1966 New York gubernatorial election

Summary

The 1966 New York gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1966 to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New York. Incumbent Republican Nelson Rockefeller won reelection. As of 2022, this is the last time Manhattan (New York County) voted for a Republican in a statewide election.

1966 New York gubernatorial election

← 1962 November 8, 1966 1970 →
 
Nominee Nelson Rockefeller Frank D. O'Connor
Party Republican Democratic
Running mate Malcolm Wilson Howard J. Samuels
Popular vote 2,690,626 2,298,363
Percentage 44.6% 38.1%

 
Candidate Paul L. Adams Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr.
Party Conservative Liberal
Running mate Kieran O'Doherty Donald S. Harrington
Popular vote 510,023 507,234
Percentage 8.5% 8.4%

County results

Rockefeller:      30-40%      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%

O'Connor:      40-50%

Governor before election

Nelson Rockefeller
Republican

Elected Governor

Nelson Rockefeller
Republican

Nominations edit

Republican edit

Governor Nelson Rockefeller angered conservatives by refusing to support Republican nominee Barry Goldwater during the 1964 presidential election. Polling showed Rockefeller behind Eugene Nickerson, Frank D. O'Connor, Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr., Howard J. Samuels, or Robert F. Wagner Jr. if they were the Democratic nominee.[1]

Liberal edit

Members of the party wanted to run an independent campaign and a canvass of party units showed they wanted an independent candidate.[2]

The Liberal Party of New York opposed Rockefeller. Chair Donald S. Harrington viewed him as "too conservative" and Rockefeller fought with Mayor John Lindsay and U.S. Senator Jacob Javits, who the Liberals supported.[3]

O'Connor courted the Liberals, with him appointing Eldon R. Clingan to his staff and promising to Alex Rose that the Liberals would be equals in his campaign. However, O'Connor voted to end cross-endorsements in the state legislature and was close to bosses Charles A. Buckley and Irwin Steingut, who the Liberals opposed. Roosevelt claimed that O'Connor was secretly promised the gubernatorial nomination in exchange for withdrawing from the 1965 New York City mayoral election. President Lyndon B. Johnson and Vice President Hubert Humphrey pressured the party to support O'Connor. Adolf A. Berle, the former chair of the party, supported O'Connor, but Rose criticized Berle as "not even a member of our organization". On August 9, the Liberal Policy Committee voted unanimously to not support him.[4]

Roosevelt lobbied the party's leadership for their nomination for months. David Dubinsky "broke out the 20-year-old scotch" during a meeting according Roosevelt's friends. Dubinsky argued for supporting Roosevelt using polls showing him receiving at least one-fourth of the vote. Louis Stulberg and other leaders of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union opposed Roosevelt due to him not staying with the party after the 1949 election.[5]

Leo Koch nominated James Farmer at the party's convention. Roosevelt won the party's nomination. Murray Kempton stated that the convention was under the thumb of "comrade secretary" Ben Davidson, who chaired the convention. Harrington was selected as the lieutenant gubernatorial nominee.[6]

1966 New York gubernatorial Liberal Party ballot[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr. 209 82.28%
Liberal James Farmer 33 12.99%
Liberal Abstain 12 4.72%
Total votes 254 100.00%
Did not vote 67

Conservative edit

Paul L. Adams, the dean of Roberts Wesleyan University, was nominated by the Conservative Party of New York State.[8]

Conservative Party convention results[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Paul L. Adams 239 74.92
Conservative Donald H. Serrell 68 21.32
Conservative John J. O'Leary 12 3.76
Total votes 319 100.00

Campaign edit

This was the last gubernatorial election to have no parties utilize electoral fusion.[10]

Roosevelt received the highest number of votes for any Liberal gubernatorial nominee in history. However, the Liberals received fewer votes than the Conservatives and fell from Row C to Row D.[11]

Contested nominations edit

Democratic edit

Democratic Party Convention results[12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Frank D. O'Connor 569 80.60
Democratic Howard J. Samuels 137 19.41
Total votes 706 100.00

Results edit

New York gubernatorial election, 1966
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Nelson Rockefeller (incumbent) 2,690,626 44.61% -8.47%
Democratic Frank D. O'Connor 2,298,363 38.11% -5.86%
Conservative Paul L. Adams 510,023 8.46% +6.02%
Liberal Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr. 507,234 8.41% +4.23%
Socialist Labor Milton Herder 12,730 0.21% +0.04%
Socialist Workers Judith White 12,506 0.21% -0.13%
Majority 392,263 6.50% -2.62%
Turnout 6,031,482
Republican hold

References edit

  1. ^ Soyer 2021, p. 198-199.
  2. ^ Soyer 2021, p. 201.
  3. ^ Soyer 2021, p. 200.
  4. ^ Soyer 2021, p. 199-201.
  5. ^ Soyer 2021, p. 201-202.
  6. ^ Soyer 2021, p. 202-204.
  7. ^ Soyer 2021, p. 203.
  8. ^ Soyer 2021, p. 204.
  9. ^ "Our Campaigns - NY Governor - C Convention Race - Sep 07, 1966". www.ourcampaigns.com.
  10. ^ Benjamin & Catalano 2020, p. 165.
  11. ^ Soyer 2021, p. 206.
  12. ^ "Our Campaigns - NY Governor - D Convention Race - Sep 07, 1966". www.ourcampaigns.com.

Works cited edit

  • Benjamin, Gerald; Catalano, Michael (2020). Beyond Donkeys and Elephants: Minor Political Parties in Contemporary American Politics. University Press of Kansas. ISBN 978-0-7006-2929-9.
  • Soyer, Daniel (2021). Left in the Center: The Liberal Party of New York and the Rise and Fall of American Social Democracy. Cornell University Press. ISBN 9781501759888. JSTOR 10.7591/j.ctv1hw3x50.2.