1964 Michigan gubernatorial election

1964 Michigan gubernatorial election

←  1962 November 3, 1964 1966  →
Turnout	40.37%
Nominee George W. Romney Neil O. Staebler Party Republican Democratic Running mate William Milliken Robert A. Derengoski Popular vote 1,764,355 1,381,442 Percentage 55.87% 43.74%
County results Romney:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Staebler:     50–60%
Governor before election George W. Romney Republican Elected Governor George W. Romney Republican

The 1964 Michigan gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1964. Incumbent Republican George W. Romney defeated Democratic nominee Neil O. Staebler with 55.87% of the vote.

This marked the last time the governor was elected to a two-year term, as in 1963 a new state constitution had been adopted, extending the term length to four years. ^[1]

General election

Candidates

Major party candidates

• George W. Romney, Republican
• Neil O. Staebler, Democratic

Major party running mates ^[2]

• William Milliken, Republican
• Robert A. Derengoski, Democratic

Other candidates

• Frank Lovell, Socialist Workers
• Albert B. Cleage Jr., Freedom Now
• James C. Horvath, Socialist Labor

Other running mates ^[2]

• Harriet Talan, Socialist Workers
• James Jackson, Freedom Now
• W. Clifford Bentley, Socialist Labor

Results

Michigan gubernatorial election, 1964 ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	George W. Romney (incumbent)	1,764,355	55.87
	Democratic	Neil O. Staebler	1,381,442	43.74
	Socialist Workers	Frank Lovell	5,649	0.18
	Freedom Now	Albert B. Cleage Jr.	4,767	0.15
	Socialist Labor	James C. Horvath	1,777	0.06
	Write-ins		112	0.21
Total votes			3,158,102	100
	Republican hold

Primaries

The primary elections occurred on September 1, 1964. ^[2]

Democratic primary

Michigan gubernatorial Democratic primary, 1964 ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Neil Staebler	510,588	99.99
	Democratic	Write-ins	42	0.01
Total votes			510,630	100.00

Republican primary

Michigan gubernatorial Republican primary, 1964 ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	George W. Romney (incumbent)	583,356	87.86
	Republican	George N. Higgins	80,608	12.14
	Republican	Write-ins	17	0.00
Total votes			663,981	100.00

References

1. "MCL - Article V § 21 - Michigan Legislature". www.legislature.mi.gov. Archived from the original on May 15, 2025. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
2. Michigan (1967). Michigan manual. 1965/1966 – via HathiTrust.
3. "Our Campaigns - MI Governor - Nov 03, 1964". Our Campaigns. Retrieved November 25, 2019.