George W. Johnson, attorney ^[6]
• Donald D. Layne, civil engineer ^[6]

Results

Republican primary results ^{[7] [5]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	George W. Johnson	3,147	71.20
	Republican	Donald D. Layne	1,273	28.80
Total votes			4,420	100.00

General election

Candidates

• Orval Faubus, Democratic
• George W. Johnson, Republican

George W. Johnson, an attorney in Greenwood, Sebastian County, deliberately abandoned the race in September 1958.^{[ citation needed ]} He traveled to his son's home in Isle, Minnesota. He told his family, "Mr. Faubus is a fine man and I support him whole-heartedly."^{[ citation needed ]} He genuinely and naively believed that blacks were intellectually deficient and needed their own schools.

Results

1958 Arkansas gubernatorial election ^{[8] [9]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Orval Faubus (incumbent)	236,598	82.47%	+1.82%
	Republican	George W. Johnson	50,288	17.53%	−1.82%
Majority			186,310	64.94%
Turnout			286,886	100.00%
	Democratic hold		Swing

References

1. "1958 Elections". Voting Information. Washington, D.C.: Prepared by Office of Armed Forces Information & Education, Department of Defense. March 1958. p. 109. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
2. Reed, Roy (1997). Faubus: the Life and Times of an American Prodigal. University of Arkansas Press: Fayetteville, Arkansas. p. 242. ISBN   1-55728-457-1.
3. Murphy, Sara (1997). Breaking the Silence: The Little Rock Women's Emergency Committee to Open Our Schools, 1958–1963. Fayetteville, Arkansas: University of Arkansas Press. p. 65. ISBN   1-55728-456-3.
4. "AR Governor, 1958 - D Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
5. Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 100.
6. "Arkansas Voters Get Ready To Go To Polls". Camden News. Camden, Arkansas. August 11, 1958. p. 1. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
7. "AR Governor, 1958 - R Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
8. "AR Governor, 1958". Our Campaigns. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
9. Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 42.

Bibliography

• Gubernatorial Elections, 1787-1997. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. ISBN   1-56802-396-0.