| Election Name: | 1960 United States gubernatorial elections |
| Country: | United States |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1959 United States gubernatorial elections |
| Previous Year: | 1959 |
| Next Election: | 1961 United States gubernatorial elections |
| Next Year: | 1961 |
| 1Blank: | Seats up |
| 2Blank: | Seats won |
| Seats For Election: | 27 governorships |
| Election Date: | November 8, 1960 |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Seats Before1: | 33 |
| Seats After1: | 34 |
| Seat Change1: | 1 |
| 1Data1: | 14 |
| 2Data1: | 15 |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Seats Before2: | 17 |
| Seats After2: | 16 |
| Seat Change2: | 1 |
| 1Data2: | 13 |
| 2Data2: | 12 |
| Map Size: | 324px |
United States gubernatorial elections were held on 8 November 1960, in 27 states. The elections were concurrent with the House elections, the Senate elections and the presidential election.
In Minnesota, this was the last election on a 2-year cycle, before switching to a 4-year term for governors.
| State | Incumbent | Party | Status | Opposing candidates | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Paul Fannin | Republican | Re-elected, 59.30% | Lee Ackerman (Democratic) 40.70% [1] | |
| Arkansas | Orval Faubus | Democratic | Re-elected, 69.21% | Henry M. Britt (Republican) 30.79% [2] | |
| Delaware | Republican | Term-limited, Democratic victory | Elbert N. Carvel (Democratic) 51.73% John W. Rollins (Republican) 48.27% [3] | ||
| Florida | Democratic | Term-limited, Democratic victory | C. Farris Bryant (Democratic) 59.85% George C. Petersen (Republican) 40.15% [4] | ||
| Illinois | Republican | Defeated, 44.30% | Otto Kerner Jr. (Democratic) 55.51% Edward C. Gross (Socialist Labor) 0.19% [5] | ||
| Indiana | Republican | Term-limited, Democratic victory | Matthew E. Welsh (Democratic) 50.39% Crawford F. Parker (Republican) 49.30% J. Ralston Miller (Prohibition) 0.28% Herman Kronewitter (Socialist Labor) 0.04% [6] | ||
| Iowa | Democratic | Retired to run for U.S. Senate, Republican victory | Norman A. Erbe (Republican) 52.14% Edward Joseph McManus (Democratic) 47.86% [7] | ||
| Kansas | Democratic | Defeated, 43.60% | John Anderson Jr. (Republican) 55.45% J. J. Steele (Prohibition) 0.95% [8] | ||
| Maine (Special election) | John H. Reed | Republican | Re-elected, 52.66% | Frank M. Coffin (Democratic) 47.34% [9] | |
| Massachusetts | Democratic | Retired to run for U.S. Senate, Republican victory | John Volpe (Republican) 52.51% Joseph D. Ward (Democratic) 46.78% Henning A. Blomen (Socialist Labor) 0.39% Guy S. Williams (Prohibition) 0.31% Scattering 0.01% [10] | ||
| Michigan | Democratic | Retired, Democratic victory | John Swainson (Democratic) 50.48% Paul Douglas Bagwell (Republican) 49.20% Robert Himmel, Jr. (Socialist Workers) 0.10% Delmar D. Gibbons (Prohibition) 0.07% F. J. Toohey (Tax Cut) 0.06% Theos A. Grove (Socialist Labor) 0.05% R. Roy Pursell (Independent American) 0.04% [11] | ||
| Minnesota | Defeated, 49.08% | Elmer L. Andersen (Republican) 50.56% Rudolph Gustafson (Industrial Government) 0.36% [12] | |||
| Missouri | Democratic | Term-limited, Democratic victory | John M. Dalton (Democratic) 58.03% Edward G. Farmer (Republican) 41.97% [13] | ||
| Montana | Republican | Retired, Republican victory | Donald Grant Nutter (Republican) 55.11% Paul Cannon (Democratic) 44.89% [14] | ||
| Nebraska | Republican | Ran for Lieutenant Governor, Democratic victory | Frank B. Morrison (Democratic) 51.98% John R. Cooper (Republican) 47.97% Scattering 0.05% [15] | ||
| New Hampshire | Wesley Powell | Republican | Re-elected, 55.46% | Bernard L. Boutin (Democratic) 44.54% [16] | |
| New Mexico | Democratic | Defeated, 49.67% | Edwin L. Mechem (Republican) 50.33% [17] | ||
| North Carolina | Democratic | Term-limited, Democratic victory | Terry Sanford (Democratic) 54.45% Robert L. Gavin (Republican) 45.47% I. Beverly Lake (Write-in) 0.08% [18] | ||
| North Dakota | Republican | Retired to run for U.S. Senate, Democratic victory | William L. Guy (D-NPL) 49.44% Clarence P. Dahl (Republican) 44.48% Herschel Lashkowitz (Independent) 6.08% [19] | ||
| Rhode Island | Republican | Defeated, 43.36% | John A. Notte Jr. (Democratic) 56.64% [20] | ||
| South Dakota | Democratic | Defeated, 49.27% | Archie M. Gubbrud (Republican) 50.73% [21] | ||
| Texas | Price Daniel | Democratic | Re-elected, 72.75% | William Steger (Republican) 27.25% [22] | |
| Utah | George Dewey Clyde | Republican | Re-elected, 52.66% | William Arthur Barlocker (Democratic) 47.34% [23] | |
| Vermont | Republican | Retired to run for U.S. House, Republican victory | F. Ray Keyser Jr. (Republican) 56.41% Russell F. Niquette (Democratic) 43.59% Scattering 0.01% [24] | ||
| Washington | Albert Rosellini | Democratic | Re-elected, 50.34% | Lloyd J. Andrews (Republican) 48.87% Henry Killman (Socialist Labor) 0.71% Jack W. Wright (Socialist Workers) 0.08% [25] | |
| West Virginia | Republican | Term-limited, Democratic victory | Wally Barron (Democratic) 53.99% Harold E. Neely (Republican) 46.01% [26] | ||
| Wisconsin | Gaylord Nelson | Democratic | Re-elected, 51.56% | Philip G. Kuehn (Republican) 48.44% [27] |