1968 Arkansas gubernatorial election

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1968 Arkansas gubernatorial election
Flag of Arkansas (1924-2011).svg
  1966 November 5, 1968 1970  
  Winthrop Rockefeller 1967 (cropped).jpg No image.svg
Nominee Winthrop Rockefeller Marion H. Crank
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote322,782292,813
Percentage52.43%47.57%

1968 Arkansas gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
County results
Rockefeller:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%
Crank:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%

Governor before election

Winthrop Rockefeller
Republican

Elected Governor

Winthrop Rockefeller
Republican

The 1968 Arkansas gubernatorial election was held on November 5, when incumbent Republican Winthrop Rockefeller defeated former speaker [1] of the Arkansas House of Representatives Marion Crank by a small margin. Rockefeller was first elected in 1966, and was the first Republican to hold the office since Reconstruction. This was the first time a Republican was re-elected as governor of Arkansas.

Contents

As of 2022, this is the last time that Chicot County and St. Francis County voted for the Republican candidate.

Background

Probably due to the crowded Democratic primary and allegations of nepotism cast upon Crank, [2] aided by the recent full enfranchisement of African Americans who supported Rockefeller and his liberal reforms Rockefeller prevailed with a clear, though reduced, compared to 1966 margin.

Virginia Johnson was the wife of former Arkansas Supreme Court Justice James D. Johnson who, concurrently with her candidacy, unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination against J. William Fulbright in the Senate election.

Democratic primary

Candidates:

Arkansas Democratic primary
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Marion H. Crank 106,092 25.57
Democratic Virginia Johnson 86,03820.74
Democratic Ted Boswell 86,62920.64
Democratic Bruce Bennett 65,09515.69
Democratic Frank Whitbeck 61,75814.89
Democratic Clyde E. Byrd 10,2652.47

Runoff

Arkansas Democratic primary runoff
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Marion H. Crank 215,087 63.27
Democratic Virginia Johnson 124,88036.73

Election results

Arkansas gubernatorial election, 1968
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Winthrop Rockefeller (incumbent) 322,782 52.43 −1.93%
Democratic Marion Crank 292,81347.57+1.93%
Total votes615,595 100.00

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References

  1. "Speaker Archive - Arkansas House of Representatives".
  2. Arkansas Politics in the 20th Century: Twelve Elections That Shaped a Century: Darth, Dumas, p. 51