Maine gubernatorial election, 1960

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Maine gubernatorial election, 1960
Flag of Maine.svg
  1958 November 8, 1960 1962  

 
Ronald Reagan and John H. Reed 1982.jpg
Frank M. Coffin (Maine Congressman).jpg
Nominee John H. Reed Frank M. Coffin
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote219,768197,447
Percentage52.67%47.33%

1960MaineGubernatorial copy.png
County results
  Counties won by Coffin
  Counties won by Reed

Governor before election

John H. Reed
Republican

Elected Governor

John H. Reed
Republican

The 1960 Maine gubernatorial election was a special election held to officially elect a governor following the death of Governor Clinton Clauson. It took place on November 8, 1960 with Republican Governor John Reed (who, as Maine Senate President, automatically took office upon Clauson's death) defeating Democrat Frank M. Coffin.

Clinton Amos Clauson was a Democratic Party politician and the 66th Governor of Maine. Clauson died while in office, having served as governor for just under a year.

Republican Party (United States) Major political party in the United States

The Republican Party, also referred to as the GOP, is one of the two major political parties in the United States; the other is its historic rival, the Democratic Party.

John H. Reed American politician

John Hathaway Reed was the 67th Governor of Maine, holding office during the 1960s. He was once an Aroostook County potato farmer. Reed was a Republican who took office following the death of Governor Clinton Clauson.

The election was also the first time since Maine was admitted to the Union that the state did not hold its election in September. Traditionally, Maine had held its elections two months before the rest of the nation, which had help give birth to the phrase "As Maine goes, so goes the nation" and its status as a bellwether state. However, following a 1957 referendum, the state constitution was amended to hold all elections after 1958 in November.

United States Federal republic in North America

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country comprising 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.

"As Maine goes, so goes the nation" is a phrase that at one time was in wide currency in United States politics. The phrase described Maine's reputation as a bellwether state for presidential elections. Specifically, Maine's September election of a governor predicted the party outcome of the November presidential election in 19 out of the 26 presidential election years from 1832 to 1932, or 73 percent of the time. The accurate years were from 1832 through 1844, in 1852, from 1860 through 1876, in 1888, from 1896 through 1908 and from 1920 through 1932.

A bellwether is one that leads or indicates trends; a trendsetter.

Results

1960 Gubernatorial Special Election, Maine [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Republican John H. Reed 219,76852.67%-
Democratic Frank M. Coffin 197,44747.33%-
Majority22,3215.35%

Notes

  1. Guide to US Elections, Fifth Edition, Volume II. CQ Press. 2005. pp. 1497–1499. ISBN   978-1-56802-981-8.

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