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37 governorships 35 states; 2 territories | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Republican hold Republican gain Democratic hold Democratic gain Independent gain |
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 5, 1974, in 35 states and two territories. The Democrats achieved a net gain of four seats, Republicans took a net loss of five seats, and one Independent was elected to the governorship of a state. This election coincided with the Senate and the House elections.
In Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota and Texas, governors were elected to four-year terms for the first time, instead of two-year terms. As of 2024, this is the last time that a Democrat was elected South Dakota governor. This is the first time a woman has been elected governor whose husband was not governor of any state. (In this case, Connecticut.)
A bolded state name features an article about the specific election.
State | Incumbent | Party | First elected | Result | Candidates |
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Alabama | George Wallace | Democratic | 1962 1966 (term-limited) 1970 | Incumbent re-elected. [1] |
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Alaska | William A. Egan | Democratic | 1958 1966 (defeated) 1970 | Incumbent lost re-election. [2] New governor elected. Republican gain. |
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Arizona | Jack Williams | Republican | 1966 | Incumbent retired. [3] New governor elected. Democratic gain. |
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Arkansas | Dale Bumpers | Democratic | 1970 | Incumbent retired. [4] New governor elected. Democratic hold. |
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California | Ronald Reagan | Republican | 1966 | Incumbent retired. [5] New governor elected. Democratic gain. |
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Colorado | John D. Vanderhoof | Republican | 1973 [lower-alpha 1] | Incumbent lost election to full term. [6] New governor elected. Democratic gain. |
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Connecticut | Thomas Meskill | Republican | 1970 | Incumbent retired. [7] New governor elected. Democratic gain. |
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Florida | Reubin Askew | Democratic | 1970 | Incumbent re-elected. [8] |
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Georgia | Jimmy Carter | Democratic | 1970 | Incumbent term-limited. [9] New governor elected. Democratic hold. |
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Hawaii | John A. Burns | Democratic | 1962 | Incumbent retired. [10] New governor elected. Democratic hold. |
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Idaho | Cecil Andrus | Democratic | 1970 | Incumbent re-elected. [11] |
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Iowa | Robert D. Ray | Republican | 1968 | Incumbent re-elected. [12] |
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Kansas | Robert Docking | Democratic | 1966 | Incumbent term-limited. [13] New governor elected. Republican gain. |
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Maine | Kenneth M. Curtis | Democratic | 1970 | Incumbent term-limited. [14] New governor elected. Independent gain. |
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Maryland | Marvin Mandel | Democratic | 1966 | Incumbent re-elected. [15] |
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Massachusetts | Francis Sargent | Republican | 1969 [lower-alpha 2] | Incumbent lost re-election. [16] New governor elected. Democratic gain. |
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Michigan | William Milliken | Republican | 1969 [lower-alpha 3] | Incumbent re-elected. [17] |
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Minnesota | Wendell R. Anderson | Democratic | 1970 | Incumbent re-elected. [18] |
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Nebraska | J. James Exon | Democratic | 1970 | Incumbent re-elected. [19] |
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Nevada | Mike O'Callaghan | Democratic | 1970 | Incumbent re-elected. [20] |
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New Hampshire | Meldrim Thomson Jr. | Republican | 1972 | Incumbent re-elected. [21] |
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New Mexico | Bruce King | Democratic | 1970 | Incumbent term-limited. [22] New governor elected. Democratic hold. |
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New York | Malcolm Wilson | Republican | 1973 [lower-alpha 4] | Incumbent lost election to full term. [23] New governor elected. Democratic gain. |
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Ohio | John J. Gilligan | Democratic | 1970 | Incumbent lost re-election. [24] New governor elected. Republican gain. |
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Oklahoma | David Hall | Democratic | 1970 | Incumbent lost re-nomination. [25] New governor elected. Democratic hold. |
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Oregon | Tom McCall | Republican | 1966 | Incumbent term-limited. [26] New governor elected. Democratic gain. |
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Pennsylvania | Milton Shapp | Democratic | 1970 | Incumbent re-elected. [27] |
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Rhode Island | Philip Noel | Democratic | 1972 | Incumbent re-elected. [28] |
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South Carolina | John C. West | Democratic | 1970 | Incumbent term-limited. [29] New governor elected. Republican gain. |
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South Dakota | Richard F. Kneip | Democratic | 1970 | Incumbent re-elected. [30] |
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Tennessee | Winfield Dunn | Republican | 1970 | Incumbent term-limited. [31] New governor elected. Democratic gain. |
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Texas | Dolph Briscoe | Democratic | 1972 | Incumbent re-elected. [32] |
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Vermont | Thomas P. Salmon | Democratic | 1972 | Incumbent re-elected. [33] |
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Wisconsin | Patrick Lucey | Democratic | 1970 | Incumbent re-elected. [34] |
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Wyoming | Stanley K. Hathaway | Republican | 1966 | Incumbent retired. [35] New governor elected. Democratic gain. |
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Territory | Incumbent | Party | First elected | Result | Candidates |
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District of Columbia | None (New office) | New office. New mayor elected. Democratic gain. |
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Guam | Carlos Camacho | Republican | 1970 | Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Democratic gain. |
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The 1978 United States Senate elections were held on November 7, in the middle of Democratic President Jimmy Carter's term. The 33 seats of Class 2 were contested in regular elections. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies.
The 1974 United States Senate elections were held on November 5, with the 34 seats of Class 3 contested in regular elections. They occurred in the wake of the Watergate scandal, Richard M. Nixon's resignation from the presidency, and Gerald Ford's subsequent pardon of Nixon. Economic issues, specifically inflation and stagnation, were also a factor that contributed to Republican losses. As an immediate result of the November 1974 elections, Democrats made a net gain of three seats from the Republicans, as they defeated Republican incumbents in Colorado and Kentucky and picked up open seats in Florida and Vermont, while Republicans won the open seat in Nevada. Following the elections, at the beginning of the 94th U.S. Congress, the Democratic caucus controlled 60 seats, and the Republican caucus controlled 38 seats.
The 1968 United States Senate elections were elections for the United States Senate. Held on November 5, the 34 seats of Class 3 were contested in regular elections. They coincided with the presidential election of the same year. The Republicans picked up five net seats in the Senate. This saw Republicans win a Senate seat in Florida for the first time since Reconstruction.
The 1960 United States Senate elections coincided with the election of John F. Kennedy as president on November 8, 1960. The 33 seats of Class 2 were contested in regular elections. A special election was also held on June 28, 1960, for a mid-term vacancy in North Dakota where Democrats flipped a seat to expand their majority to 66–34. As Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson was elected Vice President, Mike Mansfield became the new majority leader.
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The 1952 United States Senate elections was an election for the United States Senate which coincided with the election of Dwight D. Eisenhower to the presidency by a large margin. The 32 Senate seats of Class 1 were contested in regular elections, and three special elections were held to fill vacancies. The Republicans took control of the Senate by managing to make a net gain of two seats. However, Wayne Morse (R-OR) became an independent forcing Republicans to rely on Vice President Richard Nixon's tie-breaking vote, although Republicans maintained a 48–47–1 plurality. Throughout the next Congress, Republicans were able to restore their 49–46–1 majority. This was the third time, as well as second consecutive, in which a sitting Senate leader lost his seat.
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