| Election Name: | 1924 Texas gubernatorial election |
| Type: | Presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1922 Texas gubernatorial election |
| Previous Year: | 1922 |
| Next Election: | 1926 Texas gubernatorial election |
| Next Year: | 1926 |
| Election Date: | 4 November 1924 |
| Turnout: | 60.0% 19.9 pp[1] |
| Nominee1: | Miriam A. Ferguson |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 422,558 |
| Percentage1: | 58.89% |
| Nominee2: | George C. Butte |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 294,970 |
| Percentage2: | 41.11% |
| Map Size: | 310px |
| Governor | |
| Before Election: | Pat Morris Neff |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Miriam A. Ferguson |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Country: | Texas |
The 1924 Texas gubernatorial election was held on 4 November 1924 in order to elect the Governor of Texas. Democratic nominee and former First Lady of Texas Miriam A. Ferguson defeated Republican nominee George C. Butte. With her victory, she became the first female governor of Texas and the second to be governor of any U.S. state, after Nellie Tayloe Ross, although Ferguson was the first to be elected to the office.[2] [3]
The Democratic primary election was held on 26 July 1924. No one candidate received greater than 50% of the vote, so a run-off was held.
As no candidate won a majority of votes, there was a runoff. The runoff was a proxy battle between pro-Klan political forces backing Klansman Felix Robertson and anti-Klan political forces backing Ma Ferguson.[8] During the runoff, Thomas D. Barton endorsed Ferguson.[4] The election was held August 23, 1924. Ferguson won the primary with 56.70% against Robertson.[9]
The general election saw the Ku Klux Klan back Republican George C. Butte, seeing him as a more acceptable alternative to the anti-Klan Ferguson, despite the state Republican platform's stated "unalterable opposition to the Ku Klux Klan."[10] [11] Additionally, Ferguson saw an unprecedented number of defections from the Democratic Party, notably state legislator and longtime party leader Thomas B. Love.[12] A coalition of anti-Ferguson Democrats and prohibitionists formed the Good Government Democratic League[11]
An atypically close race in then-staunchly Democratic Texas, Butte received 41.11% of the vote to Fergueson's 58.89% of the vote.[13] By contrast, Democratic nominee John W. Davis received 73.70% of the vote in his three-way race against Calvin Coolidge (19.78%) and Robert M. La Follette (6.52%).[14] Ferguson was sworn in as the 29th Governor of Texas on January 20, 1925.[13]